Los Angeles Travel Tips: 13 Things to Know Before You Go to LA

Yellow Productions
Yellow Productions
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Published 2017-05-27
Things you need to know before you travel to Los Angeles California. LA is HUGE. You won't be able to see all of LA, unless you're staying for a very very long time. Los Angeles doesn't have a "center" and Downtown LA is not very exciting. LA is comprised of multiple cities Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Malibu. Get a rental car - You'll need it to see most tourist attractions in Los Angeles.
2. Traffic
- LA has traffic everywhere, all the time. All day, every day. Yes, even at 1am on a weekend. Deal with it.
- The freeways have names -- it's not I-405 -- it's "THE 405"
3. Public Transit
- LA has a subway!
- But it probably doesn't go where you want! Especially the beach!
4. Parking
- Is often Valet
- and Costs money everywhere
- Except when you're parking on the freeway :)
- Pay attention to street signs (confusing times and days)
5. Navigation
- Know where you're going and take the correct exit
- Take the wrong exit and you might end up in some place really sketchy
- Lots of little cities, the street numbering changes in different cities
6. Weather
- LA is not always sunny and warm
- It gets cold -- particularly at night
- Shorts in the day, but pants and a jacket at night
- And the ocean water is cold too... 70 degrees is as warm as it gets
- Inland can be 30 degrees warmer than the beach
- Lots of sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- It's dry -- moisturizer
7. LA is unlike the rest of California
- It can feel like a different country, or at least a different state
- Venice Beach in particular
8. Hollywood is in the neighborhood called "Hollywood"
- West Hollywood is in front of the Hollywood sign (and a different city) with Fancy homes
- East Hollywood doesn't have much
- North Hollywood over the mountain is a suburb of LA
- Oh by the way -- no actors in Hollywood
- And if you go see a 30 minute sitcom taping it will take 4+ hours
9. The Valley
- Means San Fernando Valley
- Burbank, Studio City, North Hollywood, Van Nuys
10. LA's most well known attractions are also some of the most rundown
- Hollywood Boulevard or is Tijuana?
- Venice Beach, oh my lord
11. LA is casual
- Flip flops and shorts are OK except in the most dressy establishments
12. Bring your own shopping bag
- Supermarkets charge 10 cents for shopping bags in California
13. Mexican Food in LA is awesome
- Get some fish tacos!
- And visit King Taco!

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All Comments (21)
  • @kenrhino7904
    "Stay here for a month and you won't see it all." Hahaha! I've lived here all my life and I haven't seen it all!
  • @laurenkim42
    I’m a L.A. native and everything he said is so true. Especially #10. Everyone that comes to visit LA thinks its going to be high-end, gold plated roads and man, they are so disappointed. Especially if you go to downtown, its really ghetto. We have one of the highest homeless populations believe it or not.
  • @MIKExMASSACREx
    The parking joke about the 405 was so on point 😂 I was crying
  • @Skyerzen
    Tourists need to know that motorcycles riding between cars (lane splitting) is legal in California.
  • @MrFuggleGuggle
    Want a better chance of catching stars/celebrities? You're more likely to run into them eating lunch or grabbing coffee in Studio City, Calabasas, or Woodland Hills.
  • @luanne4380
    I used Uber and the Metro instead of renting a car, which was much less expensive than renting a car, and paying for parking. That also gives you the opportunity to do a little site seeing before you arrive at your destination.
  • @freddy7304
    6:30 "its not always sunny...particularly at night" You dont say?
  • @drweedon
    As a San Diego native, I always hated coming up here to Los Angeles. Now I find myself living in the LA area and it is an area filled with so much to do/explore and with more depth than I ever thought. Most of the thing you touched on were good and helpful for tourist. When I have friends in town and they want to visit Hollywood and Highland, I tell them it sucks and then take them to the Fairfax Dist. Farmers Market/Grove. A much better experience and you DO see stars there from time to time. Parking sucks anywhere in LA, but that is part of the territory. One of my favorite places and it isn't something that most tourist think about visiting is the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Head over to Spokes Cafe on the LA river, rent a bike for an hour and ride the bike path, then visit Carrolwood, the home of Walt Disney's red barn in Griffith Park. The last thing about Mexican food and King Taco....there is way better Mexican food out there in Los Angeles !
  • @LongieR8er
    Here's another tip, you don't wanna be on thee 405 Fwy at 4:05pm at all.
  • @angellacanfora
    As an L.A. native, I'd like to add that if you're coming to the beach, be prepared for times of heavy, damp, chilly fog. We used to call it "June Gloom" but last year we had it for about 9 more months! I live a mile from Redondo Beach and it usually doesn't burn off until 11 am and then will return in the late afternoon. Also El Burrito, Jr! Best Mexican food, ever!
  • @huirant287
    This is the best LA travel guid for foreigners I've found on Youtube. A lot of talking, not as funny, but gives the most concrete and useful facts & info. Thank you!
  • @AXavier007
    Good Pretty Accurate Tips and also Spot On with the descriptions. 👍
  • @kellyraeparker3275
    Thank you for taking the time to make such a fantastic informative and entertaining video ☺️ We are thinking of visiting LA and this has given me more info than any travel guide or brochure 😊
  • @kenaaredd6466
    I’m from Canada, so when I went to L.A, Everyone was walking around with hoodies and pants, while I was walking around in a T-shirt and shorts cause I’m used to really cold weather lmao
  • @macgherhardt1061
    You can find authentic food from all over the world in L.A. We have amazing Korean; Phillipino; Thai; Vietnamese; Chinese; Japanese; Lebanese; Ethiopian; Peruvian; Cuban; Salvadorian; Indian; Russian... and some of the most amazing Mexican food you can have outside of Mexico. The only problem is that a lot of these food places are located in areas that most tourists are being warned against. Do your research, find a cuisine you'd like to enjoy, and take a risk in an area you wouldn't normally go to. You'll expand your horizons, and find that some of these areas are not as scary as they're being portrayed.
  • @mischiefmanaged5757
    Really helpful, practical tips. I've just started planning a first ever visit to California from the UK so these will be great.
  • @talosgoat8697
    When people say LA they mean anything in Los Angeles County. And yes you need a car.. Santa Barbara and Orange county are also amazing places to visit to truly appreciate the sol cal vibe.
  • @jbanuu
    Thanks so much Chris! I'll be landing in LA to get to Long Beach for a weekend festival (LAX plane tickets were cheaper than LGB) and have been searching for activities to make my time there useful. I appreciate all of the heads up such as weather, traffic and rundown tourist attractions. I look forward to learning new travel tips! Have a wonderful day :)