I love LA. It's by far, one of my favorite cities. I have hosted numerous friends from oversees to view the sites and I love that it is usually nothing like what they have imagined. Some friends come out and enjoy the luxurious lifestyle that the city offers, while other prefer to see the city on a dime. This article is for those who desire to eat and drink their way through LA in a day on a budget.
My husband, Andrew and I recently took in all of our cans and bottles to be recycled. We obviously waited months to do this because we were able to cash out for $90. We had an upcoming day off work and decided we wanted to use this side cash to have some fun. The stipulation was that we could only use the $90 that we just received for our whole day in LA, including all of our meals and entertainment. I loved this challenge! There are so many things you can do in life for free or relatively inexpensive if you put you mind to it.
The first stop on our list was the Broad Museum in Downtown LA, which neither of us bad been. We did not have reservations, but arrived early enough to jump in the standby line, which had us in within 20 minutes of arrival. Inside the Broad is the picturesque infinity room, which we also did not have a reservation for, but scored entrance within the hour of us touring the museum. Just an fyi, they only allow you in the room for 3o seconds so you better have your camera life figured out! This whole experience: $FREE
Next, we decided to visit the Standard Hotel's Rooftop Bar, which has a plethora of Foosball and Ping Pong tables. This was basically a great opportunity to pass the time until the best happy hour in the city. Price: $ Free
The cities best happy hour is hands down, Coles. For $5.99 you can order a phenomenal old fashion and for another $5.99 add their famous French Dip sandwich with their spicy fries and pickle. (Definetly order the spicy fries). Price: $28
From there, we decided to venture to our other favorite spot, 7 Grand. Also know for their incredible happy hour from 3-8 everyday. There you can find a delicious Manhattan for $6 or our other fav, the Gold Rush. You can find pool tables for $1/ game. Price: $15
Our friends introduced us to a lovely indoor/outdoor restaurant in La Jolla called Herringbone. They told us there was also one in Santa Monica worth checking out. Their oyster hour consists of $1 oysters and $8 cocktails. We were sadly not as impressed with this restaurant compared to the one in La Jolla, but we were still glad to have checked it off our list. Price: $38
After that, we still had $9 remaining. From there, we strolled around Santa monica which incited Andrew to realize, the oyster dinner didn't quite cut it and he was still hungry. We found a pizza place coincidently two doors down from Salt & Straw. Vanilla Lavender Ice Cream $4. Pizza $5 Realizing your husband seared off all the tissue in his mouth from the pizza. Priceless facial expression.
We spent every last penny of our $90 and walked away well fed and hydrated along with some hilarious memories spent together. We thoroughly loved this challenge as it made us work together in diligently contemplating our finances even in a whimsical fashion. We were so glad to bond over this perfect LA day.
I would love to hear what some of your favorite spots are in LA!
