10 things to love about living in LA (besides the weather)
The weather gets the headlines, but it's not the only draw. Ten things to love about living in Los Angeles, from Griffith Park to free museums and Metro rail.
People move to LA for the sunshine. Then they stay for everything else. The weather is the easy part of the pitch, but ask anyone who has been here a few years what they'd miss, and the list goes a lot further than 75 and sunny. Here are ten of the things I hear about most, all of them places and experiences you can try on your first trip.
1. Griffith Park, right in the middle of the city
At more than 4,000 acres, Griffith Park is one of the largest city parks in the country, and it sits between Los Feliz, the Hollywood Hills and the Valley. It holds the Greek Theatre, the LA Zoo, horse stables, golf courses and miles of trails. At the top is Griffith Observatory, open since 1935 and still free to enter, with one of the best views of the basin you'll find anywhere.
2. Summer nights at the Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl has hosted concerts in its hillside amphitheater since 1922, and it's the summer home of the LA Phil. A picnic in the boxes or on the benches, a classical program or a big-name act, and the lights of Hollywood behind the shell: it's a ritual a lot of Angelenos never get tired of.
3. Museums, many of them free
The Getty Center, designed by Richard Meier and opened in 1997, has free admission (you pay for parking) and gardens with views from the ocean to Downtown. Downtown's The Broad offers free general admission to its contemporary collection. Add LACMA, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and the Huntington in San Marino, and you could spend a year of weekends without repeating.
4. Architecture on ordinary streets
LA is one of the great architecture cities, and much of it is residential. Drive almost any older neighborhood and you'll pass 1920s Spanish homes, Craftsman bungalows and mid-century modern houses by architects like Richard Neutra and A. Quincy Jones. For a lot of buyers, the house itself becomes part of the reason they love living here.
5. The beach and the mountains, same day
The Santa Monica Mountains run straight down to the sand in Malibu. The San Gabriels rise behind Pasadena and often get snow in winter. On a clear day you can see both from the same hillside, and with the right timing you can visit both before dinner.
6. Farmers markets every day of the week
Some neighborhood has a farmers market nearly every day. The Santa Monica Wednesday market has been running since the early 1980s and is a favorite of local chefs, and the Hollywood market fills several blocks on Sundays. With California's growing season, there's something good in season all year.
7. Hollywood history you can visit
The TCL Chinese Theatre (opened in 1927 as Grauman's Chinese) still premieres films behind its famous forecourt. The old movie palaces on Broadway Downtown, studio tours in Burbank and Hollywood, and the Academy Museum make the film history feel close. You'll also run into film shoots on regular streets, which never really stops being fun.
8. A sports calendar with no off season
Dodger Stadium, open since 1962, might be the prettiest ballpark in baseball at sunset. Basketball, hockey, soccer and two NFL teams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood fill the rest of the year. And in July 2028, LA hosts the Summer Olympics for the third time.
9. A rail system that keeps growing
LA is building transit at a pace few US cities can match. The first section of the Metro D Line extension under Wilshire opened in May 2026, more stations are under construction toward Westwood, and the K Line now connects to a new transit center by LAX. It's changing how a lot of neighborhoods connect to each other.
10. Main streets with their own personality
Larchmont in Hancock Park, Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, Abbot Kinney in Venice, Montana Avenue in Santa Monica and Old Pasadena each feel like a small town's center inside a big city. That's the real secret of LA: it's dozens of distinct places, and you get to choose which ones become yours. The neighborhood guides are a good place to start.
If you're thinking about making the move, tell me what you'd want your days to look like, and I'll show you the homes that fit. I'd love to hear what's drawing you here.
General information, not advice. Price figures are estimates from public data and may be out of date.
