36 Hours in Los Angeles

A short drive east down Venice Boulevard will take you to Tortoise General Store. This independent shop is a wonderland of Japanese goods and a serene alternative to the luxe chains and boutiques of Abbot Kinney Boulevard, a few miles away. Named by its husband-and-wife owners, Taku and Keiko Shinomoto, to reflect a slow-and-steady life philosophy, the store’s minimalist sunlit spaces compel you to browse leisurely. The collection of handmade pottery, etched glass, tenugui cloths, titanium camping gear and everything else you never knew you wanted feels like a design exhibit. But you definitely can touch and even afford small luxuries like fine-tipped pens (from $16) and tiny baby socks ($12).

Yes, it’s late, but Wi Spa is open. Leave the west side for K-Town (more formally known as, but never called, Koreatown). This massive spa offers its services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Once inside, guests sign waivers (that include acknowledging likely exposure to nudity) and head to huge, sparkling locker rooms (where clothes-free is the norm for the hot tubs, cold pools and showers). But Wi Spa is especially fun when you slip on the T-shirt and shorts twin sets they provide to hang out with friends in communal saunas, each built with different materials. Start by progressing through them as recommended — oak, salt, clay, jade and ice — then return to your favorites. (Admission, $30; reserve extra services, which have additional costs, in advance.)

You’re going to have to walk that burrito off, so you might as well do it in a meticulously planted estate. There are over 200 acres of flowers and foliage at the Huntington, plus art galleries and a library. Wind through the bridges of the Chinese garden, whose expansion was completed in 2020, and reflects the influence of the Chinese families in the surrounding San Marino neighborhood. From there, stroll through the Zen Japanese grounds before exploring the flora that ranges from roses to cactuses. If you have little ones, bring them to the children’s area, where they can get sprayed with playful water features. Since the pandemic, the Huntington requires reservations for the weekend and the early slots book up quickly. (Adult admission, $29.)

There’s something compelling about the bright white letters of the Hollywood sign. Yes! You’re really here! And something grounding about actually going to see it, on dusty paths in green hills, rocky nature around the glitz. You can’t hike to the sign, but you can get clear sightings in Griffith Park, particularly at the one-mile mark of the Mount Hollywood trail that starts at the Art Deco Griffith Observatory, which has stunning city views. There’s also a flat loop around the Hollywood Reservoir, which was built in 1924 and provided water that was key to the city’s growth. To capture that old somewhat Wild West feel, traverse the hills for an hour on horseback with Sunset Ranch Hollywood’s Mulholland Trail Tour from their Beachwood Drive base ($75 per person).

A trip to L.A. doesn’t feel complete without a star sighting and you can force the issue by going to a show at Largo at the Coronet on La Cienega. Comedians like “Ted Lasso” star Brett Goldstein and “Saturday Night Live” alumnae Melissa Villaseñor and Sasheer Zamata test out their material here — you may hear bits that make their way into television specials — and they invite friends to perform sets, too. You don’t know which stars will stroll on stage, but Judd Apatow, Sarah Silverman and Will Ferrell have been known to show up. They’re sometimes joined by musicians who play miniconcerts and the way everyone chats casually on their mics makes you feel that the stars are, maybe, just like us. (Tickets from $35, book ahead.) Seating is first-come, first-serve.

Every Sunday, the grounds of Fairfax High School, a few miles from République, turn into the Melrose Trading Post, an outdoor market with an eclectic mix of vintage Levi’s and hyper-local clothing, antique film cameras, handmade jewelry, soy candles and artisan goods. There are enough stalls to keep things interesting but not so many as to be exhausting. Once you find the tricky parking entrance at the corner of Fairfax and Clinton (valet parking is free), you pay $5 to enter the market. (That small fee goes to the school.) Bring cash both for the entry fee and vendors. For pricier new wares, including the latest street wear, there are shops all along Fairfax and Melrose.

You could spend 36 hours (or more) on a taco crawl to fully appreciate how this city has the best Mexican food in the United States. If you’re in Mid-City, go to Sonoratown. Teodoro Diaz-Rodriguez Jr. and Jennifer Feltham opened their first shop downtown in 2016 to showcase their excellent tortillas and the northern Mexican specialties that go in them. Made with flour from the Mexican state of Sonora, the tortillas are at once supple and chewy and delicious enough to eat on their own. But they’re even better filled: the steak in the costilla tacos ($3.50) is smoky and the chorizo perfectly spiced. To get even more tortilla per bite, try the chicken chivichanga ($5.50) and don’t skip the horchata or seasonal agua fresca ($4.75). They sometimes have packs of their tortillas for sale. If so, bring one home to keep enjoying L.A. for at least a few more hours.