Funny enough, I have to admit I've never seen an actual show in the Walt Disney Concert Hall — I've only been in the lobby or meandering outside it. And that's the thing — although I've heard the acoustics and performances are amazing and it's definitely on my list to experience one day — just from viewing it and walking around this amazing architectural structure is an experience in itself. 

There's some stairs that will lead you up through the seemingly-moving reflective plates. You can go around to the back to see a garden area and a beautiful mosaic flower piece, "A Rose for Lilly," — Frank Gehry's tribute to Lillian Disney — and that will lead you to some stairs with a leaved wall for more #instagrammoments haha. But actually. It was a cute setting to capture Whitney and Chris. 

But wait... there's more! 

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Olvera Street is a beautiful place. From the first time I visited here in middle school, I was absolutely enamored with the bright colors, and positive energy that could be felt wandering down the "street."

I've visited here for their Día de Los Muertos//Day of the Dead event as well as their Virgen de Guadalupe event in December. Other events/celebrations are listed here. Even to be here for no event at all still provides an inspired and fun experience. 

The mission of Olvera Street goes beyond the appearance of a Mexican Marketplace — it was created in 1930 "to preserve and present the customs and trades of early California." According to their website, many of the merchants on the street today are descended from the original vendors.

Not only all that, but it's right across the street from another historic part of Los Angeles that's still in operation and every day use: Union Station (opened in 1939) — making Olvera Street an easy destination/metro ride, and you can take a look inside this historic building. (One thing about Olvera Street is parking can be tricky to find, especially during an event. It's better to plan for a full day in downtown and just park somewhere for the entire day, then take the metro or walk to different spots.)

We were really fortunate this time around because The Avila Adobe, a house built in 1818 and is listed as the oldest standing residence in Los Angeles, was open! So we had the opportunity to go inside and walk around (usually it's closed whenever I've visited because I tend to go in the evening or at night).

Don't miss getting some churros and a picture with the burro. 

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LITTLE TOKYO! I've only been to Japan once on a layover from Thailand. We had about twelve hours so we took a subway into Narita and saw just a glimpse of Japan. And I'd say Little Tokyo is a little less than the equivalent of that. It's a very small glimpse into some Japanese shops, cuisine, clothes, and history. 

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This is an absolute priority place for people visiting Los Angeles for the first time. 

Griffith Observatory sits high in Griffith Park area, giving a beautiful overview of the city. During the day time, during the sunset, during the night — there is never NOT a good time to check this place out. You can even hike to it if you're feeling adventurous. And honestly, that might not be a bad idea since parking can be hit or miss depending on the night. (I feel like this place has become more well-known and popular so the last two times I've been, parking has been a headache to find because it's so limited. Hiking would be preferred.)

Not only do they have telescopes to observe and look through, but exhibits are inside to educate about the solar system, and the Earth we reside on. 

Access to the observatory is free. But make sure to plan ahead and get there early enough to reserve a seat for one of the featured shows in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium. This beautiful dome screen makes you feel like you're part of the environment it projects. I highly recommend "Centered in the Universe." I've seen it at least three times and I'm still in awe each time. The universe is just SO BIG. And I love how this video tells the different stories of it. The only bummer about the videos are they don't sell advance tickets — first come first serve — and they only have one planetarium, so the show viewings are at certain times. Make sure to check the times before you go.

On-going events can be found on their event calendar (such as star-gazing nights). Usually whenever I've been, there's always something going on. 

And be careful about traffic and other events going on — especially around December. The first time I attempted to visit Griffith Observatory was when I was writing a story about it in my high school newspaper. Around December there's the DWP Holiday Light Festival in Griffith Park. I was unaware. And after choosing an exit of a long line of cars and then turning the wrong way off the freeway, my companions and I ended up on a 3-4 hour long excursion and never got to the park. It was awful. But eventually, some nights later, I found it and loved it. 

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When choosing to go find the abandoned Griffith Park Zoo in Griffith Park, I was under the impression that it would be some kind of strenuous hike. It was not. 

In fact, the hardest part of the whole thing was going the wrong direction for a bit after parking our car, when we should have just headed straight for the open park to the right, where there also happened to be a Shakespeare performance happening. 

As we were wandering up the right path, Whitney noticed the cages to our left. They were literally just right there. There's even picnic tables where the animals once roamed/stood (because there's not a ton of room for roaming). No extreme trail or even really any hiking at all. You just walk up the path and you can see all the old cages. You can go inside the cages if you want. Some areas are gated off. But there's easy openings in the fence if you really have the desire. I can imagine this would be a creepy place to be at night. 

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Growing up, I had never heard that much about Los Feliz. It wasn't until five years ago when I came across this article in LA Magazine that showcased the area and some of the hipster places to check out, that I was determined to pay more attention to it. Usually I'll try to grab something to eat in this area before going to Griffith Observatory or Griffith Park, which it neighbors,

But it's a good go-to stop on the way to Griffith Park and Observatory to get some food and explore some shops. 

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Having explored a lot of places in Santa Monica, I had only recently heard about Bergamot Station when I decided to check it out with Whit and Chris. 

I didn't know exactly what to expect. For some reason I thought it was part of a train featuring an art gallery/store (probably because Wikipedia says the site was previously a train station from 1875 to 1953). But turns out it was way different than that.

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The Original Farmers Market and The Grove are inseparable to me. I don't know why you would go to one without exploring the other since they seem to be almost apart of each other. 

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