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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Favorite "FREE" Thing to do in LA?
My hubby thinks we're in a weekend rut and asked me to pick something to do to spice up our weekend but we are on a super tight budget and I feel limited on ideas ... we typically go to the Rosebowl for a run, Runyon Canyon for a hike, farmers markets to stock up on groceries .... any other fun ideas for free or semi-free day dates in LA?
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Re: Favorite "FREE" Thing to do in LA?
I know the tight budget! My list got long....
If you are close to the Rosebowl (near me!) try Monrovia Canyon falls. it's a beautiful hike, shady and a waterfall at the end.
Do you ever walk on Melrose, and maybe get a coffee and window shop?
Be a tourist for the day and go to Hollywood and look at the star and make a game of finding the most from certain categories. Being a "tourist" is actually pretty fun
I like finding local arts or music festivals- there was one in Monrovia today, Pasadena a few weeks ago, a few times a year in the Beach cities (Hermosa, Manhattan, etc). You can listen to music and look at cool stuff for free.
You could go to Santa Monica or Venice and rent a tandem bike and go for a ride- and hang out on the Venice Boardwalk.
Another favorite- you can go to LACMA after 5pm for free Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (and various other days), or the Huntington Library on the first Thursday of the month.
And don't be afraid to have a drink and dinner and home and go to cool places just for desserts!
Have fun!
I love being a tourist in LA!! Since we're looking for a house, I do try to find more budget friendly things for us to do as well.
I LOVE pp's suggestions; Hollywood is a really fun place to people watch and window shop. Not sure if it would work, but the Metro is quite easy and very inexpensive; but there is also cheap parking at the Renaissance Hotel.
This link has free museum days:
http://golosangeles.about.com/od/losangelesmuseums/a/MuseumFreeDays.htm
Also love this site:
http://discoverlosangeles.com/play/activities-and-recreation/activities/100-free-things-to-do.html
We like to go to food trucks and you can often find several of them at different locations throughout LA. One of my favorites is Tuesday nights at The Victorian in Santa Monica. The prices at the trucks vary (so you can usually find something pretty reasonable), but the sunset and views are free (I know a little cheesy, but when I go and see an amazing sunset, it reminds me why I deal with our crappy traffic and ridiculous prices for real estate). The Victorian shares it's parking lot with The Heritage Museum and in the summer, it's really nice to have a picnic on the lawn there (since seating at The Victorian fills up quickly). If you can get it, The Victorian offers both indoor and (heated) patio seating, as well as a basement lounge. The bar has great happy hour prices on drinks and reasonable prices all night for food. They also have music--I think after 9pm. (http://www.yelp.com/biz/basement-tavern-santa-monica)
I love strolling around Beverly Hills (especially around the holidays) and laughing at the tourists.
The lots in Beverly Hills offer free
parking for 2 hours!!
Go to a college town. I'm near UCLA so it's what I know best. On campus you can stroll around the botanical gardens, the sculpture gardens and the planetarium. Go to Westwood and walk around The Village (they do a lot of movie premiers there), and because it's in a college area, there are quite a few inexpensive restaurants. You also MUST go to Diddy Riese. It's a tiny hole in the wall that always has a line (but it moves). They sell ice cream and cookies...and for just $1.50 you can get a really tasty ice cream cookie sandwich. If you want to stay closer to home, look at the Pasadena City College website for concerts, plays and even sporting events.
Lastly, to get discounts, do some homework before going out. So many places offer discounted or free offers to their followers on Facebook & Twitter. For example, Vanilla Bakeshop frequently has a "word" of the day. If you know it, you can get a free mini-cupcake.
Sorry this ended up being so long--hope it helps. Have fun!
Perhaps you would enjoy a day trip to Palos Verdes. The Abalone Cove is a beautiful little outdoor adventure (http://www.palosverdes.com/rpv/recreationparks/AbaloneCoveShoreline/index.cfm) with lots of starfish, sea urchins, etc.; and then there are some good cafes in the center of town. You can also check out the little Wayfarer's Chapel built by Frank Lloyd Wright (http://www.wayfarerschapel.org/).
There are so many great little areas in LA that you can really just pick one you haven't visited and go exploring (it's easy to find helpful info online if you prefer to plan the specifics). Keep an eye out for festivals too - my husband and I have stumbled across tons of cultural, music, food, and art fests.
Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Wayfarers was actually built by Frank Lloyd Wright's son, but is a beautiful place to visit (and where I was married). And if you go to PV, you can also try out the San Pedro Maritime museum, there is a trolley in San Pedro and frequent festivals, or go to Long Beach to Belmont Shores which is a cute artsy neighborhood. Abbot Kinney is a cool street in Venice Beach with lots of cool shops and cheap eats and frequent festivals.
Now I feel inspired to go an explore LA!