Yemi and I are in the backseat of her parent’s car listening as they recount wistful memories from living in Los Angeles. “A straight bus down Wilshire is essentially a tour of L.A.” Aunt E. says as we pass by familiar places—the second-story apartment one of her kids jumped down from, LACMA, someone’s old school. Their personal histories of the city are the soundtrack to our ride down Wilshire Boulevard; a nearly 16 mile stretch from downtown L.A. to the City of Santa Monica.
Over the weekend, we make our way across L.A., living a fraction of our lives in the city.
Griffith Observatory 
The Grove, L.A
Larchmont Village, Central L.A
Union Station + El Pueblo de Los Angeles
Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica 
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Good to Know
Getting to L.A.
- From Oakland, it’s a 1hr flight or a 9hr bus ride.
Where I Stayed
- With a friend in the Los Feliz area. Thank you, M.
Getting around L.A.
- The fastest way to get around this city is by car, even with the traffic. Thankfully, our friend M had one and was nice enough to drive. Depending on how far out you want to go, renting a car or making a budget for Uber is smart.
Where I Ate
- Dominique Ansel Bakery, The Grove L.A.: For delicious sweet treats
- Tu Madre, Larchmont Boulevard: For well-seasoned tacos, it’s difficult to have just one. We came back for seconds.
- Porto’s, Brand Boulevard – For stellar savory and sweet treats.
- We ate at taco trucks and at M’s house and at a Thai restaurant whose name I don’t remember because they wrote the sign in Thai characters. From the grocery store, we ate concha/pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread).
Sights
- There’s no fee to visit any of these sights. If you’re driving, you will need to pay for parking.
I can’t wait to return to L.A. and eat a lot more than I did the first time, but till then,
thank you for reading.
All photos shot by myself & Yemi on iPhone XR
Same footprints, Different sands
Same Footprints 