The Hobbit's House is just a cute house to see if you are in the area. It is not a must stop. The…read morehouse actually has an owner and there is an apartment there. It was built by a former artist for Disney Studios and the builder, Lawrence Joseph worked on all of it for decades. There are adorable cottages and a view from the street is super. I think some of it may be occupied, I am not sure, so I did not venture far, just the front and back yard and stopped when I saw what looked like an apartment building. It is an LA Historical Landmark and just so cute. It is near Sony pictures. It almost looks like you are walking into a movie set. There is a great garden and a pond and it really does look like a Hobbit house. We were not there long, maybe 15 minutes and did not need to be. So, if you have 15 minutes and want to see a super cool house go take a peek.

When in LA on a rainy bank holiday (dramatically less traffic) do what Angelenos do! See the…read moresights!! These are people's homes aka the Lawrence and Martha Joseph Residence and Apartments, commonly known as the "Hobbit Houses," located in Culver City, California. The structures were designed and built by Lawrence Joseph, a former artist for Walt Disney Studios, starting in the 1940s and continuing construction for decades. Now surrounded by high rises it is difficult to land a parking spot but worth it to get a closer look. For a moment imagine yourself on a walk through emerald green grass & fields of wildflowers. And then look up & see these enchanting cottages.

I love Surfside Murals. I asked for a mural in a child's bedroom and they did a great job…read more Their prices are super reasonable and the quality of their work was perfection. I will use them again. The mural they made is just ever so lovely. The service from the phone call to the work to the billing was all great. You should try these guys out. You will be so happy.

From the owner: Transform your walls with Surfside Hand Painted Murals and digital style gradient walls (ombré…read morewall, mesh and aurora gradient s — custom interior & exterior mural painting for every style, every space, and every vision. We create high-end murals for homes, businesses, architects, and interior designers across Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and up to Santa Barbara. At Surfside Murals, we handle all types of mural art, including: • Illustration, abstract, landscapes, animals, children’s themes • Minimalist, geometric, portrait, cartoon, pop art • Surrealism, impressionism, expressionism, graffiti, and more We specialize in acrylic-painted murals, and we’re happy to work with mixed materials like wood, texture elements, and custom artistic additions to match your design vision. Our services include: • Interior & exterior murals • Residential & commercial projects • Design sketching + full concept development • Wall prep for clean, long-lasting finishes If you’re looking to elevate a home, storefront, restaurant, office, studio, school, or public space — we deliver clean, detailed, professional mural work that stands out. Serving Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, Ventura County, and Santa Barbara. Let’s bring your vision to the wall — contact Surfside Murals today for a free consultation.

Another awesome public art mural in Santa Monica. It is colorful and awesome to see. Definitely…read moremake this a stop on your visit.

I visited the Santa Monica Pier and Boardwalk with my boyfriend and had a really fun time. It is…read moredefinitely a classic tourist spot, but the ocean views are beautiful and the pier has over a century of history. There is a lot to do, especially for families and kids. The Ferris wheel is iconic and gives great views of the coastline, and there are plenty of fun shops and snack spots to explore. The whole area has that classic Southern California beach vibe. We enjoyed walking around, taking in the ocean breeze, and people watching. The only downside for me was seeing the large homeless population in the area. It made me a little sad because you can tell some people are really struggling. It did not ruin the visit, but it is something you notice. Overall, I would still recommend visiting if you are in Santa Monica. It is a fun place to spend a couple of hours and enjoy the beach atmosphere.

My husband and I decided to go to the Santa Monica Boardwalk while in California. We took a Waymo…read morethere so we didn't have to worry about parking. When we got there we walked around and saw so many different things. There was an amusement park with rides, shops, restaurants, and people performing. It was really crowded. It can be overstimulating with all of the sounds and smells but the view of the ocean and beach is nice. Overall it was a positive experience. I loved the view of the water and being immersed in this lively place.

