Lilah Raptopoulos and FT readers. Illustrations by Antonio Giovanni Pinna
PublishedAugust 6 2025
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Los Angeles
Los Angeles is, famously, a dreamy town that can feel vast and unknowable on first, second, even third visit. Which $23 smoothie could justify such a purchase? How do you choose from a row of identical looking taco spots? You may get stuck driving from East to West at the worst time, and decide the city’s not all they say. As FT US media editor Anna Nicolaou says, “Los Angeles is not at all a succinct city.” For it to truly reveal itself, you need local knowledge.
As part of our guide to Los Angeles, we asked FT readers, colleagues, and Angelenos for their rules to the city: how to drive, what to see, what to skip, what makes LA special, what spots are not just buzzy but actually great. The result is this list of excellent advice, lightly edited for clarity and length. Bookmark it, share it, and follow us for more.
We’re also still collecting your advice on LA neighbourhoods, which you can share with us here.
“LA is secretly a bunch of tiny towns all sewn together, and each neighbourhood/tiny town has one or two major thoroughfares where all the bars and restaurants are. When planning a trip, utilise that knowledge and plan accordingly. Also, traffic is bad going west in the AM and going east in the PM.” — Kelly, producer, Los Angeles
“LA is so vast that if you are visiting for a limited time, prioritisation and strategically deciding where to stay based on your interests is key. If you gravitate towards beaches you’ll want to stay near the coast. If you want the touristy entertainment stops, stay near Hollywood and/or the movie studios, which you can tour. If you want art museums, stay a manageable distance to both the Getty and LACMA. If you like to hike, stay further east, closer to the San Gabriel Mountains.” — Jay Seawell, entertainment marketing, Sierra Madre
“Rent a car and use it as an opportunity to see LA holistically. And have patience. Yes there is traffic, yes some things take longer to get to. Embrace it with a relaxed attitude.” — Liana Aghajanian, journalist (Her piece for us on Altadena after the fires is a must-read), Los Angeles
“Find a neighbourhood to explore with a bookstore, like Echo Park, Leimert Park, Silver Lake, Abbot Kinney, Boyle Heights or Highland Park and spend an afternoon walking around, going to a local café and checking out the scene. There are very different demographics and very friendly people all over this huge city. I tell people it’s kind of like Berlin.” — Barbara Bestor, architect, Silver Lake

“Get to know your street vendors. Learn some basic Spanish. EAT AT A STRIP MALL!!! The best food in LA is street food or tiny local vendors who’ve been there forever. Fine dining is just fine here, nothing to write home about. Strip-mall fare? Now that’s something special.” — Kelly (Editor’s note: may we recommend our dining guide to East Hollywood?)
“Definitely talk to strangers. Everyone has a story to tell about how they got to LA.” — Kathy, administrative assistant in finance, Los Angeles
“Look up at the trees. Even downtown, they’re so beautiful and they’re EVERYWHERE. It always shocks me.” — Anna Nicolaou, FT US media editor, frequent LA work traveller, New York
“Approach Erewhon [the viral smoothie chain] like you would a casino: go in with an amount of money in mind you’re prepared to lose, and don’t go over it.” — India Ross, FT deputy news editor
“Eat tacos — from a truck, not a sit-down restaurant. Don’t walk on the cycling path on the Strand. Yes, take the drive to the San Gabriel Valley — the Sichuan food is worth it. By all means visit the Salt Sauna at Wi Spa in Koreatown, but don’t hold the [steamroom] door open.” — Christopher Grimes, FT LA bureau chief, Echo Park
(Editor’s note: here’s our extremely detailed guide to where to eat tacos)
“Orient a day around the light — plan ahead where you’ll be for sunrise and sunset, and stick around after sunset. The show gets even more dramatic.” — Sebastian Buck, design, Mar Vista
“Don’t search for ‘the centre’ of LA. And find views from above (like the road to Angeles National Forest or Mulholland Drive), preferably at night. — Christoph Waltz
“Sometimes the most basic things are actually the best ones. Take an Uber up to the Griffith Observatory, walk 10 minutes along an easy trail and you’re suddenly surrounded by a breathtaking vista. It will smell amazing, the sun will be shining, the Hollywood sign will be right in front of you, you’ll have an aerial view of the city, hummingbirds will be chirping in your ear . . . It’s so beautiful and so easy.” — Anna
“Lean into the glamour instead of making fun of it. 1) Yes to lunch at Chateau Marmont. 2) Don’t skip the Getty Center and Getty Villa. 3) Go for a hike. 4) Watch LA Story with Steve Martin before you go.” — Jessalyn Peters, Studio City
(Editor’s note: here’s a collection of films about Los Angeles that our FT film critic Danny Leigh loves)
“Do a studio tour. I recommend Warner Bros. It’s so fun, nostalgic and satisfying to ride around in a golf cart with a coffee in hand, whilst seeing how so many movies and TV shows are made and snapping photos on sets.” — Bridgette Birk, travel/hospitality
“That it is a cultural wasteland: it is, in fact, a city of great museums, restaurants, architecture, small repertory theatres (where major TV stars hone their craft) and, of course, the best weather in the continental US. Having lived in northern and southern California, LA is much the friendlier of the two and has a great creative spirit.” — Todd Gerken, retired, former LA resident, Savannah GA
“That it is a chill, relaxed place. There are highly-strung people here like anywhere! The abundance of sunshine and palm trees probably conveys a sense of lightness that contributes to this stereotype, and the energy here is not the same as in East Coast cities, but having lived here for a number of years now I wouldn’t really call it ‘chill’.” — Jay
“That you NEED a car. It’s actually pretty easy to get around with the metro and a bicycle.” — Andrew Meredith, skateboarder and artist, East Hollywood
