Day 9: Los Angeles, part 2

So today's post is about our last day in LA, or so we thought. The heat wave had started to subside a bit, so we woke up early that Saturday, packed up our car and headed to start our hike up to the Griffith Observatory. Griffith is located in Los Feliz (where we were staying) so we only had to drive five minutes to get to the parking area at the bottom of the trails.

View from the hike to the top

Now, I am not an athletic person. At all. My idea of exercise usually consists of yoga, dance and maybe some squats. But I was determined to complete this hike. Also, I bought super cute work out clothes specifically for this hike so I was kinda forced to put them to good use. Commence torture.

There are a few different paths you can take to hike up to the observatory. We chose the "beginner hike". It's not labeled but after a lot of research we were able to figure it out. We started early to 1. avoid the crowds and 2. try and avoid the heat. That only kinda worked, but it still was a lot cooler than Disney a few days prior. The hike is uphill, obviously, and even the beginner trail is a bit of a challenge in some spots. We did stop a few times for a minute or two to catch our breath, take photos and drink water. Which reminds me, BRING LOTS OF WATER.

Started from the bottom now we're here

The Griffith Observatory

The views are spectacular, and even if I were physically capable of running uphill, I would probably take my time anyway just to see how the city changes the higher you go. I was hoping we would get lucky with a clear day but it was pretty smoggy, which is quite normal for LA.

Not the best view of the sign, but still an incredible sight

Downtown LA is in there somewhere...

I'd estimate it took us about 30ish minutes to get to the top, maybe 45 at most. We hung around the outside of the planetarium for a bit, explored the inside to cool off and then started our trek back down. If you're thinking going down is a lot easier than going up, you're wrong. It's definitely not as tiring, but it's very easy to slip and fall (we watched about 3 people in front of us take a tumble) as the trails are steep, sandy and dusty. Just be careful and take your time.

After getting back to our car and changing, we decided we wanted a better view of the hollywood sign, so we consulted our handy iphones and found a spot we could drive to just a few minutes from Griffith. The drive is gorgeous, winding through the Hollywood hills and passing the most breathtaking homes. Drive slow as the roads are narrow and there are loads of cars going up and down (both residents and tourists).

A much better view from Lake Hollywood park

We snapped some photos and then headed to brunch. Originally, my friend Brian was supposed to join us but he flaked on us and went for a run. Then after we got to Alcove (back in Los Feliz, where Brian lives) he decided to continue his run and ended up literally running to brunch. Brian recommended Alcove and it did not disappoint. I wish I had taken pictures of the outdoor seating area we were in but the photos wouldn't even do it justice. The restaurant is inside a historic bungalow and is surrounded by gorgeous plants and flowers; it feels like a fairy tale. On the weekends you can either order at the counter and have them bring it to you or have a server. We chose the latter. Our server was fantastic and the food was even better. Brian and I both got eggs benedict with build your own mimosas while Naomi got lots of fresh fruit. Everything was delicious.

After brunch, (and after an hour long hunt for our car that we somehow lost/forgot where we parked) we decided we had spent too much time in West LA and headed to explore Beverly Hills. We also stopped by the Urban Light exhibit downtown and hung around that area for a while. We wanted to see the lights at night but had other plans and unfortunately weren't able to stay until it got dark. Downtown LA is a lot different than DC but actually reminded me of Downtown Tampa (where I'm from) quite a bit. So in a way it felt very familiar.

Urban Light - Los Angeles County Museum of Art 

At the last minute we decided not to head down to San Clemente (our next stop) and instead stay in LA an extra day. Our friend Anthony graciously offered his sofa to us, so we headed to his house in the valley, where we ended up having a dinner party and a bonfire that lasted till 2 am. Somehow I managed to forget to take a single picture after our hike, but sometimes it's nice knowing you enjoyed your night without your phone consistently in your hands.

Next: Los Angeles, day 3

XO,

Casey

Activities mentioned in this post:
Griffith Observatory hiking trail; free parking and entry. Shuttles available to the Observatory, planetarium shows: $3-$7 available for purchase inside the observatory for the day of the show only.
Lake Hollywood Park (view of the Hollywood sign): free parking
Alcove Cafe and Bakery: street parking, valet available, located in Los Feliz
Urban Lights Exhibit: parking: metered on streets nearby, free entry

Wearing:
H&M crop top, Adidas running pants (similar), Reebok running shoes (similar), H&M dress, Mossimo sandals