I recently had one day in Los Angeles to act as tourist and make the most of a visit before the working portion of my excursion took over. So what does one do with twenty-four hours in the city of angels? Well, to be honest, it was probably closer to thirteen hours, as I like to be in bed by nine like the grandma I am meant to be. But in the moments I was active, I was getting my steps in (and bleeding my wallet for Uber).

9:30am: First stop was The Original L.A. Farmer’s Market and The Grove shopping area. Purpose was to source local goods that I can’t find back home in Canada like regional spices, teas and chocolate. I may have failed to check the opening schedule for the market and got there a bit early, so I used the wait time to walk up to West Hollywood (which also got my Target fix in). The Original L.A. Farmer’s Market does have a good variety of vendors and unique items. I also managed to pick up some varied flavours of Nonna’s Empanadas for lunch and dinner. I had honestly never tried this Latin American delicacy before, which is a damn shame because they are delicious.

Nonna’s Empanadas, Los Angeles (©2022, Deborah Clague).

1:30pm: after dropping off my purchases at the hotel, I made my way to The Broad, a contemporary art gallery in downtown Los Angeles a few blocks from my hotel. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance. The highlight of this visit was entering Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Room—The Souls of Millions of Lights Away. I also got to see the work of contemporary artist Jeff Koons, whom I got to hear stories from later in the week.

Yayoi Kusama’s *Infinity Mirror Room—The Souls of Millions of Lights Away,* The Broad, Los Angeles (©2022, Deborah Clague).

*Balloon Dog, Blue,* Jeff Koons, The Broad, Los Angeles (©2022, Deborah Clague).

*Michael Jackson and Bubbles,* Jeff Koons, The Broad, Los Angeles (©2022, Deborah Clague).

*Tulips,* Jeff Koons, The Broad, Los Angeles (©2022, Deborah Clague).

*Under the Table,* Robert Therrian, The Broad, Los Angeles (©2022, Deborah Clague)

4:30pm: I would be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to visit the beach while in California. And so this is where my hectic twenty-four hour adventure ended—at the end-point of America’s famous Route 66, Santa Monica Pier, as the sun set along the horizon of the ocean Pacific.