Los Angeles

Overall Review:

Hollywood Walk of Fame (or how some people call it: Boulevard of Broken Hearts), Beverely Hills, Rodeo Drive, all of them are in LA! LA is a mixture of cultures, nationalities and in general it's a mixture of everything! You can literally find anything in LA, even though it might take some time as LA is really big!

As it is a huge city, the best way for transportation is a car. So, in case you are not lucky enough to have a friend with a car, consider renting one during your stay there!

Another interesting aspect of LA life is that you might find yourself with a celebrity in the same place! So, better keep your eyes wide open, who knows maybe Fortuna will smile upon you as well :)

What I liked the most: Sunsets. Sunsets in LA were just magnificent, it seemed like the sky was covered by some kind of a purple palette.

What I disliked the most: Hollywood. It was overly crowded and is basically overrated. Tons of homeless and crazy people who do not even mind yelling at you!

General Tips:

- As already mentioned above car is a must, so make sure you have one during your trip to LA

- Compare the prices in different shops while doing a grocery shopping. You might save a lot of money if buying the right things from the right shops

- If it is possible travel to LA while winter or summer holidays as you will benefit the discounts which they have almost on everything. And don't forget to bring an empty suitcase to take the purchased items back home :)

- Don't forget to tip. Unlike many other places, leaving tips is very important in LA. Unless, you will never come back to that restaurant, remember to thank your waiter for the good service

- Remember that USA is a country where you can get refund or you can simply change your purchased items. Even if you are in a restaurant and you didn't like your order (after tasting it) you can simply change it by no additional price

- LA is not that safe, be careful of the areas you travel to and check in advance if the district is dangerous or not

- Always take your ID when going to a club or even a bar (in case you want to order an alcoholic drink). Otherwise, you will end up drinking tea at home.

To see:

LA offers a huge variety of places to see and activities to do. This is a short list of some things which I have done myself and recommend to others:

- Griffith Park & Observatory (A beautiful place where you can see the whole city from above. And did I mention that is free?)

- Jean Paul Getty Museum for the art lovers

- LACMA (even if you don't have time to visit the museum check out their famous lights where you can have a nice photoshoot)

- Malibu Beach, Santa Monica, Venice Beach - located not very far from LA, they are indeed beautiful places to visit. Try to be there at the sunset, you will never forget those moments of your life!

- Hollywood Walk of Fame - even though it was too crowded, once you are in LA you should visit it at least once!

- The Grove and Americana at the Brand for the shopping lovers!

- Downtown - check out some of their nice rooftop bars where you can chill and relax after a day full of sightseeing!

To eat:

As many of you might know there is no traditional American cuisine, however the good thing is that you can find food from all over the world. Here are a couple of suggestions which I'd like to share with you:

- In case you are a fast food lover, you should definitely go to In-N-Out which provides a better quality food (compared to the competitors) with relatively higher prices

- Try Armenian food as there are plenty of Armenian restaurants in the area

- Macaroni and Cheese is a typical kind of American food, don't miss your chance to try it

- Go to Cheesecake factory to try the best cheesecake in the States

- Check out Malibu Beach Cove Cafe which is located right at the beach. The place is so wonderful that you can spend the whole day enjoying the variety of food and drinks that they offer! However, the must-try is the soup of seafood which will leave its taste in your mouth for a very long time...hmm!

To spend:

Even if you are on a budget trip, keep in mind that LA is not a cheap place so you might probably need around1500$-2000$ for about 2-3 weeks which will be enough to cover the accommodation, transportation, food as well as you will be able to do some shopping!

Please note that the above mentioned amount of money is only estimated cost and your actual trip expenses might vary depending on your interests and choices.