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HACKS: Everything A First-Timer To Los Angeles Should See, According To An Angeleno

A first-time visit to Los Angeles can either end with you planning your return OR with you staring at your L.A. bucket list and wondering how you only managed tick […]

A first-time visit to Los Angeles can either end with you planning your return OR with you staring at your L.A. bucket list and wondering how you only managed tick off a handful of the 20+ items.

Los Angeles is large, it’s exciting and each neighbourhood is entirely different from the next. But its incredible vastness and diversity can often be underestimated by new visitors, leaving them overwhelmed and unsure of where to start.

Fortunately, all that’s needed to counteract the feeling of inundation is a little planning and some expert advice. And who better to offer advice on the City of Angels than someone who was born there, raised there and now spend most of their time promoting its ever-growing list of sites?

No one. There’s no one better than Kathy Smits, a born and bred Angeleno who’s also the VP International Tourism at the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (no one, except maybe her colleagues at the tourism board).

We caught up with Kathy on a recent visit to Australia, during which she told us that “maximising what you do in particular regions” is important to a successful first-time visit.

She said visitors should aim to “cluster” their itineraries so that they’re not going back and forth across the city. Here’s how she recommends doing 48-hours in Los Angeles:

 

A DAY DOWNTOWN

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For Aussies, this could be the day of arrival.

Drop your luggage off at the hotel and head to the bustling Downtown region where Kathy recommends checking out The Broad.

The Broad is one of her “favourite experiences” because it’s a completely manageable bite-sized museum where visitors will appreciate both the great art inside and the building itself.

From there, she suggests a stop by The Grand Central Market to get a taste of Los Angeles’ different cuisines before seeing the area’s other assets such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Grammy Museum and more.

To wrap up a great day Downtown, Kathy recommended booking tickets (in advance) to a game at the Staples Center.

 

A DAY AT A THEME PARK

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Image: John Ruddock/Unsplash

Los Angeles’ theme parks aren’t just any old theme parks, they do one thing completely unique. They are great at delivering “movie-making magic”.

Universal Studios Hollywood and Warner Bros. Studios “really own that studio backlot experience and I think it’s important to call that out”, she said.

It’s for this reason that Kathy believes theme parks are important to an L.A. itinerary (first-time or otherwise).

 

A DAY OF THE WEST, HOLLYWOOD & MID-CITY

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It wouldn’t be a trip to Los Angeles without a little beach-time and Hollywood.

Kathy recommends checking out the ocean and beach life on the West, where there’s also great opportunities to watch sports and tick off the ever-important shopping.

From there, she recommends checking out the ever-popular Hollywood and then taking a trip to Mid-City to see The Petersen Museum’s ‘Vault’ of historically important cars such as former US President vehicles AND even the bullet-riddled limousine of Saddam Hussein.

“I’m not a car fanatic but it’s got a great collection of cars,” Kathy explained.

Once you’re all revved up to continue your L.A. experience, the Angeleno recommended a trip to The Grove where travellers can do more shopping, get a bite to eat and if they’re lucky, see some celebrities.

Kathy said travellers should also add the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to their Mid-City itinerary where it opens.