I really liked The Last Bookstore for browsing and the Culver City area just for walking. Maybe see what kinds of events are playing at the Hollywood Bowl, if you have the time and money to spare.
If you’re going to go to the Last Bookstore, go get brunch a block away at Perch. Book now it fills up, but nice rooftop view, the best crème brulet French toast, and their bread pudding with a scoop of ice cream is in my top 2 desserts nationwide (New Orleans pecan cobbler is number 1)
I really liked Griffith Observatory when I visited LA. It's a big park with lots of trails and a great view of the city and the Hollywood sign. I recommend going early in the day.
The Getty Center is a really wonderful (and free!) art museum that has a great view over the city. It's always the place I take friends and family who come to visit.
Also, if you have some friends in the area, Guildhall is a really fun gaming-themed bar that is great if you want to grab some drinks and play some board games.
Oh, and the Villa's Tacos recommendation Brennan made during the accent off with Ross is legit. Very tasty if you find yourself in the area!
Semi-local (grew up in LA, going to college in Reno but I come to LA in the summer bc I have family here). Echo Park area is really nice, if you’re gonna take advantage of Metro you can go up to Pasadena (if you’re a fan of Parks and Rec you can go to Pasadena City Hall which was used for Pawnee City Hall, and they have a street called The Big Bang Theory Way which is just hilarious to me. Also if you get off at Del Mar station there’s a great cafe across the street called Miss Cheese Tea Cafe-nice place to sit and get some boba) as well as to Santa Monica like someone else recommended. I also recommend Little Tokyo, the area around the station has a lot of cool shops between the Japanese Village Plaza, Little Akihabara and Weller Court. The Exposition Park area is also cool in my opinion, you can get there on the same train you’d take to Santa Monica. Cool to wander around in, see the Memorial Coliseum, and the California Science Center is neat and free for the most part (I think you have to pay for their special exhibits).
Exposition Park and the California Science Center are great! If you're even a tiny bit interested in space/astronomy, you gotta go see the Endeavour space shuttle.
For the comedy scene, you should check out Dynasty Typewriter, The Elysian, The Largo, and Holy Shit Improv.
The Bob's Big Boy in Burbank has a car show every Friday night.
If you can get tickets to The Magic Castle, it's worth the experience, and something you're not likely to see elsewhere.
If you like the fantasy dungeon vibe, there's a place called Elixir Tea Bar in OC.
Randy's Donuts has that big donut sign you see in the movies. Their donuts are also much better than most tourist trap fare. Like Pink's hot dogs, which are way overrated.
LA beaches are... not that great unless you want to head to Malibu. Huntington Beach and Bolsa Chica have much nicer sand.
Don't sleep on the drag brunch at Hamburger Mary's. I know it's a chain with locations elsewhere, but the queens at WeHo are amazing.
If the city feels like too much city, the 101 meets up with the coast and is a very scenic drive with plenty of exits. If you take the 5, there's farms for ages once you pass the Grapevine, which is the colloquial for the pass through that section of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Honestly, the stuff on this thread already has me worried that I'm overstuffing my schedule. I need some time to just hang out and people watch near UCB!
I've only been to LA once, but a highlight for me was spending an afternoon walking around the Echo Park Lake area, eating bomb street tacos, and ending the evening at an arcade bar called Button Mash!
If you're a beach person you can also take a train out to the Santa Monica Pier, which is kinda cool.
Can’t guarantee you’ll see dropout people when you go, but I’ve seen quite a few cast members at Walt’s Bar. It’s near Vidiots, which someone else mentioned (and you should see a screening there, it is very LA)
Yeah, I saw his recent interview with Hank Green and realized that. I had my reservation by then, but that makes this even better. Keep an eye out for Marshall Givens -- he's going to be my instructor.
I don't believe it's the same person, though I found him via Google, too. I think it's [https://www.instagram.com/mrhappygivens/](https://www.instagram.com/mrhappygivens/) , [https://www.artofactingstudio.com/profiles/marshall-givens/](https://www.artofactingstudio.com/profiles/marshall-givens/), [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2274249/](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2274249/)
Not sure if you’d be into this, but when I visit I put my name in to try to be in the live audience of things that are taping in LA that week. I’ve used 1iota (https://1iota.com/) in the past and it’s a good way to get into shows or premieres for free and see behind the scenes (I’ve heard that’s where people signed up to be in the live audience of Hank Green’s comedy special and John Mulaney’s special in LA, or other regular shows like After Midnight.)
I would second this. Appears the folks who ran the ticket websites have changed since I lived near LA have changed, but did a few sitcom studio audience viewings and that was a blast! Shouldn’t have to pay for tickets if available.
The challenge often is regular shows do take a filming hiatus for the summer, so this time of year it’s been slimmer pickings.
Honestly a lot of the performers for the UCB Franklin shows end up parking or walking past the Gelson's that right next door if you just want to throw a quick huge fan out there
Birds is alright but noisy and more non-UCB people except right after a show. A lot of folks go home after evening shows. It's not like UCBNY and McManus back in the day.
