Exploring Los Angeles in a Day

Here's how a group of cheap graduate students explored LA in a day. Here's my recommendations for frugal and fun things to do: 

• Explore the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and take photos with the stars on the ground. We packed our lunches and were able to eat outside. Some of my friends didn't anticipate how chilly it would be in California, so they bought sweaters at Souvenir Shops. Who knows? You might be famous. Some model and a videographer asked me to be in their Instagram video.

• Uber/Lyft up to Griffith Observatory. LA looks beautiful from up there. You get great views of the city, and it's a great place to take a photo with the Hollywood sign in the background. There is limited parking at the top of the hill, but it's more convenient to call a ride-share vehicle. You could also hike to the top. Admission into the Observatory is free, but they do sell tickets to go see a show in the planetarium.

• LACMA/ La Brea Tar Pits. LACMA has the iconic street lamps outdoor display in front of it. There's always a couple models and photographers there. La Brea Tar Pits was my favorite museum as a child. You get to see a lot of fossils and learn about prehistoric times.        

• Watch the sunset on the Pacific Ocean from the Santa Monica Pier. Have dinner at one of the vendors on the Pier. As I took in this view, I feel like I finally get it why people call this the City of Angels.