The Best Things to Do in LA – According to a Local

A sprawling behemoth of a city, Los Angeles can seem like an overwhelming city to navigate. To help you uncover its myriad hidden gems, we asked local, Tanvi Chheda, to share her top tips on the best things to do during your next visit.

Los Angeles often gets a bad rap, its critics citing traffic on the famous freeways and a lack of substance. When I arrived here in 2008, I, too, misunderstood this diverse, multilayered West Coast metropolis. In the 16 years since, I’ve come to realise that there’s much more to my adopted home than meets the eye. Los Angeles may require a bit of effort (and local intel) to appreciate but don’t be surprised if that slow-burning courtship turns into a lifelong love affair.

Consider basing yourself in the city’s evolving Downtown at the 268-room Hotel Figueroa, which dates back to 1926, when it was a women’s hostel – the only hotel at the time where women didn’t need a male chaperone – and, later, a gathering place for social activism.

It reopened in 2018 after extensive renovations with Cafe Fig serving mushroom arancini, rigatoni in spicy vodka sauce and cocktails.

The property’s coffin-shaped pool, set against a floral mural backdrop, is one of my favourite spots in LA for an Instagram snap.

From the hotel it’s a short walk to Pershing Square, the starting point of the Los Angeles Conservancy’s Historic Downtown walking tour (which few locals even know about). The two-and-a-half-hour wander highlights some of the city’s Beaux-Arts and Art Deco gems, touching on history, architecture and preservation efforts. The Central Library’s stencilled dome and world-globe-shaped chandelier gets me every time.

When you’re hungry and if you’re willing to drive (hiring a car is the easiest way to see the city), venture 20 minutes north to the hipster neighbourhood of Silver Lake and family-run Pine & Crane. This is where my kids ask to go on their birthdays and we always order the bok choy-stuffed potstickers.

We’ve all heard of Hollywood but Culver City, in LA’s west, is historically recognised as the birthplace of modern cinema as it was home to the Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) studios from 1924 until 1986. Culver City has flourished again in the past decade or so but there’s one downside: parking can be a challenge. Instead, explore its downtown area on foot and stop by the landmark Culver Hotel – where the Munchkins from 1939’s The Wizard of Oz stayed during filming – for afternoon tea (or something stronger) on the lovely, lush garden patio.

Further east, along Washington Boulevard, the Platform LA is a high-end complex of indie designer shops (Reformation, Wyeth, Teller) that’s a fun stroll, even if a $500 silk blazer is a bit beyond the budget. I like to console myself with a scoop from the on-site outpost of Van Leeuwen, a fab ice-creamery with delicious options, such as chocolate caramel cheesecake.

For more of the see-and-be-seen vibe (this is LA, after all), book a patio table for an early dinner at stylish eatery Gracias Madre in West Hollywood, where celebrities (maybe Mariah Carey, perhaps Natalie Portman) are known to enjoy the refined vegan Mexican fare, including esquites and potato pimiento flautas.

From here take a Lyft, LA’s preferred rideshare for the 17-minute trip to Lemon Grove, a rooftop restaurant and bar in Hollywood, for a Gintonico cocktail infused with lavender and views of Tinseltown’s most famous sight, the Hollywood Sign. A glimpse of those almost 14-metre tall corrugated-steel letters always brings a smile to my face.

Like any city, there’s no right or wrong way to explore Los Angeles; the art, culture, architecture and dining options are endless. Every neighbourhood and community has its stories and every local (and visitor) writes their own.