What's a good 3-day itinerary for Los Angeles?

Los Angeles is a car city. Accept that before you land. Budget $40-60 per day in Uber fares if you skip the rental, or about $55 per day for a mid-size from LAX. Day 1 clusters around Hollywood and Griffith Park, roughly 12 km apart but connected by a 15-minute ride up Los Feliz Boulevard. Start at the Walk of Fame early. By 8:30 AM, Hollywood Boulevard smells like pavement cleaner and coffee from the shops opening along the strip. The 2,700-plus brass-and-terrazzo stars run 15 blocks, but the stretch between Highland and Vine has the highest density. The Dolby Theatre, opened in 2001, sits at the intersection. Skip the interior tour. By 10 AM, head to Griffith Observatory, where admission is free. The south lawn gives you the Hollywood Sign from 1.6 km away, the downtown skyline, and on clear mornings the Pacific, all in one frame. Warm wind carries the smell of dry sage up from the chaparral below. Dinner at Little Dom's in Los Feliz runs about $24 for the rigatoni with pork sugo, and the patio fills by 7:30 PM.

Day 2 moves 25 km west to Santa Monica and Venice. The marine layer tends to hang on until about 10:30 AM in June, so plan the beach walk for late morning when the fog lifts and the sand warms underfoot. Start at Huckleberry Bakery on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. The pastry case is stacked by 8 AM, and a morning bun, still warm and flaky, costs about $5. Walk the 3 km beachfront path south to Venice Boardwalk. You will hear steel drums, smell sunscreen and fried churros, and step around performers on roller skates. Abbot Kinney Boulevard, 2 blocks inland, is the better street for lunch. Gjelina at 1429 Abbot Kinney does a kale salad with breadcrumbs and Parmesan for about $19. By 2 PM, drive 15 minutes north on the 405 to the Getty Center, opened in 1997. Admission is free. Parking costs $20. The travertine courtyards catch the afternoon light in a way that makes the architecture as interesting as the collection. The view west from the garden terrace reaches the Pacific.

Day 3 is Downtown Los Angeles. Start at Grand Central Market on South Broadway, which has operated since 1917. The noise hits you at the door. Vendors shout orders, eggs sizzle at Eggslut, cumbia plays from a speaker somewhere toward the back. A breakfast sandwich at Eggslut runs about $12, and the weekday morning line moves in 15 minutes. Walk 3 blocks north to The Broad on Grand Avenue. Admission is free, but timed tickets go fast, so book 2-3 weeks ahead at thebroad.org. Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room needs a separate free reservation inside. Walt Disney Concert Hall sits next door, and the stainless steel panels feel warm to the touch by midday in June. After lunch, rideshare 10 minutes west to the La Brea Tar Pits on Wilshire Boulevard. The tar still bubbles. You can smell the asphalt from 50 metres away. LACMA, founded in 1910, sits across the street. Chris Burden's Urban Light, 202 restored cast-iron street lamps from the 1920s and 1930s, photographs well after dark.

Dinner on Day 3 belongs to the Arts District, a 10-minute drive east of Grand Central Market. Bestia at 2121 East 7th Place is the reservation to chase. Book 30 days ahead on Resy. The cavatelli with spicy pork sausage runs about $26, and the room is loud, warm, and packed by 8 PM. If Bestia is full, Bavel sits a 5-minute walk away on Mateo Street and does lamb neck shawarma for about $34 in a quieter, taller space. The three days cover roughly 85 km, but only about 20 km of that is on foot. The walking portions, 6-8 km per day, stay within each neighborhood. Mind you, Los Angeles sidewalks outside Santa Monica and DTLA can be patchy and uneven, so bring comfortable shoes rather than sandals.