You can party all night in the City of Angels, but try not to sleep all day. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to soak up that trademark California sun. LA is all about convertibles, sunglasses, day drinking, outdoor brunches and hiking, so slather on the sunscreen and get ready to have the time of your life.
Daytime is the best time when it comes to exploring LA, and there are plenty of things that locals do that you should be on your bachelor party itinerary. Here are the top five things Angelenos do during the day to fully appreciate their awesome city.
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Chill at the beach
Malibu, CA, United States
LA is sunny basically every day of the year. It’s not like NYC, where you call in sick to work the moment the sun comes out. Here, you have the privilege of sprawling out at the beach all the time–and with 78 miles of coastline, the beaches don’t get too crowded. Hit up Malibu if you want to surf, go to Venice or Muscle Beach if you want to skate, and head to Santa Monica if you want to check out the world-famous pier. Beach possibilities are endless. To take full advantage of them, rent a bike or stroll on the boardwalk. You’re not coming to LA without going to the beach.
Malibu to surf | Venice to skate | Santa Monica Pier
Hike Runyon Canyon
Runyon Canyon Park, Los Angeles, CA, United States
This is one of the most LA things you can do. Even more than star maps, the Walk of Fame, a Lakers game, or switching to a juice diet. Hiking Runyon Canyon is a rite of passage, and you’ll see all types of people in this popular hiking spot. Fitness models, girls in designer sunglasses, couples with dogs, couples with kids, celebrities in disguise, celebrities not in disguise, hippies in Tevas, Hollywood agents on their lunch breaks. For the true experience, take Hollyridge Trail to the iconic Hollywood sign (about a 4-mile hike) and snap a selfie from above.
rite of passage | all types of people | Hollyridge Trail
Power lunch at a cool restaurant
Los Angeles, CA, United States
In most cities a power lunch involves meeting at a busy lunch spot for under an hour, but a power lunch in LA is meeting at a busy lunch spot, ordering leisurely, having a cocktail or two, taking your sweet-ass time, and only paying your bill when the meter is up. Everyone “power lunches” in LA because there’s so many great options. To power lunch the right way, dine at any restaurant with a patio (Urth Cafe, Connie & Ted’s, AOC, and Hinoki & The Bird are typically preferred).
Urth Cafe | Connie & Ted's | AOC | Hinoki & The Bird
Take a really long time buying things
Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Angelenos don’t just “shop:” they turn it into an affair that lasts the entire day. Because LA is so spread out, and the traffic is notoriously terrible, it’s not worth your time going to get one thing from one shop. You want to do a bunch of things in one go. You want to make that trip to the shop worth it. People set aside time to make this happen. Let’s say you want to get sneakers. Go to Melrose, a street chock full of shops, do some prime-time people watching, and you might as well get a coffee and cupcakes while you’re at it. Oh yeah, and those sneakers if you remember it. If you want to get something at the Apple store, go to The Grove, which has tons of great restaurants, a movie theater, and tons of other shops. If you want to see rich people behaving badly and one of the most historic shopping streets in the world, go to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills (maybe one of your buddies can do the full Richard Gere and find a Julia Roberts to fall in love with).
Melrose | The Grove | Rodeo Drive
Hang out at a hotel pool
The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills, North San Vicente Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA, United States
An LA hotel will likely have an outdoor pool, and you’re going to want to set aside a day to chill. You may have restricted access to the pool depending on the exclusivity of the hotel, but they’re definitely not going to turn you away if you’re spending money. For instance, the London West Hollywood allows the public to book a cabana and Hollywood Roosevelt is known for its epic pool parties, but Four Seasons LA’s pool is only for guests. Weekend pool parties are not uncommon and they’re your best bet for daytime pool action. Check out the Standard, the Mondrian, and of course, the Hollywood Roosevelt, which has live DJs and crazy pool shenanigans.
book a cabana | pool parties | live DJs
