Los Angeles! Things to Know Before You Go
Los Angeles is a vibrant Southern California city known for its glitz and glam. The joke is that everyone in L.A. is a writer, director, or actor; and if not was one of them at some point in time or would be in the future. For those who are not settled there, which we call out to the ‘visitor’ category; the city has a lot to offer, however, those first-time visitors who go with many perceived notions about the place often find them shattered as a lot turns out to be quite different from what was thought of.
So whether or not you’ve booked those cheap flights to Los Angeles from India, here are a few things you should consider knowing before packing up your bags for the LA trip:
Drive your way out
In LA, there is no city center and in no way can you expect to cover the key attractions of the city without having a ride for yourself. So the best option is renting a car. Trust us if you can drive, there’s nothing better than this. Inquire with your travel agent if they could help your with car rentals, that could help you bothering about it later.
Be Prepared for the Traffic
Cab or rented car, there is no way you can escape the traffic in the city. You can consider metro service, but even then, you will have to, at most times, take another means of transport to reach your desired location.Metro is good for visiting Universal Studios,Exposition Park museums. So while on your LA trip, be patient and forget a quick one day exploration of the entire city.In between visiting Santa Monica, Baverly Hills, the Westside beaches, Chinatown you will have to be on the wheels facing some jam packed traffic for long.
Also Read: San Francisco To India: What To Pack for the Trip?
Be Protected From the Sun
LA is hot and it remains so for about 300 days in a year. So do pack a good sized tube/bottle sun-screen lotion. Also do carry your sun-glasses to enjoy at the beach. And you’ll also be needing a lot of moisturizer during your stay in the place which has almost desert hot conditions. Saying that the nights seem surprisingly cool. Also before going to Los Angeles, it would be wise to research a bit about the gripping smog in the place.On the worst hit days, you’d probably like to skip any outdoor venture, for it is quite hazardous to health.
Don’t be fixated to the Popular Tourists Spots
They could turn out to be overrated. By which, we are not advising you not to see the iconic Hollywood sign or skip Rodeo Drive or your Chinatown visit. But we are telling you to not expect them to be extraordinarily exciting. Instead, put in your itinerary places like Hermosa Beach, El Matador State Beach as a possible alternative to the crowded Santa Monica. Consider going to the Griffith Observatory to have the view of the entire city in the evening. The Huntington Library, Grand Central Market are other good spots to go to.
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Get Passes To visit the Best
There are some places you can’t afford to miss on your maiden Los Angeles trip, and so we advise you to buy the admission tickets in advance. This will not only save you from standing in long queues but also is a great way of saving big. There are deals that you may find on the internet wherein you may buy a common pass to visit a select few tourist attractions at discounted rates. Search for the most popular- Citypass, which includes admission to Universal Studios, Disneyland and Sea World.
Be a smart traveler, and do make relevant research prior visiting any new country or place. It always benefits to have an idea of what you should expect and what you should be cautious of while going on foreign trips. For instance, if you are a tech-savvy and informed traveler, you will not just search for discount air-tickets to Los Angeles, rather fiddle around to gather as much information as you can prior making the trip. And we hope, this post was helpful in that regard.