This is definitely not my favorite Frank Gehry building, but it's still architecturally interesting…read moreand famous. And if you're in Venice, absolutely drive down Main street and see this. It's stunning. As it is now a Google building, if you're taking pictures of this wonder of architecture, security WILL come out to question you. Because, you know, Google cares about privacy. Theirs.

Do you like spotting the "world's largest" types? e.g. world's largest ball of yarn, world's…read morelargest picnic basket, typically strewn out around rural parts of Kansas or Idaho, places you'll likely never need to visit? If the answer is yes, then boy, this spot is for you! Although not officially named the "world's largest pair or binoculars," it probably could be! Good for pulling over, snapping a photo, and then moving along.

Beach of beaches…read more Ginger Rogers Beach named after the late great dancer, singer, actress - classically referenced as dance partner to Fred Astaire is probably my favorite in all of Southern California. A safe space and branch off from/at Will Rogers Beach unofficially officially the LGBTQ+ beach of Los Angeles. Sparking in the 1940s were queer men and women gathered to enjoy all the great comforts of beach time feel good fun. It didn't come without many obstacles from law enforcement, city officials and even locals, but ain't nobody nowhere got time for that. Keep Our Beaches Hate Free :) The bike and walking paths are clear, the sand is amazing, bike rentals available, the volleyball courts volley well... The restrooms are CLEAN - rinse/shower stations work well, some vendors selling snacks and frozen goods on a loop on the beach The views are super clear well and there's a sense of community that echoes in every direction. Maybe even more so since the painting of lifeguard towers 17 and 18 in rainbow flag chic in summer 2023, which were vandalized days after they were painted... But that's not going to put anyone off from enjoying not only the beach like anybody else, but being unafraid to dance it out, skip along the beach, hold a hand, share a kiss and take in a day's worth of summer bliss. We met up with Bears LA for their Summer Beach Day/Birthday Bash for Mr. Bear LA 2023 and his partner who's birthdays were a part of the festivities. They had a great tent next to tower, the bear pride flag and with our group of 40 (more tent covers, chairs, blankets, umbrellas, beverages and shareable snacks grew. I don't know how we got so lucky to also have another group of guys next to us with possibly the best DJ set list of music from the 60s to 2024 super remixed the entire time were were there. The set up with the speakers Donna Summer, Aaliyah, Beyonce, Gaga, Billie Eilish, 90s RnB, Funk, Soul, Rock, Pop, Alternative, ... seriously was this wonderland? Sand was amazing though I will say very very hot to walk on bare at times unless fresh out of the water and much later in the afternoon/evening (earlier was good too before 1PM). If you can shade yourself with a big umbrella like my boyfriend did for us and adjusted as the sun shifted, please do - while the weather was beyond perfect those UV rays are rich in Vitamin D but also intensity. Sunscreen is your friend for sure and when you're in a big group you have extra. It was so fun and so amazing to run into lots of people including allies all day long and friends from as far as Pomona, Whittier, our local bars in the valley (SFV) and further out. Parking is limited as the lots fill up from here to Santa Monica on those perfect beach days like they did today. You'll come across those makeshift lots from small businesses utilizing their space and a few others here and there. Plus there's tunnels that go under PCH to safely cross over to the beach side... One for Ginger Rogers Beach under the parking lot and one more Will Rogers centric on West Channel Road across from where it meets Chautauqua Blvd, it might pop up as the Roosevelt Tunnel and is actually a fun little journey where as the other tunnel is more of a direct shot after you descend the staircase ironically by the colorful Ocean Pacific Coast Stairs. If you're around Entrada Drive a lot of the local residential parking has no restrictions on Sundays only... however everyone might have the same idea to grab that street parking as they do. We found a $20/$25 lot which considering the 5 hours we spent at the beach with our group and each other was more than worth it. The wouldn't even let anyone in the main parking lot after it was super full probably to cut down on a huge parking lot jam. I haven't been here since before 2020, but absolutely hope to get another day in here soon while the heat is hot. Come on down to Ginger Rogers were all are welcome, leave the negative energy and bias elsewhere... Or better yet let it wash away.

