I had a studio in this neighborhood for 3 years. Just take your camera and spend a couple hours walking around admiring the colors and people and odd shops. 

Soak up some Dwell homes and Abbot Kinney lifestyle 

A secret gem hidden in LA. This park has stunning views of downtown, a waterfall, and plenty of space for a picnic under the many trees in the grassy field.

One of my favorite things to do on weekends is to head to Grand Central Market for brunch, grab a few glasses of wine at the Oyster bar and then roam around downtown collecting pigeons. Over the past few years the market has been modernized and has become a really trendy spot, but it still retains aspects of what it was like decades ago. Some of my favorite stands are The Oyster Gourmet, Sarita's Pupuseria and the Belcampo Meat Co.

This is the fast track from downtown to Hollywood. I get all my exercise here, it has the perfect amount of hills and is the by far the safest bike route, as motorists are more used to the cyclists than other streets. Anything you can think of is on Sunset Blvd, so I can pick up my dry cleaning, eat lunch, visit my friends, and exercise all in one trip.