Toasting the Moon in Los Angeles

Travel for 2 cost breakdown (at the time of writing this post):

The Hotel Indigo DTLA: $180 per night
Food/Entertainment/Transportation/Souvenirs: $1000
GRAND TOTAL FOR 2 TRAVELERS – 4 days: $1720

***At this time, we are not endorsed by any outside affiliates. That said – when booking our trips, we have had a lot of success with Hotels.com, Skyskanner, and Tripmasters.

Booking

Toast the Moon always recommends using a passport. We also recommend TSA Pre-Check and Global Entry, because who wants to waste their vacation time in an airport line, am I right? Traveling around the United States is not difficult, but changes are in the air. Please be advised that as-of October 1, 2020 – basic drivers’ licenses will no longer be valid for identification in airports. Sign up for a passport or Real ID now to avoid complications later!

Experience the World Through Little Towns – Los Angeles

I had a misconception about Los Angeles as a child. Los Angeles and New York have been in constant battle over who’s the “biggest” American city. So, in my mind, Los Angeles would be a centralized big city like European cities or New York. It’s not…

Los Angeles is a mega-city comprised of more than 80 neighborhoods, which could be considered towns or cities in their own right. But, together they create what we know as L.A.

The “Big City” portion of L.A. would have to be DTLA (Downtown Los Angeles), and it is my personal favorite neighborhood. DTLA is being resurrected and is growing rapidly after its decline in the 20th century. It is now one of the hippest parts of town with young professionals, families, and industry leaders wanting to explore an urban life. However, Skidrow still exists…. Homelessness is still very much a problem…. And, the city and state are struggling with how to handle the pollution, crime, disease, and trash issues that continue to plague the downtown area.

However, DTLA is only 5.8 square miles of the 503 square miles that make up Los Angeles. If you leave the center of town, you can find neighborhoods that dive deeper into the history of L.A. like Hollywood, Venice, and Westwood. You can find hills, beaches, new infrastructure and upscale shopping like Beverly Hills, Malibu, and Bel Air. You can find hip and cozy beach towns like Santa Monica and Marina Del Rey. And, if you’re up to exploring the world – check out Chinatown, Olvera Street, Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Little Armenia, Thai Town, Little Ethiopia, Historic Filippinotown, and Leimert Park.

Los Angeles is a great place to explore up-and-coming hotels, museums, neighborhood vibes, food trends, entertainment, and shopping.

We highly recommend the Grand Central Market, the Modern Times Dankness Dojo (vegan junk food and awesome beers – count us in!), The Broad Museum (if you have to choose just one – choose this one!), Arts District Brewing Company, Yamashiro Hollywood, The Last Bookstore, Aharon Coffee and Roasting Co., Griffith Park, and Venice Beach.

Los Angeles is NOT a great place to explore public transportation or to plan a walking vacation. You can walk around the neighborhoods, but to get from place to place, you will spend a lot of time in Ubers, Lyfts, Taxis and other forms of automobiles. That’s life in this city – and part of the culture overall! So, hop in a car and explore the world – L.A. style!