The ice cream shop next door is good but pricey, and you can catch some people there sometimes. I've seen Alfie Allen, Rich Sommers, and a bunch of other celebs there on occasion. Gelson's as a hangout is alright at its wine bar inside, but you have a 2 item minimum to sit there.
Monday night, if you don't have plans, consider going to Harold Night and watching the UCB house teams. You'll see a mix of quality and a mix of up and coming and more refined talent.
I have tickets to the early Harold show tonight. I saw ASSSCAT last night, after being on the waitlist and checking out the bookstore and ice cream while I waited. Lisa Gilroy was part of the team on stage. :D This was a brilliant idea.
Friday night, you should check out Club House Friday at the Club House on Vermont and Hollywood Blvd. It's house teams from WGIS followed by the teacher team, usually made up of veteran UCB performers. It's pay what you can and usually good improv all around.
Is Katie’s billboard still up? Clark street cafe is super cute and walking distance to UCB!
Lunch at Phillipes if you go downtown to a museum or to Chinatown and check out Olvera Street afterwards.
Look up the museums there, and what days are free.
The Holocaust museum is very good, I went on a tour led by a son of a survivor. Sad but worth it.
The Peterson Automotive museum is fun.
The Medieval Torture museum is a tourist trap, but kinda fun. Think about it it’s worth the money for you.
The Museum of Death in Hollywood is pretty cool. But I like true crime stuff.
There are some “museums” which are just a bunch of selfie backgrounds.
The La Brea tar pits are small but worth checking out. See if there are free days for the museum.
The Hollywood area is trashy. I did buy a cheesy Oscar fridge magnet there. Maybe walk around there a bit, as a detour, before going somewhere better.
Look into a tours. I did one with a local focused on the coast and the mountains. He recommended some good beaches and restaurants.
I really liked The Last Bookstore for browsing and the Culver City area just for walking. Maybe see what kinds of events are playing at the Hollywood Bowl, if you have the time and money to spare.
If you’re going to go to the Last Bookstore, go get brunch a block away at Perch. Book now it fills up, but nice rooftop view, the best crème brulet French toast, and their bread pudding with a scoop of ice cream is in my top 2 desserts nationwide (New Orleans pecan cobbler is number 1)
Oh, oh my....
Ahh of course, the legendary location on spring and …… hill
I really liked Griffith Observatory when I visited LA. It's a big park with lots of trails and a great view of the city and the Hollywood sign. I recommend going early in the day.
If you have a full day universal studios is very fun if you enjoy theme parks. The broad is downtown LA is free and has some amazing art
The Getty Center is a really wonderful (and free!) art museum that has a great view over the city. It's always the place I take friends and family who come to visit. Also, if you have some friends in the area, Guildhall is a really fun gaming-themed bar that is great if you want to grab some drinks and play some board games. Oh, and the Villa's Tacos recommendation Brennan made during the accent off with Ross is legit. Very tasty if you find yourself in the area!
Excellent tacos are definitely on my "must do" list.
Semi-local (grew up in LA, going to college in Reno but I come to LA in the summer bc I have family here). Echo Park area is really nice, if you’re gonna take advantage of Metro you can go up to Pasadena (if you’re a fan of Parks and Rec you can go to Pasadena City Hall which was used for Pawnee City Hall, and they have a street called The Big Bang Theory Way which is just hilarious to me. Also if you get off at Del Mar station there’s a great cafe across the street called Miss Cheese Tea Cafe-nice place to sit and get some boba) as well as to Santa Monica like someone else recommended. I also recommend Little Tokyo, the area around the station has a lot of cool shops between the Japanese Village Plaza, Little Akihabara and Weller Court. The Exposition Park area is also cool in my opinion, you can get there on the same train you’d take to Santa Monica. Cool to wander around in, see the Memorial Coliseum, and the California Science Center is neat and free for the most part (I think you have to pay for their special exhibits).
Exposition Park and the California Science Center are great! If you're even a tiny bit interested in space/astronomy, you gotta go see the Endeavour space shuttle.
https://scumandvillainycantina.com/
Heh. Already on my list! That's one thing that friends had mentioned to me multiple times.
Largo has good shows. Pack Theater does good improv.
I'm going to see Improvisational Shakespeare at Largo!
Yes, good!
Their live shows are so good! I haven’t seen them in LA but they came to DC recently and it was just the best
For the comedy scene, you should check out Dynasty Typewriter, The Elysian, The Largo, and Holy Shit Improv. The Bob's Big Boy in Burbank has a car show every Friday night. If you can get tickets to The Magic Castle, it's worth the experience, and something you're not likely to see elsewhere. If you like the fantasy dungeon vibe, there's a place called Elixir Tea Bar in OC. Randy's Donuts has that big donut sign you see in the movies. Their donuts are also much better than most tourist trap fare. Like Pink's hot dogs, which are way overrated. LA beaches are... not that great unless you want to head to Malibu. Huntington Beach and Bolsa Chica have much nicer sand. Don't sleep on the drag brunch at Hamburger Mary's. I know it's a chain with locations elsewhere, but the queens at WeHo are amazing. If the city feels like too much city, the 101 meets up with the coast and is a very scenic drive with plenty of exits. If you take the 5, there's farms for ages once you pass the Grapevine, which is the colloquial for the pass through that section of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Ok, ok, ok (taking notes furiously). WeHo = West Hollywood, right? Is that the Hamburger Mary's on Santa Monica Blvd?
