In the land of endless street art, cute tea shops, and sunny beaches, you’ll never have a better opportunity to push the boundaries of your personal style. During a recent trip to Los Angeles, my friend and I decided to plan a true “blogger trip”— in other words, we made a point of visiting the most aesthetically pleasing spots and taking cute outfit shots along the way. Of course, having fun was high on the itinerary as well!

Check out below for the top highlights of our trip:

Day 1

Hollywood Boulevard: If you’ve never been to L.A. before, it’s an absolute must to visit Hollywood—in particular, the Hollywood Walk of Fame. During this trip, we actually stayed in an AirBNB apartment that was located on the Boulevard; happily, we found that this prime location allowed us to easily reach many of our favourite destinations within only a few minutes.

In-N-Out Burger (Sunset Boulevard): Located only three minutes away from our apartment, we decided to visit this famed spot for a midnight meal after landing late in L.A. on a Friday night.

Day 2

Alfred Coffee & Tea Room: These extremely aesthetic and popular beverage shops are an obligatory stop to get your morning coffee, tea, or kombucha while in L.A. During our first day, we headed over bright and early to the blush pink Tea Room for some delicious matcha drinks and cute outfit photos. Later that same day, we stopped by the Alfred Coffee shop (located only a few metres away from the Tea Room) for a refreshing kombucha to help us cool off while wandering around Melrose Avenue.

The Beverly Hills Hotel: If you’re a blogger, did you even visit L.A. if you didn’t go to The Beverly Hills Hotel? This extremely cute and luxurious hotel boasts pink walls, tropical wallpaper, and endless photo opportunities all over its property.

Cabana Cafe: Located within The Beverly Hills Hotel, this café offers the cutest pink décor, delicious (but pricey) food, and friendly service—all right beside their very luxurious pool. Note: Be aware that you are not allowed to take photos of the pool area as there might be celebrities lounging around who would not appreciate any unwanted exposure.

Melrose Avenue: When in L.A., many people believe that Rodeo Drive is the best and most aesthetic shopping destination. However, my friend and I would contest that Melrose Avenue is the superior shopping area! In our opinion, this district is much edgier and less “cookie-cutter”—you could spend hours exploring the interesting stores, eateries, and street art located down the avenue.

Glossier: Known for its “no-makeup” makeup products and aesthetic packaging, Glossier is a beauty brand phenomenon that attracts droves of makeup-obsessed females and males. While visiting their Melrose Avenue store, we decided to pick up a few items and check out their “Canyon” (which is a room created exclusively for cute photo opportunities that mimics an otherworldly Antelope Canyon). Note: The Melrose Avenue location is steps away from both Alfred Coffee and Alfred Tea Room-- so be sure to get a nice drink after you finish shopping at Glossier.

Sorella: Although Melrose Avenue is chock-full of trendy street art, Sorella’s ‘graffiti’ wall is extremely popular with the blogger crowd due to its vibrant pink colour and the cute phrases painted on its surface.

I loved wearing this bright Halter Top A-Line Dress in “Beeswax” in front of the vibrant Sorella store on Melrose Avenue.

Catch LA: Looking for a fancy night out? Celebrity spotting? Aesthetic décor for a cute outfit shot? Delicious seafood cuisine? Catch LA has got you covered on all fronts. Located on a rooftop in West Hollywood, this restaurant is extremely popular with the beautiful L.A. crowd. In fact, we were seated almost right beside Kylie Jenner and her crew while we were having dinner there!

Day 3

Disneyland and California Adventure Theme Parks: Fun Fact: Before this trip, I never had the pleasure of visiting Disneyland. Luckily, we more than made up for the loss by spending over 14 hours at the two parks and going on 12 rides! If you’re planning to visit soon, I highly recommend downloading their app to buy your tickets and Fast Passes in advance. As well, the app allows you to check on ride wait times, obtain Fast Passes for your rides, look up event times and attraction locations, make online food orders and reservations, and even collect your photos on rides or with Disney characters.

Pro Tip #1: If you’re looking for the best spots for photos, be sure to take them in front of Sleeping Beauty’s iconic castle at the centre of the park or in front of California Adventure’s Pixar Pier (be sure to check on Instagram for some inspiration). However, the parks are full of fun photo spots just about everywhere!

Pro Tip #2: Do not, I repeat, do not go on the Grizzy River Run ride unless you are fully prepared to get completely soaked! Luckily, it was a hot day and we were able to dry off very quickly…

Day 4

Runyon Canyon: On the last day, we did a quick and scenic hike in Runyon Canyon as it was located only a few minutes away from our apartment (did you even visit L.A. if you didn’t hike?). After only a short jaunt up some hills, we were able to reach some beautiful viewpoints and take some cute outfit photos. (As well, it was amusing to watch a fitness fanatic do some push-ups at the top to show off his prowess to the world.)

Santa Monica: Another iconic spot in L.A., the Santa Monica Beach and Pier are mandatory spots to visit while in the City of Angels. After taking in the sights, we took a couple of Bird electric scooters from Santa Monica over to Venice Beach.

Note: These shared scooters are extremely fun but are also quite dangerous if not properly handled! You are required to have a valid driver’s license on hand, follow the local bylaws and speed limits; as well, it is recommended that you wear a helmet while using the scooter.

Venice Beach: In our eyes, Venice beach is the slightly older and rebellious cousin of Santa Monica—that one that goes skateboarding, plays basketball, and then goes for a surf with a fish taco in hand. Speaking of fish tacos, my friend recommended the yummiest tacos from a tiny stall intriguingly named “Fish Tacos” on the Venice Beach Boardwalk. After grabbing our food, we sat down on a grassy hill underneath a beautiful palm tree (it was also located perfectly between a basketball court and the beach to give us a great panoramic view of the area).

Now that it’s in my wardrobe, I’ve become obsessed with this black lace camisole-- it goes with just about anything! For wandering around Venice Beach, I styled the camisole with a fierce tiger print shirt, jean shorts, and chunky sneakers.

Abbot Kinney Boulevard: As someone who has been to L.A. numerous times, I was blown away that I had never before visited the extremely insta-worthy area of Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Other than the beautiful boutique stores, trendy coffee shops, and health-conscious brunch spots, we fell in love with all of the beautiful street art that was located all over the Boulevard.

While brunchin’ and exploring around Abbot Kinney Boulevard, this Button-Down Cap Sleeved Midi Dress was the perfect piece in which to look good, stay cool, and blend into my aesthetically pleasing surroundings.

Kreation Juice Kafe (Abbot Kinney Boulevard): Looking for an incredibly healthy and cool spot to eat, drink, and people-watch while on the Boulevard? Check out Kreation Kafe for health-conscious brunch food, blue lattes, chlorophyll water, and freshly-made juices.

Cha Cha Matcha (Abbot Kinney Boulevard): Just before we had to leave for the airport, we stumbled across the amazingly aesthetic matcha tea shop known as Cha Cha Matcha. If you’re a lover of pink vibes and environmentally-conscious branding, do not leave Abbot Kinney Boulevard or West Hollywood without stopping by! Warning: You might experience an overload of cuteness when confronted with their merchandise, interior design, and drinks.

Looking for more vacation style or L.A.-centric inspiration? Be sure to check out Suzy Shier’s website and Instagram for some fun pieces to jazz up your vacay wardrobe.

As well, feel free to take a gander at my Instagram page here!

Cheers,

Debbie Poh (a.k.a. The Stylish Wordsmith)