What to do in Los Angeles in 1 day on a budget?
This was our conundrum when we had one day on our hands in LA. We arrived late in the evening yesterday and fly out early tomorrow morning. Do we go on a tour bus? Do we head for the city or go see the sights? We had just come from Las Vegas and had had enough of the crowded tourist attractions. We decided that since we still had the rental car for this day until 6pm that we would make the most of it. We chose to go on a drive through Hills and check out Malibu Beach. We travelled in December 2024, so after the first smaller fires but before the large fires.
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| The Commons Shopping Center at Calabasas |
We were on the hunt for fancy cars and Calabasas did not disappoint! I'm sure the teenagers phone is full of photos but I was driving so missed the cars. We had a good look around the shopping center. Went into Ralphs (a supermarket) and bought some snacks for in the car. They had the most delicious bakery corner in the store, so we came out with a few single serve cakes to try.
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| Movie Theatre in Calabasas, California |
We took the scenic route driving all sorts of back roads and seeing where they would take us. We soon learned that A LOT of the roads are private or gated so you cannot just self drive around many areas. We headed for Malibu. I mean who hasn't heard of Malibu Beach and how stunning it is?
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| Malibu Beach, California |
It most certainly is beautiful and it was great to see the Pacific Ocean again, knowing this body of water connected us to home. The way the houses hang over the edge of the beach is crazy. We also learned how spoiled we were with all the beaches in New Zealand. We live less than 10 min drive from the beach at home, so it was great to be near the ocean again.
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| Malibu Beach, California |
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| Malibu Beach, California |
We were here on December 15th, 2024. This was after the initial 'smaller' (still large) fires but before the super large fires later in the month. We could see burnt areas and damage but it sounds like a lot of homes in these photos have also since been lost. It's an awful thought!
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| Malibu Beach, California |
We had lunch at McDonald's. I know how original but remember we are travelling with teenagers and sometimes it is just easier to keep them happy! This was a little cheaper than our only other McDonald's stop in the
Grand Canyon for breakfast but still more than it would be at home, NZ$66.53 (US$38.59 / €35.93). We bought a family share meal deal, where you still get some choice in burgers. We ordered takeaway and then drove to a scenic spot along the beach to eat our meal with a view. Everyone was happy and fed!
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| Space X Rocket, Los Angeles, California |
Not far from the hotel, near LAX, was Space X. We couldn't resist a little drive by to look at the rocket on display. But as luck would have it, there was also one on the transporter ready to move. Seeing it on its side and driving right by it really showed the scale. Yet another thing in the USA where we were impressed with the immense scale! Although I'm not 100% sure that it is a rocket, it could be parts of a launch tower, or who knows what.
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| Space X, Los Angeles, California |
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| Space X, Los Angeles, California |
We had just an hour to spare until returning the rental car before we fly out in the morning, and what did the teens want to do? Go to Costco! There happened to be one at the end of this same block. Disappointingly for them this Costco is a business center does not have a food court. But they still managed to find plenty of snacks to keep them happy on the plane! Luckily the luggage still made it in underweight.
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| Costco Los Angeles selling New Zealand Lamb |
We found whole New Zealand lamb and cut pieces in the boxes! Unfortunately the Costco in Houston, where we are heading next, only had the Australian lamb, which we cooked for our relatives for Christmas lunch. They still loved it but it wasn't quite the same.
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GMC Terrain Rental Car, Kanab, Utah
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After dropping the teens and their candy haul back at the hotel, we filled up with gas and returned the trusty rental car. This was much easier than I had imagined! I half expected them to thoroughly look over the car before letting you leave but no, you just join the line park the car and walk away. Next time I would not bother returning it the night before, I would drop it off and get the airport shuttle from there. We got an uber back to the hotel for NZ$37.16 (US$21.55 / €20.07) including tip.
Our Hotel in Los Angeles
We chose Hyatt Place as it was close to LAX, and had a free shuttle service to the airport the next morning. It also had rooms with two queens and a sofa bed which was a life saver, as the teens were well over sharing at the Flamingo and needed their own space. It was a nice modern hotel and charged accordingly, NZ$753.96 (US$437.30 / €407.14) for two nights. They have parking available, which we needed for the first night, at and additional cost of US$30 per night.
We ate at the restaurant onsite as there was not much walkable near us, and we had just returned the rental car. The quite basic dinner came to NZ$160.00 (US$92.80 / €86.40) but it was convenient.
The next morning we caught the shuttle with many others and a less than friendly driver, he was professional but a little curt. Once everyone had gotten off, and not tipped, he took our luggage down and I tipped him our last US$10 note. His whole demeanor changed, he was super helpful and pointed us in the right direction with a sunny smile.
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| Leaving Los Angeles, United Airlines over Long Beach |
And we were off on the next leg of our adventure Houston, Texas here we come!
Total Cost of our Day in Los Angeles (2 Nights - 1 Day)
| Expense | NZ$ | US$ (0.58) | Euro (0.54) |
| Accommodation | $753.96 | $437.30 | €407.14 |
| Rental Car | $151.81 | $88.05 | €81.98 |
| Eating Out | $226.53 | $131.39 | €122.33 |
| Groceries | $37.59 | $21.80 | €20.30 |
| Activities | $0.00 | $0.00 | €0.00 |
| Gasoline | $54.38 | $31.54 | €29.37 |
| Miscellaneous | $37.16 | $21.55 | €20.07 |
| Total | NZ$1,261.43 | US$731.63 | €681.17 |
The accommodation is for two nights as we spent two nights in LA, arriving late in the evening and leaving early in the morning. We did no paid activities choosing to drive around and sight see over visiting attractions. The gas price is the cost to fill the tank for returning the rental car, so not all of that will have been used in one day.
We travelled in December 2024, so costs are from that time.