One of the most vibrant food spots in the city. Awesome night spot with people walking the block…read moreand outdoor eating. Interesting shops. One of my favorite streets in LA. Seems safe. Save time for parking. So many choices for food and desert close together within walking. Go to dinner at one spot and desert at another.

I'm originally from Japan. When I need to buy or eat anything Japanese, I always go to Sawtelle…read moreinstead of Little Tokyo in downtown. You can find virtually anything Japanese you want in Sawtelle. It's easy to find parking and often free parking. It feels so much safer than downtown. My two most frequent businesses, Daiso and Nijiya Market, are in the same building. Right across the street from that building is another small strip mall with many restaurants. I highly recommend that you visit Sawtelle if you haven't already to experience Japan while in Southern California.

I think it says a lot about the lack of green space and park infrastructure throughout the…read morecountry-sized city of Los Angeles that people resort to nondescript pedestrian passage-ways between two streets as a public amenity that must be yelped about. The upper entrance is between two houses on Inglewood Street. Seattle is full of passageways like this, more character-ful with beautiful vegetation and not cordoned off by chain link fencing, but few elicit actual Yelp-reviewed status. In green Seattle a stairpath between streets on different sections of a hill can be enchanting, but here it is ...not. There is a Mar Vista Recreation Center not too far from this spot, it's got ball fields. Since we are largely in the flat lands, this stair case provides a little special workout. The view of the valley is interesting from here. It's a staircase with room for two people one going up and one going down. It is enclosed in fencing. Hard to find any more words for these concrete stairs.

This is a little known location, used by local exercise enthusiasts, in the very nice residential…read moreneighborhood of Mar Vista/Westdale (a hundred yards from our L.A. house). The top of the stairway is on the hilltop of Inglewood Avenue, north of Palms Blvd. The landing is directly across the street from Mar Vista elementary school on Granville Ave. There is good parking available on both Inglewood and Granville. The flight is around a hundred steps. At the top of the stairs, there are great views of downtown L.A. and the San Gabriel Mountains. This location is never too crowded and also has overhead vapor lamp lighting if you want to exercise in the evening.

This was a super fun pop up experience…read more It was so informative about the history of Louis Vuitton. The iconic photos were amazing and so cool to see. To see the photos, stories and one of a kind items was such a unique experience Loved it!!

I am at a loss for words with regards to this exhibit. It was so mind blowingly awesome, unique,…read moreoutstanding, fantastic and superb! I just couldn't take it exclamation literally I went to the LV exhibit in Hollywood 3 years ago and that was amazing they outdid themselves this time! It was an incredible experience. I loved how there was just so many different exhibits there was also like the artisan part of the handcrafting of the handbags we learned about you know how it started and went through all of the iconic Louis Vuitton handbags custom made pieces, trunks, shoes, belts, scarves, it was just an amazing experience I will never forget I am so glad I went and if you have not gone you need to go! It is a MUST! A lot of people tend to think that buying an expensive handbag is about money. And yes you do have to have money to buy these pieces, however the reason why you're spending so much money is because of the process that is required to go through to get such an amazing handbag one that will last you 20+ years so it's awesome! Make sure you go and have a fully charged phone so that you can take a lot of pictures if Yelp would let me post more pictures I would have more to post...I had to pick the best out of 50 and I have about 400! bottom line is go see this!

Abbott Kinney is only a mile long but there's so much to see. Whenever I'm in Venice, I never miss…read morecoming in here and strolling around the neighborhood. So many things to see in here such as checking the small businesses , view the colorful murals and attending pop up events. Also love dining here as there's so many different options as well. I love hanging out the stores which has either front and back patios. I really like the vibes and atmosphere here.

Great little street! Change keeps happening restaurants keep opening so please do your due…read morediligence as a local to support your local businesses and those who have established themselves to create longevity within the area. I love how open the area is to street vendors as well as people that come on the weekends in their vans and sell clothing and homemade coffee etc. I've never once had a bad experience on Abbott Kenney. If you've never been a simple stroll from start to finish you will definitely find a great place to shop if not dine.