The Top Non-Touristy Activities in West Hollywood

The best trips are the ones where you don’t feel like a tourist. Here are our top picks for local-but-memorable activities in the neighborhood of West Hollywood and a few beyond, in the city of Los Angeles.

The Helen Albert Farmer’s Market

You may not need to buy produce if you’re traveling, but hitting up a farmer’s market is a lovely, outdoor activity. Particularly at this one in West Hollywood. Open on Mondays, it has taken home awards, not only for the organic baked goods and fresh-cut flowers (a perfect addition to any hotel room), but also for the fact that they support Seeds of Hope––a non-profit that takes the leftover food goods to those less fortunate.

1200 N. VISTA STREET, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90046
WEHO.ORG

Movie at Melrose Rooftop Theatre

Did you know that right on property at the famed restaurant complex, E.P. & L.P., there is a rooftop theatre? Every Sunday to Thursday, movies begin right after sunset, and the roster includes both new releases and cult favorites. Cocktails, popcorn, bean bag chairs and WiFi headsets are provided. For $65, you can build out the experience to have a VIP, three-course seated dinner at E.P. in the package

603 N. LA CIENEGA BOULEVARD, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90069 MELROSEROOFTOPTHEATRE.COM

Playlist Yoga

If yoga seems a little sleepy to you, this just might be the answer. A 60-minute set of Vinyasa yoga is hosted to upbeat, energetic music, creating a more lively, sweaty workout. It’s great for improving endurance, flexibility and core strength. And, for putting a smile on your face.

624 N. LA CIENEGA BOULEVARD #5202, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90069
424-249-3400, PLAYLISTYOGA.COM

Mak Center for Art & Architecture at Schindler House

Famed California architect Rudolph M. Schindler’s house is home to the MAK Center––a contemporary center for multiple mediums of art, from design to architecture. The Schindler House is open daily, with the exception of Mondays and Tuesdays, and was constructed in 1921, as an experiment in communal living. It became a design lab, eventually evolving into what’s consider the birthplace of the Southern California modernist style.

833 N. KINGS ROAD, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90069
MAKCENTER.ORG/SITES/SCHINDLER-HOUSE

The West Hollywood Library

What other neighborhood would have works by legendary street artists like Shepard Fairey or Mr. Brainwash on display? Additional sculptures, rotating exhibitions on cultural affairs, books galore, a bookstore for purchasing and sunny windows make this an actual attraction, beyond perusing the spines of potential reads.

625 N. SAN VICENTE BOULEVARD, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90069
310-652-5340, LACOUNTYLIBRARY.ORG/WEST-HOLLYWOOD-LIBRARY

Desert Nights at The Standard, Hollywood

The hotel’s Cactus Lounge pulls in plenty of locals on Wednesday nights, when the party begins with two, curated musical acts––sans a cover charge. Intimate, small, warm and friendly, this is a unique place to see music that feels more like a living room jam session than a venue.

8300 SUNSET BOULEVARD, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90069
323-650-9090, STANDARDHOTELS.COM

V Wine Room

There’s an old card catalog here, which keeps track of guests’ preferences. The bookish theme continues in dark wood, bookshelves and apropos wallpaper. They host vintners and tastings, or stop in any time for 80 wines by the glass and 200 by the bottle.

903 WESTBOURNE DRIVE, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90069
310-339-9202, VWINEROOM.COM

Hidden Staircase Hunting

Did you know there were once street cars all around Los Angeles? You can’t hunt those. They are long gone, but you can trek to find the city’s remaining staircases, built mostly in the 1920s for locals to access their homes up above the tracks, at the apexes of steep, steep hills. The most sought out are the Beachwood Canyon Stairs, which will wind you past the homes of Humphrey Bogart and Bela Lugosi, culminating in breathtaking views of downtown.