“That we have no seasons. LA has three microclimates: the coast, the desert inland and the in-between chaparral. The coast may not change much, but the other two have serious summers, and cooler winters that can hover just above freezing at night.” — Aria Safar, investor and graphic designer, Silver Lake
“That it’s an anti-intellectual city. A number of the top research institutions in the world are in the Greater LA area (UCLA, Caltech, JPL) which means that lots of brilliant people live here. Also, people should stop comparing LA to East Coast and European cities. We are much more of a Latino or Asian city in terms of urban development.” — Rachel
“The optimism . . . people embrace the new and unproven without the scepticism found elsewhere. That spirit is precious and fragile — enjoy it and don’t crush it.” — Sebastian
“Multiculturalism is our native language. It is a city very divided by class but we all grew up on tacos, Korean barbecue, pupusas, kebabs, soup dumplings, bagels, pho and boba.” — Rachel
“As a kid growing up in New York, LA always had this mythical quality to it. As an adult, I still find it mythical and exciting. There’s something about how all these people move here for a totally outlandish dream, and how beautiful and scary the physical landscape is, that makes the city feel like magic.” — Anna
“It’s an influence magnifier. It makes you feel different about being American. So much of what we think of as quintessentially American was born in LA and California.” — Todd
“We are a proud city, but also deeply private. One person’s reality and perception of the city can be so different than [those of] someone who lives 20 minutes away.” — Name withheld
“There’s truly no way you can ever get bored or feel obliged to pay an enormous amount of money for a good time.” — Name withheld
“It is a city of immigrants, through and through. For the people that live here, as for our parents and great great grandparents, Los Angeles represents the dynamism of immigrants who came here for a better life or were displaced here . . . This also means it has proper, unaffected, ethnic local cuisine. Food culture assimilates in cities like NY or London more rapidly. Because of the urban design and open space in LA, cultural neighbourhoods are more segregated. That has its problems, but it has also insulated many of its culinary identities from gentrification and being watered down.” — Treyton Littlejohn, nonprofit director, Los Angeles
“Hollywood Burbank Airport! Easy pick-up and drop-off, minimal lines when it comes to security and you can be in the city proper within 20 minutes of getting off the plane.” — Phoebe Ng, creative communications and hospitality strategist, former LA resident, New York
“There are two San Vicente Boulevards and they don’t connect.” — Rachel Gandin Mark, director of international programs, USC School of Cinematic Arts, Los Angeles
“People may think I’m obnoxious for saying this, but if you’re new to driving, have some disposable income and valet is an option, take it. It’s expensive, but it’s less expensive than dinging somebody’s Tesla while you’re trying to parallel park downhill.” — Jocelyn Silver, culture journalist, Los Angeles
“Take the side streets, not the highway. LA is far more beautiful than most visitors realise. The main commercial thoroughfares are unfortunately mostly quite ugly, whereas the hidden residential side streets are some of the loveliest in any major city.” — John B, consultant, former LA resident, London
“Definitely do NOT go to the Chinese Theatre area in Hollywood with the Walk of Fame. It’s somehow even worse than Times Square, and that’s honestly pretty depressing.” — Anna
“Hollywood. Dirty, not much to see and way too touristy. Does not capture the real spirit of the city.” — Jay
Seven people, however, recommended Musso & Frank Grill as an exception, “for classic Old Hollywood charm” which has been around since 1919: great martinis, sit at the bar. Also, Jocelyn likes the Hollywood stars: “Bear in mind that the neighbourhood is a bit creepy, but it’s so fun if you love the movies.”
“Don’t eat anywhere on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica except Ivy at the Shore.” — Whitney
“Venice Beach. Tourist trap, lost its charm.” — Annie Wenzlau, interior designer, Echo Park
“Don’t bother visiting the beach in Venice or Santa Monica — it’s gross! For the beach, anywhere north, from Will Rogers State Beach through Malibu, or in the South Bay, is really the way to go (or take a drive to Laguna Beach for some of the clearest, cleanest water in California).” — Jocelyn
“Venice isn’t overt or trying to win you over — it’s subtle and hidden in small gardens and tucked-away restaurants. Avoid the boardwalk. Santa Monica is a more adult experience of Venice. Mar Vista, next to Venice, is a little quieter and more residential, and has great restaurants like Beethoven, Little Fatty and Blueys.” — Sebastian
“Explore the neighbourhoods around Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice — the hidden garden paths are a treasure.” — Chris
“Take a ride on one of the new subways; the stations are incredible.” — Todd
“A stroll along the Los Angeles River near Frogtown with lunch at Spoke café.” — Jessalyn
“If you like the movies, something beautiful about LA is that some theatre somewhere is always screening something fantastic that you never thought you’d be able to see on the big screen — check the website Revival Hub for a list of everything playing on any given day.” — Jocelyn
“Walk through historic core of downtown LA: the Bradbury Building, the Public Library, The Biltmore hotel and 1970s landmark the Bonaventure Hotel. Then, it’s a quick ride up the Angels Flight public cableway to the cultural hub of contemporary architecture landmarks: The Broad museum, LA Philharmonic (the public gardens and aerial pathway above street level are fantastic and underutilised), the Los Angeles cathedral and the 1960s classic Department of Water and Power building, which has an amazing modernist lobby. These are architectural delights spanning the past 100-plus years. There are amazing food options at the Grand Central Market right in the middle of it all.” — Barbara
Do you have more tips? Drop them in the comments, or in our callout here.
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