Ways to spend your first weekend in Los Angeles

Hooray for Hollywood! There are so many things to see and do in the greater Los Angeles area that you may end up extending your stay forever. Whether you’re an art-lover, a scenester, or a total foodie, there’s no shortage of inspiration to be found in the city.

It’s even easier to feel right at home in Los Angeles when you live in a turnkey Blueground home. Each of our individually furnished apartments in Europe, the Middle East, and North America have everything you need to feel at home right away. You can count on lifestyle upgrades like fast Wi-Fi, a fully equipped kitchen, and a comfortable work-from-home setup.

When you rent the old-fashioned way, you will likely spend several hard-earned weekends at Home Depot or Target. But our guests know there’s a better way. With a short-term furnished apartment, you can spend your first weekend exploring your new city, not shopping for a shower curtain or pots and pans. Here are just a few of our favorite things to do in Los Angeles.

Friday: Hotpot and Cold-Blooded Murder

Are you ready for the weekend? Make it a low-key night: have dinner delivered and settle in to watch a movie on your new-to-you smart TV. Give your tastebuds a pleasant shock with Sichuan-style hot pot from Tang Huo Kung Fu Spicy Hot Pot in Koreatown. The seriously spicy mala dry pot is out of this world. If you’re already staying with Blueground, use Chowbus for fast delivery. (Check out our app for details on all of our exclusive partnerships for our guests.)

One dinner is ordered, get to know your new hometown on the small screen. There’s no better introduction to the city than The Player, a 1992 Robert Altman flick that stars Tim Robbins as a cold-as-ice movie studio exec. In addition to more than 60 cameos from Hollywood heavy hitters, the film features a number of LA hotspots. You’ll see gorgeous Malibu, the historic Rialto Theater in Pasadena, and both Hollywood and Wilshire Boulevards.

Saturday: High Art in the Hills

One of the city’s choicest cultural gems is the Getty Center, a sprawling art museum with works by Paul Cezanne, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, and other art-world luminaries. Entrance to the museum is free, but you’ll need to reserve a timed ticket in advance.

You’ll want to allow at least half of the day to tour the vast museum. Afterwards, plan to spend another hour or two to spend wandering through the lovely gardens onsite. The Getty Center is set on top of a hill with spectacular views of the Hollywood Hills and the Pacific Ocean. There are several cafes and a museum at the Getty, as well as plenty of great places to get a bite nearby.

Sunday: Hello, Hollywood

You can’t very well move to Los Angeles without taking the requisite selfie in front of the world-famous Hollywood sign. It’s easy enough to drive over, park, and get your shot in — but we have a better idea.

Lace up your hiking boots and head for the Brush Canyon Trail, a six-mile journey that begins outside Griffith Park and climbs to the hill right behind the eponymous Hollywood landmark. (If a six-mile hike is too intense for you, try one of these other easy and moderate hikes in and around Los Angeles.)

After your hike, load up on chocolate goodness at East Hollywood bakery Friends & Family. Roxana Jullapat’s  luxurious creations showcase farm-to-table produce. We can’t decide if we love the pistachio croissants or the trouble cookies more, so you should probably order them both.

We hope we’ve inspired you to kick back and relax during your first weekend in sunny southern California. If you’re already one of our Los Angeles renters, you know all about the benefits of the Blueground experience.

Blueground apartments are ideal for frequent business travelers and professionals starting out in a new city. Each of our turnkey furnished apartments is individually designed and comes standard with the latest smart tech so that you can show up and start living.