L.A Birthday Diary & Travel Guide #JetSetG

L.A Birthday Diary & Travel Guide #JetSetG

Hi G’s! I recently made a trip to Los Angeles for a week and I thought I’d share a bit of my adventures. This was my little birthday vacation for my 22nd (#leogang) and I really just wanted to relax, soak up the sun and see my best friend Iysee who moved there in June. I wasn’t planning on blogging this trip at all until I started to notice howwww different the East & West Coast are (this was my first time in the West) and I needed to share my thoughts! I only remembered to take pictures sporadically so this post is going to be all over the place from what I did, to what I wore & my tips, enjoy!

IMG_0029

This was my first time getting on a plane by myself so I was pretty nervous but I got over it quickly. The first thing I did when I landed was get In & Out, & I finally realized what all the hype was about! lol after that I changed into denim cut offs & chucks to go out & explore the neighborhood.

IMG_0001

We stopped at Body Energy Club on Hollywood Boulevard and I got the Greenacolada (Spinach, Lime, Banana, Mango, Organic Coconut Milk & Vegan Protein). It was so good, it tasted like it was unhealthy lol

IMG_5034

I stood in a cute studio apartment in Hollywood, very close to all the main tourist sites/activities like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Museum of Death, and the Hollywood & Highland shopping center (below). If you’ll be making a trip soon, I would recommend checking out the app Overnight! It’s a super convenient way to book last minute stays with locals in the community, you can use the code alexistheg for $25 off your first stay!

aDSC01275 aDSC01276

It was about a 10 minute walk from the studio to the shopping center; I memorized the way there so that I could explore the center and Walk of Fame by myself. As I get older, I’m falling more in love with enjoying my solitude and not feeling lonely or wishing someone was with me and it’s such a good feeling! I even took my headphones out to soak every moment in.

aDSC01278

There are a lot of cool, hipstery shops and eateries along Hollywood Boulevard that have really unique items on the menu (don’t get trapped by the main tourist spots that will charge you an arm & a leg). I stopped at this little cafe called Juicy Factory to get something sweet.

aDSC01281 aDSC01282

On my second full day in L.A me & Iysee went to Santa Monica Pier and had so much fun! I wish I got more pictures but I was just living in the moment. Here are some quick shots from snapchat…

Sc: alexisthe_g

IMG_0005

IMG_0026

You literally have to Uber Everywhere in LA, it’s kind of a pain BUT on the bright side a ride that would probably cost $20 in NYC would be less than $5 in LA so it really wasn’t a problem. On our way back from the beach our Uber driver found out we were from NYC & decided to give us a mini tour of LA for free, she even stopped at the Beverly Hills sign so we could take pictures, how nice of her 🙂

IMG_0008

My birthday fell on a Tuesday (8/2) so that Monday night we decided to go out to the neighborhood that would be lit, even on a Monday… the gayborhood! Lol it’s a strip of different bars & clubs in West Hollywood that is predominantly LGBT, and it was so fun!

IMG_0010

I wore a Missguided top and H&M pants that have a hidden slit down each leg.

IMG_0011

We club hopped until 2am which is when all the clubs in L.A closed *insert eyeroll emoji* apparently to control gang violence. It reminded me of being back in college in Albany, which I wasn’t a fan of lol. When we got out of the last bar, there was someone with a huge boombox & it ended up being a dance party on the street with everyone singing along to Selena & grinding to reggaeton.

IMG_0012

The next morning on my actual birthday me & Iysee met up with an old college friend who moved to L.A 3 years ago. We had brunch at the Rooftop on Wilshire & the food was delicious! I had the banana walnut pancakes…

IMG_0015IMG_0013IMG_0014

Top/Arm cuff/Shoes- Love Culture, Shorts-Vintage Levi’s

IMG_0021

Unfortunately Iysee had work on my last full day so I was on my own for a bit, but I made the best of it! At first I was going to just pack & wait for him to get out of work but I put on my big girl panties and decided to explore by myself a bit more. I could’ve taken an Uber to Downtown LA but I really wanted to see what their train system was like in comparison to ours. This is definitely when I took the most pictures because I was so intrigued.

aDSC01285 aDSC01286 aDSC01288

Their subways are very clean, but that was the only plus they have over the MTA. The trains seemed pretty old, with poor lighting (like the trains with the orange seats in NYC) but they were efficient & easy to navigate so it’s almost impossible to get lost.

aDSC01289 aDSC01291 aDSC01293

I think it’s so cute that their subway lines are coded by color which reminded me a lot of the subway system in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as well as the “tap” method of tapping your card against a magnetic base rather than swiping. I got on the red line at Hollywood & Highland & took it 9 stops to Pershing Square which took about 20 minutes (not too bad).

aDSC01339aDSC01340aDSC01295 aDSC01297 aDSC01298

This is what it looked like when I got off at Pershing, it reminded me a lot of Hell’s Kitchen.

aDSC01300

I threw on this dress that fits so well, it was the perfect outfit to be comfortable exploring in and still look chic.

aDSC01306

We explored downtown L.A a bit once Iysee got off work, but we had one mission in mind & that was to eat at the Grand Central Market. It has over 30 vendors and a huge variety in foods from fresh produce (meats & cheeses) to different cultural foods, and sweets too. Not to mention they all have cute names & decor. Here are a few of the options…

aDSC01314 aDSC01316 aDSC01317

DTLA Cheese

aDSC01321 aDSC01323 aDSC01330 aDSC01332 aDSC01334

We got to the market pretty late on a weekday so fortunately it wasn’t over crowded like what we were expecting from reviews, but unfortunately some of the vendors were already closed. We circled throughout the market & glanced over our options. Even with half of them closed, there were still sooo many delicious options I couldn’t choose! I honestly got frustrated & ended up eating at the first vendor we saw when we walked in lol.

aDSC01335

I got the drunken Thai Noodles with chicken from Sticky Rice and it was so good! See that little cartoon lady in the top left corner? She’s the owner & actually took my order directly, I thought that was pretty cool. Everything tasted really fresh, I would definitely recommend stopping by the market if you’re ever in L.A!

aDSC01337

That was the majority of my trip! I wish I had gotten more photos but I guess it’s a good thing that I was living in the moment 🙂 Let me know if you liked this little travel diary & if I should do more in the future!