From the elegance of Bel Air's mansions to the tony stores of Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles and the surrounding area is an expensive city to visit or live. However, there is plenty to do in the City of Angels with just a few dollars in your pocket. While train service is available in Los Angeles, it is advisable to rent a car. The cost of the car will be offset by time saved in reaching the multitude of sights and adventures that await you.
Museums
Los Angeles has several of the world's best museums and most charge nominal fees for entry. One of the best deals in town when it comes to museums is the Getty Center Museum and the Getty Villa. The Getty Center offers a variety of galleries and historic exhibits while the Villa features ancient Roman, Greek and Etruscan artwork. Both exceptional museums are open to the public free of charge. Other Museums to visit include the Museum of Modern Art, which offers free admission on the second Tuesday of the month, the La Brea Tar Pits, offering free admission every first Tuesday of the month and the Museum of Natural History which is free on the second Tuesday of the Month. The California Science Center is free as is Travel Town located in Griffith park where you can enjoy a look at railroad history.
Beaches
Venice Beach features a unique collection of street performers as well as shops and interesting things to eat. The nearby Santa Monica Pier offers an opportunity to fish off the pier, ride the classic merry-go-round or even a roller coaster. Within the confines of Marina Del Ray, you will find Mother's Beach, a quiet area with no waves. Heading south, the beaches offer larger surf. Traveling along Vista Del Mar Road from Los Angeles Airport south, you can enjoy Dockweiller State Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach. Most of the beaches have some bathroom facilities and offer lifeguard protection during summer months. The best way to visit all these beaches in one day is to ride a bike along the esplanade, a paved two-lane roadway that goes from Santa Monica to Redondo Beach.
Downtown Architecture Walk
Begin your adventure at Olvera Street where you can hear mariachi music, see traditional folk dancers and tour the Avila Adobe, the oldest home in Los Angeles. From Olvera, it's a short walk to Union Station and where you can enjoy the striking Dutch Colonial Revival architecture which is combined with Mission Revival and Streamline Moderne to create one of the most striking rail stations in the country. From Union Station it's a quick walk to Chinatown. Time your day to hit this area for lunch; then head south to take in both the postmodern architecture of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels and the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall. Head to the bottom of Bunker Hill and find Homer Laughlin Building, the home of the Grand Central Market, the largest and oldest open-air market in the city. Enjoy some unique and exotic dishes here; then head to few blocks to Broadway and take in The Bradbury Building---a masterpiece with an Italian-Renaissance exterior. The interior of the building is a striking atrium of glazed brick, marble polished wood and huge skylight. The building has been featured in several movies, most notably, Blade Runner.
The Arts
No matter where you are in Los Angeles, there is an artist community nearby. Visitors to the San Fernando Valley should take a walk through North Hollywood, now better known as NoHo. The Arts District, which surrounds the TV Academy of Arts and Sciences, offers numerous galleries, public art, funky shops and dining opportunities. Over the hill, Melrose Avenue offers several miles of shops and galleries. Perhaps one of the most unique art stops is a trip to the Watts Towers, a wild project build by an immigrant construction worker, the 17 interconnected structures and multiple towers constructed out of refuse is a glowing example of American Naive art. Visitors to the coastal part of the city should head to the San Pedro Art Walk which features more than 30 galleries in the area of 6th and 7th street at South Pacific Avenue..
Nature
Griffith Park, the second largest city park in the country, offers you endless opportunities for hiking, picnicking and adventure. The Los Angeles Zoo is located within the park as is the Griffith Park Observatory and planetarium. Both offer low-cost admission with discounts for students, educators and seniors. In the San Fernando Valley, the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve features groves of trees and numerous migrating birds. Point Fermin on the coast offers a 37-acre park with a observation deck and a lighthouse built in 1874. A trip to UCLA not only offers you a chance to wander Los Angeles's famed University, but an opportunity to see the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens as wells as the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden.
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