Imagine your work sends you to Los Angeles, California, for a few months. They put you up in a West Hollywood apartment, like one of those furnished long-term rentals on Zeus. The job you have to do in L.A. is demanding, but not so demanding that you don't have energy to burn evenings and weekends. What should you do in your spare time? To answer that question, our editors have compiled your new ultimate Los Angeles bucket list.
Eat Your Way Through 'The List'
Until recently, the Los Angeles Times published yearly compilations of the 101 favorite restaurants of the late Jonathan Gold, one of the most interesting restaurant critics to ever live. Here's what he wrote about Lucques, an upscale restaurant on Melrose Avenue: "Even if you spend an eccentric amount of time at the Santa Monica Farmers Market, your stone fruit salad with ricotta salata is never going to look like Suzanne Goin's does, partly because you don't know how to cut the nectarines in precisely the right way, but also because you are never going to persuade the farmer to give you her very best box of nectarines." Gold died in 2018, and foodies in L.A. have been in mourning ever since. Restaurants on 'The List' include chef favorites such as Animal on North Fairfax and Night + Market Song on West Sunset Blvd., food trucks like Guerilla Tacos and Koji BBQ, and out-of-the way gems like Soban and Sun Nong Dan - both located in Koreatown. Eat your way through this list and your stay in Los Angeles will be memorable.
Spend at Least One Night in Swanky Digs
Wherever you're staying in L.A. isn't going to be quite as awesome as old-school Hollywood accomodations for the rich and famous - like the Chateau Marmont or the Beverly Hills Hotel. You might have to splurge, however. Look at what one night costs: A junior suite at Chateau Marmont starts at around $575 a night. This is for 500 square feet of living space with a queen-size bed, sitting area, full kitchen, and dining area. A hillside bungalow in the same hotel, on the other hand, offers two bedrooms and a fireplace in your living room. This, plus a private street entrance, a carport, and a private garden will set you back at least $2500 a night. If the Beverly Hills Hotel is more your style, try the Rodeo Suite. It faces Sunset Boulevard and starts at $2890 a night. A more modest accommodation in the pink palace - something called a Superior Room - starts at $715 a night. And, while said room does not feature over 1,200 square feet of luxury like the Rodeo Suite does, it comes with air conditioning, a view of Beverly Hills, and complimentary water.
Skateboard from Santa Monica to Venice
If skateboarding is not your thing, try rollerblading, bicycling, or even walking. The boardwalk meanders from the pier in Santa Monica to the people-watching, souvenir-shopping mecca that is Venice Beach. It is one of the most touristy things to do in this neck of the woods, but there's a reason people flock to the boardwalk - it's just plain fun! Once you're done with the weirdness and back in Santa Monica, check out the local favorite source for Caribbean food, Cha Cha Chicken. You can find it at 1906 Ocean Avenue, and the jerk chicken is amazing.
Surf in Malibu
You know who else has surfed in Malibu? Literally every celebrity who ever surfed. However, if you don't know how to surf, skip this suggestion. After all, nobody likes a kook.
See George Clooney in public.
And finally, no L.A. bucket list is complete without an honest-to-goodness George Clooney sighting. How does one set this up? The honest answer is: you don't. We already told you that nobody likes a kook; well, nobody likes a stalker, either. If you see a movie star while you're out here, it's just the cherry on top of the cake that is your bucket-list-chasing adventure. But if you do see someone more famous than your wildest dreams in public, you're going to remember that moment for the rest of your life.
