California Dreamin': 48 Hours in Los Angeles

Since you're in California, you should get some tacos. Located across from Chateau Marmont off Sunset Boulevard, Pinches is an inconspicuous joint that serves up cheap and delicious tacos in a massive variety of options: pork, shrimp, chicken, veggie, beef tongue, sopes, cactus, and more!

Cozy up to the bar at The Church Key to enjoy one of their signature craft cocktails. With ingredients like "rosemary smoke" and mitaki mushrooms, you'll want to sip and savor your drink early in the night, before you drink so much that things get fuzzy.

Make sure you snag tickets in advance to the legendary Whisky A Go Go, which is famous for hosting all kinds of legendary acts like the Doors, Janis Joplin, and Led Zeppelin, among many others, and for spawning the "go-go dancer" fad of the late 1960's. They still put on shows for cool up-and-coming acts, so it's worth checking out.

If you'd rather see something a little lighter, then stop by The Comedy Store. Grab tickets to one of the shows in their three theaters, which offer all different kinds of performances, from big headlining acts to strange and offbeat smaller shows. There's a two drink minimum here, but it doesn't have to be booze... although that never fails to enhance the experience.

End your night at Good Times At Davey Wayne's, a funky, 1970s-themed "dive" bar. Enter through an old refrigerator and step into a replica of what Hollywood must have looked like at its grooviest. The psychedelic music, strong drinks (which include boozy snow cones), and fun crowd make this place popular, but always fun.

Grab some breakfast at the famed French-inspired Chateau Marmont, hidden in the Hollywood Hills. Whether you're in the mood for decadent brioche French toast, or you want to revitalize with cold-pressed juice, you can enjoy it in this old-school Hollywood hotspot. Plus, it's a pretty good place for celeb-spotting, if you're into that.

And now, for something a little more unusual. Visiting the Museum of Jurassic Technology is...pretty strange. Exploring the dark, mysterious rooms and checking out their bizarre exhibits makes for an interesting hour. Plus, upstairs, just past the portrait gallery of Russian space dogs, you'll find a lovely tea room with cookies, and an aviary.

Next, hit up the iconic Venice Beach. Everything you've heard about Venice Beach is true. Within seconds of stepping onto the pavement here you'll see fortune tellers, folk artists, people doing yoga in the middle of a crowded sidewalk, and probably even a couple guys in full teddy bear costumes skateboarding. If you're worried about sorting through a full-on sensory assault of the strange and bizarre, just wander around and check out the skate-dancing plaza, muscle beach, the basketball courts, freak show, or join a drum circle on the beach.

The neighborhood's name, "Venice," was, at first, very literal. Developer Abbott Kinney actually built canals in 1905 in an attempt to mimic the look and feel of Venice, Italy here in Southern California. But, of course, the rocketing popularity of the automobile shortly after made people change their tune on the once scenic canals. Some were filled in for roads, while others fell into disrepair as disputes over how to deal with them raged for years. In the 1990's, the Venice Canal Historic District was cleaned up and redeveloped, and you can see some pretty swanky homes here.