Things You Should Know Before Visiting LA for the First Time

Los Angeles has an endless amount of unique things to see and do but first-time visitors could lose time traveling around the city without knowing how to experience it. To get the best out of a trip to LA, these are the things you should know before visiting LA for the first time. Los Angeles is Huge Los Angeles...
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Charlie Medeiros is a Wing Tunes contributing writer. Born and raised in Boston, he grew up studying different languages and cultures. He went on to study International Business in college, before becoming a writer. His favorite destination is Alaska.
charlie@wingtunes.com

Los Angeles has an endless amount of unique things to see and do but first-time visitors could lose time traveling around the city without knowing how to experience it. To get the best out of a trip to LA, these are the things you should know before visiting LA for the first time.

Los Angeles is Huge

Los Angeles isn’t built up tall like New York or Chicago. The City of Angles has a wide layout and is comprised of several unique neighborhoods. It’s impossible to see the entire city in one visit, so plan activities by location to avoid backtracking across the city. Every neighborhood of Los Angeles has a certain charm and noteworthy attractions. This is definitely a place to explore with a plan, and it is a good idea to take a free walking tour to get an idea of the layout of the city.

Getting around isn’t as difficult as you think

Los Angeles isn’t known for having the best public transportation system. Having a car is essential to get around LA. Visitors can use Uber and Lyft, but the cheaper option would be to rent a car. It’s also convenient to have a car for day trips or riding out to hiking trails. There is plenty of parking to find, but LA has complicated parking rules. Always read street signs before parking, and when in doubt there are paid parking lots everywhere. Make sure to account for parking costs in the travel budget.

The bumper-to-bumper traffic that LA is notorious for is real. Figure out when rush hour starts and avoid peak traffic times to prevent spending the entire day in the car. Always leave some wiggle room for transit time in case of traffic or trouble finding parking.

Alcohol is pricey and smoking is a no-no

Nightlife in LA is trendy which is reflected in the price of cocktails. There are plenty of craft cocktail lounges around, like Citrin or Bar Flores, with mixologists creating unique drinks costing $12 to $14 dollars. Thankfully afternoon and late-night happy hours are common and local dive bars can be found with Yelp or Trip Advisor. Smoking in any capacity in public places is prohibited in LA. Some bars and restaurants have smoking patios, otherwise, smokers will have to leave for a fix.

Keeping up the demands of social life isn’t always healthy. If you or someone you know is need of a drug treatment center CAST Centers is a premier outpatient treatment center for Dual Diagnosis, Mental Health, and Chemical Dependency. Patients are located in a supportive environment close to Cedars Sinai and UCLA Medical Centers and have access to hundreds of local 12 step meetings. CAST Centers’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health professionals use the latest treatment modalities to create effective individual recovery programs that treat each patient’s needs. For more information visit CAST Centers located at 630 N Doheny Dr. West Hollywood, CA 90069 or contact them at (323) 457-8208.

There is marijuana tourism

Now that marijuana is legal in California, marijuana tourism is on the rise. There are marijuana dispensaries throughout Los Angeles from the days of legalized medicinal uses of marijuana. Residents over the age of 21 can purchase up to an ounce of marijuana daily or eight grams of cannabis concentrates. Non-residents who purchase marijuana cannot cross state lines with it, even if traveling from California to another legalized state. There are several LA companies giving legal weed tours with services like weed bus airport shuttles, munchie crawls, and cultivation tours.

McAllister Garfield has been pioneering marijuana business law since 2009. The full-service law firm represents medical and recreational dispensaries and ancillary and related businesses like lenders, investors, vendors, and social media companies. The elite team of cannabis and hemp attorneys at McAllister Garfield can handle any business and regulatory needs.

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