Reviewing LAs Most Popular Attractions (+ Hidden Gems)

Alicja Banasiak, University of California Santa Cruz, US

Griffith observatory

If you play GTA you may already know that this place has all the views! You can drive to the very top by car or bus or you can hike, entry into the observatory is free but any shows or presentations are extra cost. From the top you can see the Hollywood sign and the entire city of LA as well as mountains in the background.

The Grove

Smaller than expected but really cute! Has a very unique vibe, live music and the aesthetic is so pretty. Shopping here can be expensive as many of the stores are designer stores but honestly just come here for the photos. Also, don’t forget to visit the farmers market within the grove as it is full of restaurants and has the best souvenir shop hidden inside (and its cheap too!).

Santa Monica Pier

Low key underwhelming. Coming from Santa Cruz where we have a pretty packed boardwalk Santa Monica didn’t have much to offer in comparison. However, the beach next to Santa Monica is really pretty to take a walk on during sunset and the pier itself has several decent souvenir shops. You may even consider riding an electric scooter or bike down the beach however! I do not recommend it, I tried that with my friends and we spent 20$ (30 minutes) struggling to go very far due to location tracking issues.

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Way bigger than Blackpool pleasure beach but smaller than Alton Towers. However, the amount of crazy rides is way higher than in Blackpool and Alton towers. I went on a Tuesday with discounted tickets from t-mobile for 74$ (courtesy of t-mobile Tuesday!). It was spring break for me but not for many other schools and universities nearby so we went on a relatively empty day. I went on so many rides and yet… I couldn’t tick off all the big rides. Despite getting there at opening time many rides weren’t actually operational till the late afternoon and the park closed at 6pm (we expected it to be open till 10pm!). Also, the cheapest parking costs 40$ so make sure to have a solid group of friends to split that with. Within the park food is naturally very expensive (20$ for a pizza slice, drink and two garlic knots) and you’re not allowed to bring your own food inside (although water is fine). Despite all of this, if you enjoy large rollercoaster rides the ones here don’t even compare to the ones in the UK so you will definitely get your fill of thrill.

Downtown Disney

Definitely worth seeing in the evening. Very pretty has a few stores but mainly restaurants. Parking isn’t too expensive however, you can get your ticket validated in some stores (definitely the Lego store if you spend more than 20$) so it will be discounted. Definitely recommend grabbing a shake at Black Tap Anaheim (the cheaper ones aren’t as crazy looking but still super sweet!).