The Joy of Making Plans with No Time Limit
My favorite things to do when I have a free day in LA
Hey hey!!
I hope you are all surviving and thriving in this heat wave. I was in the valley for a mere 1.5 hours today and quickly had to make my escape back to the West side. I don’t know how I used to live there during the summer good god!! (And blessings to any of you that currently reside there, I hope you have central A/C <33)
Though I am getting to the point in the year where it feels like every weekend has something planned - I happened to have 2 free days this weekend - zero commitments! I am the type of person that typically likes having advanced plans locked and loaded, but lately I’ve been enjoying leaving gaps in my schedule a lot more. Maybe it’s 30’s energy, or maybe it’s because work + social life + travel schedule is so busy (or both!) but I’m enjoying the breaks where I can find them right now.
Having an open weekend really inspired me and it was nice to feel like I had a lot more freedom and flexibility with my days. What do you want to do when you have the luxury of 8-10+ free hours to do as you please, 2 days in a row?! The options are endless and I had a hard time deciding how to spend my time - here’s what I got up to, along with 10 other ideas of what I’d do for my next free day …
How I’d Spent a Free Day in Los Angeles / SoCal
Malibu beach day - This past Saturday, I woke up early and got myself to Malibu by 10 AM. I stopped at Country Kitchen to try their famous breakfast burrito and wow, it sure delivered. Though I had my sights set on Point Dume for my beach day, it was already insanely packed with a line of cars down the street by the time I got there. So, I backtracked and ended up at a private cove in between Paradise Cove and Geoffrey’s, and it was incredible. On my way home, I had to stop for a treat, naturally - and also pay a visit to the Malibu Country Mart, a place I’ve visited since I first moved to LA. Ended up with a delicious soft serve twist with rainbow sprinkles at Broad Street Coffee Co.
Day trip to Santa Barbara - If you time it right, most Angelenos can get to SB in an hour and 15 minutes. What a gift! I love this trip for the drive alone, but there’s plenty of ways to spend your day in Santa Barbara - see my full guide HERE.
Manhattan beach day - As a Santa Monica resident, I have plenty of beaches within a 5-10 minute drive from my apartment. But, when I have the time and feel like changing it up, I love taking a drive down to Manhattan Beach and having a South Bay type of beach day. Two Guns Espresso is my go-to food stop - I love their coffee + Stanwich, a breakfast sandwich on a pretzel bun.
Coffee/breakfast + thrifting in a neighborhood I don’t usually spend time in - Even if it’s just a Goodwill I’ve heard good things about, it’s fun to go thrifting in a neighborhood outside of my own. I always use it as an excuse to try a new restaurant or coffee shop on my list and make the most of the trip. Today, I made my way to Sherman Oaks to try Borekas Sephardic Pastries, and then walked down to Goodwill + scored a couple flowy dresses for my upcoming Hawaii trip.
Day trip to Laguna Beach - Similar to SB - if you time it right, you can get to Laguna in ~1.5 hours. Full guide HERE for the spots - but truly, walking around there and admiring the ocean views at every lookout point is my favorite activity.
Take a loooong walk, run or bike ride - bare with me when I say this - I have come to LOVE exercising without a time limit. Compared to squeezing a 45 min gym sesh or yoga class in before the work day starts, breaking a sweat with nowhere else to be is really, really nice. I have a running loop through the fancy Montana neighborhood, down the California incline, and coming back up through the Palisades/Santa Monica stairs that is so, so lovely. If I had to plot a route further East, I’d recommend a big walk starting at the Silver Lake Reservoir and wander through the neighborhood hills to scope out all of the pretty houses!
Visit a large antique mall or go to an estate sale - a couple antique malls on my radar - King Richard’s Antique Center in Whittier and Sherman Oaks Antique Mall in the SFV
Shop at a farmers’ market outside of your own neighborhood (and try a new coffee shop or restaurant while you’re there) - HERE is a solid list of markets in LA by day! My favorites are South Pas, Mar Vista and Brentwood
Visit a museum I’ve never been to (or a museum I’ve visited before that has a new exhibit) - I got to check out the new exhibit at the Broad Saturday night - Mickalene Thomas’ “All About Love” - and that was wonderful! Also - I’ve somehow never been to the Natural History Museum or CAAM - need to get there!!
Drive up the PCH and grab some fresh seafood for lunch + read a book - depends on how far you wanna go, but there are plenty of tasty options! Reel Inn, Malibu Seafood, Neptune’s Net to name a few
Go wine tasting in Los Olivos + walk around Solvang - full guides HERE and HERE
What would you do with a free day in LA? Reply directly to this email or drop a comment on Substack with your ideal itinerary! Xoxoxo
Living in paradise and so many fantastic options!!