I’m sharing with you my “One Day in Los Angeles” travel experience! Los Angeles is a bustling metropolis, often ranked among the most dangerous cities in the United States. Although my trip here was short, I was incredibly fortunate to receive the warm and generous help of Gloria, a Mexican lady I met at a local laundromat. Honestly, finding such a kind and helpful person in a city as notorious as Los Angeles is no easy feat.
Getting to Los Angeles from Las Vegas
I took a Greyhound bus from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, which took just over five hours. You can check Greyhound ticket information [here].
From the Greyhound Bus Terminal to Downtown Los Angeles
We arrived in Los Angeles at around 2:30 p.m. Coming from a small town in New Zealand, I found LA’s vast and complicated public transport system quite overwhelming. I had no idea which bus to take. In the end, I opted for a taxi, which cost USD 25 for a 20-minute ride. It wasn’t the cheapest choice, but carrying two large suitcases onto a public bus was simply not an option, and I couldn’t figure out which metro line would take me closest to the hotel. Standing there trying to work it out would have been far too time-consuming.
Accommodation in Los Angeles
I stayed at the Shelter Hotel Los Angeles, located in Koreatown, about 5 km from downtown. The hotel sits at the corner of 5th Street and Mariposa Avenue. Locals say this area is home to Korean gangs, but I never experienced any trouble. Even walking outside at 9–10 p.m. felt safe, and there were noticeably fewer homeless people than in downtown.
Overall, it’s a decent place to stay for one or two nights — it has a swimming pool, a table tennis area, an outdoor courtyard, and is fairly close to the city centre. The rooms are clean. The only minor issue was that the Wi-Fi was down the entire day I stayed there, which meant I couldn’t access any online information. I ended up walking to a nearby supermarket to use the internet — and took the opportunity to buy some fresh fruit. You can check room rates [here].
That evening, we went out for dinner and spotted a Phở 24 sign. Curious to find Vietnamese food in the heart of Koreatown, we stepped inside. A Korean man greeted us in a mix of Korean and English — turns out, he was running a Vietnamese pho shop. We’d already ordered, so we stayed, but I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that it wasn’t owned by a Vietnamese chef.
Laundry in Los Angeles
The next morning, we set out to find a laundromat. Laundromats in the US are truly something else — hundreds of washing and drying machines, always buzzing with activity. To use them, you need 25-cent coins, and there are change machines on site. Detergent costs USD 1, a wash USD 3, and drying costs 25 cents for 12 minutes. Internet is free.
At first, I was confused — the system here is very different from New Zealand, where you usually top up a card or use a key at the supermarket or laundry shop. Luckily, Gloria, a Mexican lady also doing her laundry, stepped in and kindly walked us through the whole process.
She went above and beyond — later that day, she even drove us to the bus station to buy tickets for San Jose, waited for us, and then took us back to the hotel. We were so touched that we invited her and her niece to lunch.
What to Eat in Los Angeles
We went to Sizzler for dinner — a buffet and salad bar restaurant that was excellent and only USD 14 per person. The chain has multiple branches; you can find the nearest one via Google.
Website: https://www.sizzler.com/
In the evening, on Vermont Avenue near the corner of 5th Street, there are food trucks selling delicious Mexican and Cuban dishes — cheap, cheerful, and full of flavour.
Getting Around Los Angeles
Besides buses and the metro, you can also rent e-bikes and electric scooters, which can be dropped off at any designated location in the city.
To be honest, I didn’t get much “independent” experience navigating Los Angeles because I was so lucky to have Gloria. She not only took us to buy bus tickets but also spent a whole day driving us around to explore the city. The next day, she even left work early just to take us to the bus station.
Travel tip: If you have enough time and your own transport, don’t miss Santa Monica — it’s well worth a visit.
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