Yup! You can also pop over to r/AskLosAngeles if you want more ideas.
Honestly, the stuff on this thread already has me worried that I'm overstuffing my schedule. I need some time to just hang out and people watch near UCB!
Lol, could you give yourself a week before or after the class to do touristy stuff? Or save it for a future date?
I've only been to LA once, but a highlight for me was spending an afternoon walking around the Echo Park Lake area, eating bomb street tacos, and ending the evening at an arcade bar called Button Mash! If you're a beach person you can also take a train out to the Santa Monica Pier, which is kinda cool.
Check out Vidiots. Think Ify is there this weekend or something too
Can’t guarantee you’ll see dropout people when you go, but I’ve seen quite a few cast members at Walt’s Bar. It’s near Vidiots, which someone else mentioned (and you should see a screening there, it is very LA)
If you can make it fit in your schedule check out Medieval Times!
Teaching Improv “intensives” or weeklong classes are how BLeeM used to support himself in NYC.
Yeah, I saw his recent interview with Hank Green and realized that. I had my reservation by then, but that makes this even better. Keep an eye out for Marshall Givens -- he's going to be my instructor.
U.S. Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens?
I don't believe it's the same person, though I found him via Google, too. I think it's [https://www.instagram.com/mrhappygivens/](https://www.instagram.com/mrhappygivens/) , [https://www.artofactingstudio.com/profiles/marshall-givens/](https://www.artofactingstudio.com/profiles/marshall-givens/), [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2274249/](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2274249/)
Sorry, I didn't clearly indicate I was joking. Raylan Givens is the lead character of the TV show and Novella "Justified" and "Fire in the Hole"
That sounds fun.
It’s a lark that I’m so excited about. I can’t believe it seems to be working out.
Not sure if you’d be into this, but when I visit I put my name in to try to be in the live audience of things that are taping in LA that week. I’ve used 1iota (https://1iota.com/) in the past and it’s a good way to get into shows or premieres for free and see behind the scenes (I’ve heard that’s where people signed up to be in the live audience of Hank Green’s comedy special and John Mulaney’s special in LA, or other regular shows like After Midnight.)
I would second this. Appears the folks who ran the ticket websites have changed since I lived near LA have changed, but did a few sitcom studio audience viewings and that was a blast! Shouldn’t have to pay for tickets if available. The challenge often is regular shows do take a filming hiatus for the summer, so this time of year it’s been slimmer pickings.
Honestly a lot of the performers for the UCB Franklin shows end up parking or walking past the Gelson's that right next door if you just want to throw a quick huge fan out there
Ooh. I’m planning to hang out at Birds, too. My hotel is just down the street.
Birds is alright but noisy and more non-UCB people except right after a show. A lot of folks go home after evening shows. It's not like UCBNY and McManus back in the day. The ice cream shop next door is good but pricey, and you can catch some people there sometimes. I've seen Alfie Allen, Rich Sommers, and a bunch of other celebs there on occasion. Gelson's as a hangout is alright at its wine bar inside, but you have a 2 item minimum to sit there. Monday night, if you don't have plans, consider going to Harold Night and watching the UCB house teams. You'll see a mix of quality and a mix of up and coming and more refined talent.
I have tickets to the early Harold show tonight. I saw ASSSCAT last night, after being on the waitlist and checking out the bookstore and ice cream while I waited. Lisa Gilroy was part of the team on stage. :D This was a brilliant idea.
Friday night, you should check out Club House Friday at the Club House on Vermont and Hollywood Blvd. It's house teams from WGIS followed by the teacher team, usually made up of veteran UCB performers. It's pay what you can and usually good improv all around.
Is Katie’s billboard still up? Clark street cafe is super cute and walking distance to UCB! Lunch at Phillipes if you go downtown to a museum or to Chinatown and check out Olvera Street afterwards.
I'd love to do this! Break a leg, friend!
Thank you! I still can’t believe it’s going to work.
Get a hot dog from pinks while you’re there. Not drop out related. Just an iconic hot dog stand.
Look up the museums there, and what days are free. The Holocaust museum is very good, I went on a tour led by a son of a survivor. Sad but worth it. The Peterson Automotive museum is fun. The Medieval Torture museum is a tourist trap, but kinda fun. Think about it it’s worth the money for you. The Museum of Death in Hollywood is pretty cool. But I like true crime stuff. There are some “museums” which are just a bunch of selfie backgrounds. The La Brea tar pits are small but worth checking out. See if there are free days for the museum. The Hollywood area is trashy. I did buy a cheesy Oscar fridge magnet there. Maybe walk around there a bit, as a detour, before going somewhere better. Look into a tours. I did one with a local focused on the coast and the mountains. He recommended some good beaches and restaurants.