Last updated September 2, 2026 · Editorial policy
Things to Do in Los Angeles: What Is Actually Worth Your Time
Quick answer: This is an honest look at Los Angeles: which famous pavement to think twice about, and the free landmark that gives you the city instead.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is the most reliably disappointing stop in the city — a busy stretch of pavement with brass stars set into it, and very little reason to linger once you have found the name you came for.
Griffith Observatory, ten minutes away, is free to enter and does not charge for its own parking. You get the Hollywood Sign, the basin laid out below, public telescopes on clear evenings and a genuine building rather than a photo stop. If you do not want to drive, buses run up from Hollywood in well under an hour for a normal transit fare.
- Go to Griffith late in the afternoon and stay through dusk — the same ticket price (nothing) buys you both the daytime view and the city lighting up.
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John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
