Los Angeles – Day 8 of a 8-Day California Road Trip
Day 8 was the last full day of our California Road Trip. Day 9 was a travel day back to Canada. The trip had gone by so quickly and was so much fun, I was disappointed it was ending. The weather was great – sun was out and it was not too hot despite it being November.
Day 8
Los Angeles
We were not hungry, so we skipped breakfast and headed straight to the Getty. The Getty is an art museum at the top of a hill overlooking Los Angeles. The museum itself is free, but parking is $10/vehicle. From the parking lot, you need to take a tram up the hill to the museum. It is a great spot not only for the art, but also for the views, architecture, manicured lawns and gardens. I definitely recommend visiting.
We were tight on time, so we ended our visit early and headed to Sunny Blue Santa Monica for lunch. Sunny Blue is a small shop that sells onigiri (also called omusubi). I was very excited to find this spot. I absolutely love onigiri and ate so many of them in Japan! We ordered 4 onigiri (miso beef, kara tuna x 2, and spicy salmon) to go and ate it at the beach.
Afterwards, we wandered the Santa Monica Pier and Santa Monica State Beach. There is parking near the pier for $7 USD/day. Santa Monica Pier is home to a small amusement park and shops.
We then checked in at our hotel and had happy hour at a bar across the street called Socalo. Socalo specializes in Mexican food and drinks – we ordered the chips and salsa to share and I selected the El Picante cocktail. The salsa felt more like chilli sauces than salsas, but they were still good.
Next stop – the iconic instagram spot “Urban Light”. The public art “Urban Light” is located near the Los Angeles Museum of Art. It consists of 202 restored street lamps, which were once used to light the California streets from the 1920s to 1930s.
After snapping some photos, we headed to Griffith Observatory. Parking at the observatory was the worst. We spent way too long circling trying to find parking when we should have just parked further away in the first place and walked (which is exactly what we ended up doing). The observatory is very grand, but due to the fog, I was not able to get a great photo of the building. The planetarium show is a must in my opinion and I was glad we were able to make the last showing that evening. There are also some great views of Los Angeles from the observatory.
Finally, to end our day, we headed to Leo’s Taco Truck on Sunset Boulevard for tacos! There are multiple Leo’s Taco Trucks stationed around Los Angeles, but this one was the closest to the Griffith Observatory. The food truck offers delicious Mexican food at great prices and is also open late (until 2am). We ordered 10 tacos, which came out to less than $20 USD and was enough to feed the both of us. What a cool spot!
Complete Day 8 Itinerary
*Travel times may vary. Check Google Maps for most accurate travel details.
10:00am: Visit the Getty.
12:00pm: Grab some onigiri at Sunny Blue (17 minute drive from the Getty) and eat it at the Santa Monica State Beach.
1:00pm: Explore the Santa Monica Pier and Santa Monica State Beach (8 minute drive from Sunny Blue).
3:00pm: Have happy hour at Socalo (15 minute drive from Santa Monica Pier).
5:00pm: Visit the Public Art “Urban Light” (20 minute drive from Socalo).
6:00pm: Visit the Griffith Observatory (35 minute drive from “Urban Light”).
9:00pm: Have dinner at Leo’s Taco Truck on Sunset Boulevard (11 minute drive from Griffith Observatory).
8-Day California Road Trip Itinerary
Click “Download” below for an excel version of my 8-Day California Road Trip Itinerary. Feel free to use the excel file as a planning template for your own trip in California!
USA Links:
Travels with Carolyne 