Los Angeles

Los Angeles is one of those cities that takes a few days to properly sink in. It doesn't have a single centre — it sprawls across dozens of distinct neighbourhoods, each with its own personality, and understanding that is the key to enjoying it.

Downtown LA has the museums, the Broad, Grand Central Market, and a surprisingly gritty energy that feels nothing like the glitzy image the city sells to the world. Head west and you move through Silver Lake's coffee shops and vintage stores, the Thai food corridors of East Hollywood, the Jewish delis of Fairfax, and eventually the beach communities of Venice and Santa Monica, which feel like entirely separate cities.

The food scene is genuinely world-class and deeply tied to the city's demographics. Koreatown along Wilshire is a dense, 24-hour neighbourhood packed with BBQ joints and karaoke bars. Boyle Heights has some of the best birria tacos you'll find anywhere. Sawtelle Japantown is worth the drive west for ramen and matcha desserts. Eating well here is remarkably affordable if you skip the celebrity-adjacent restaurants in West Hollywood.

Getting around without a car is genuinely difficult. The Metro has improved, but the distances are vast. Rideshares add up quickly, so many visitors hire a car for at least part of the trip. Traffic is as bad as advertised — avoid the 405 during peak hours if you can help it.

The Pacific Coast Highway viewpoints, Griffith Observatory at dusk, a farmers market morning in Mar Vista, or a slow afternoon in the galleries around Culver City — these are the moments that make LA click. It's not trying to be New York, and the sooner you stop expecting it to, the better.

Spring (March to May) is the ideal time to visit: mild temperatures, lower crowds, and the hills still green before the summer heat and fire-season dryness take hold.