Never made it further north than Carmel but loved the big sur. You have to check the traffic reports for the PCH carefully because if there is a rockfall or blockage there’s no turn offs you have to u turn and go all the way back round. We were lucky there. Got a camper from Escape Vans in Inglewood and stopped off at the campgrounds. Blissful. So many epic sunsets. For LA music, mssg Heidi or Lovefingers. Usually something going on. My approach to LA is to handpick a few things to do in one area and forget the rest. A few pix from prev visits
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going to be in palm springs next week and then in LA proper for a conference the following week.
if anyone knows of anything that’s an absolute must, please let me know!
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There’s Kerry and her basement parties. They sometimes have good people on… not sure what else is happening but I’ll keep my eyes open…
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If you do go up the coast, see what the deal is at Esalen. It’s an uber-rich spa/wellness centre, but you used to be able to use their cliffside hotspring pools from something like 2am wednesdays until sunrise for almost nothing. Perched on a cliff overlooking the pacific ocean, and instead of paying $5000 a night for a room it was maybe $20? Well worth it.
If you look around closer to LA, there are some pretty neat hikes up the canyons north of Malibu that end in public hotsprings too. Some are easy to find, some are closely guarded secrets.
Big Sur and SLO are essential stops. Breaks up the drive as well.
They stopped this sadly at Esalen. It’s now fully pay to play.
When you get to LA, try to hone in on the part of the city you’re staying in. Like, if you’re staying in the northeast (Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Pasadena) don’t try to do a bunch of stuff on the beach/West Hollywood.
I think the most crucial restaurant stop is Din Tai Fung in the Galleria in Glendale. Everyone in LA loves it, and it’s a truly enjoyable experience. If you’re looking for coffee, this list kept me occupied for our whole trip (https://www.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/comments/11aejlo/coffee_city_19_cafes_that_make_la_a_worldclass/). We were in Glendale, so we’d find ourselves going to Highlight, Dayglow in Silver Lake, Maru in Los Feliz, Kumquat in Highland Park!
Homage Brewing in Chinatown always has great DJs on Fridays and Saturdays
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i’ve driven through it but never spent the time that it deserves.
a former co-worker and good pal left the corporate world to be the general manager of this hermitage in big sur, and i’ve always intended to make the time and stay for a few days, but the time - it slips by so quickly. lol at the fact that it’s currently unavailable thanks to a landslide, as is often the case (and mentioned earlier).