Los Angeles has a way of filling a day before you notice. Freeways stretch between the highlights, and the list of must-sees never seems to shrink. By late afternoon, most people have seen plenty but sat down very little.
A better day treats rest as part of the route rather than a reward at the end. A morning of paintings can give way to a garden, and a historic pier sits steps from open sand. Even the finest night view in town comes with a place to sit. Skip Mondays, when both The Broad and Griffith Observatory are closed.
Contemporary Art on Bunker Hill, Then a Rooftop Breather
Mirrors and Masterworks on Grand Avenue
General admission to The Broad costs nothing, but a timed reservation lets you skip the walk-up line. Weekend doors open at 10 a.m., earlier than on weekdays, which leaves more room for the garden and the drive west.
Head up to the skylit third floor first, where postwar and contemporary art fills the main galleries, then work your way down. Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room: The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away needs its own advance reservation, separate from general admission. If the room matters to you, book both at once.
A Garden Above Grand Avenue
Next door, Walt Disney Concert Hall hides a rooftop garden of nearly an acre behind its curving metal walls. Stairs off Grand Avenue near 2nd Street climb to the Blue Ribbon Garden, an easy next stop after the galleries. At its center, Frank Gehry’s A Rose for Lilly fountain shines with thousands of broken Delft porcelain pieces. Half an hour on the shaded benches rests the legs before the long drive to the coast.
For the backstory, a free self-guided audio program usually runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Performances and events can cancel it, so treat it as a bonus rather than a fixed stop.
Where the Road Ends and the Beach Begins
Route 66’s Symbolic Finish Line
- About 200 feet onto Santa Monica Pier, a replica End of the Trail sign marks the symbolic finish of Route 66.
- The highway officially ended back at Lincoln and Olympic, but generations of motorists pushed on to the ocean.
- Near the pier entrance, the Looff Hippodrome has stood since 1916 and became a National Historic Landmark in 1987. Inside, a 1922 carousel replaced the original Looff model in 1947.
Toes in the Sand
The beach on either side of the pier spreads wide, so open sand never feels far away. Lay out a towel and give yourself an hour or two by the water. For shade, Palisades Park lines the bluff above Ocean Avenue with palms and benches. Head out by late afternoon, since the Observatory lies about 18 miles away and evening traffic slows the crosstown drive.
Stars Above the Hollywood Hills
Telescopes and a Tesla Coil
Griffith Observatory charges nothing to enter the building or walk the grounds. The building usually opens at noon Tuesday through Friday and at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, then closes at 10 p.m. Check the Observatory’s calendar before you count on an evening visit.
Inside, the exhibits reward a slow lap. A Foucault pendulum in the rotunda has demonstrated the Earth’s rotation since 1935, while a Tesla coil, on display since 1937, sparks to life in free demonstrations several times a day.
On clear evenings, free viewing at the 12-inch Zeiss telescope on the roof usually starts around 7 p.m. The queue closes by 9:30 p.m. and sometimes sooner, so join it before you settle onto the lawn.
City Lights from the Lawn
Outside, the terraces face the Hollywood Sign to one side and the downtown skyline to the other. Stretch out on the lawn and watch the grid of lights spread toward the sea.
Charter coaches must use a designated drop-off area near the building, then leave the hill rather than park or wait. To work within that rule, a reliable bus charter company sets a return hour and circles back for the whole group. Buses still get through on busy days when the road closes to private cars.
Hilltop to Hilltop, With the Ocean Between
Start on Bunker Hill when The Broad opens, spend the afternoon on the sand in Santa Monica, and reach Griffith Observatory as the city lights come on.
The timing that matters most is leaving the beach by late afternoon, before rush hour stretches the crosstown drive. Plan the day for Tuesday through Sunday, and the city looks its best to anyone who still has the energy to look.
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