Ryan Doncsecz featured in Travel Pulse
July 23, 2019
Money Saving Tips for LA-Bound Millennial Travelers
While going all out like an A-lister in Los Angeles may require a limitless gold card, millennials looking for an easy, domestic vacation that won’t break the bank will be pleasantly surprised by all the affordable options the City of Angels offers.
TravelPulse breaks down some value-driven offerings for millennial parents, couples and friends looking to get the most of out their money during a Los Angeles vacation, starting with the hotel.
Here’s what you need to know.
Where to Stay
The Palihotel Westwood Village hotel is a great option for millennials looking to spend less than $300 a night for a bed. With rooms starting at $200 per night, millennials can enjoy the beauty, inspiration and creativity of a very design-focused space without the high rates.
While the hotel does accommodate families, all rooms sleep only two people, so more than one room would need to be booked for this clientele.MORE Destination & Tourism
The new Palihotel Westwood Village hotel, formerly the Claremont Hotel, is a three-story, 55-room boutique hotel housed in a historic 1939 property that was the first hotel to open in Westwood Village. It has recently been converted into a stylish neighborhood inn.
Also, pet-loving millennials don’t have to leave their best friends behind while staying at the Palihotel Westwood Village hotel as the property is a pet-friendly hotel and offers a host of pet-friendly amenities.
But perhaps the best feature of the hotel for millennials looking to explore L.A. is its location.
For example, the Palihotel Westwood Village is centrally located within walking distance to some of the best restaurants, bars and art galleries in Westwood – making it appealing to millennials who want to immerse themselves and feel like a local.
Additionally, Palihotel Westwood Village is down the street from the Hammer Museum, one of L.A.’s best contemporary art museums.
The Hammer Museum
Art-loving millennials looking for some free entertainment should drop by the aforementioned, Hammer Museum. The popular museum, located in Westwood, offers exhibitions and collections that range from classic to contemporary art.
Admission to all exhibitions and programs at the Hammer Museum is free.
The Hammer Museum highlights contemporary art since the 1960s, especially the work of emerging and lesser-known artists.
The Hammer Museum is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and is closed on Mondays and national holidays.
Annenberg Space for Photography
Another great option that won’t cost you a dime is the Annenberg Space for Photography, an exhibition space in the Century City neighborhood of Los Angeles’ Westside.
Founded in March 2009, it is dedicated to displaying photographic works, ranging from artistic to journalistic, using both traditional photographic prints and modern digital techniques.
Hip-hop-loving millennials should check out the new “A Visual History of Hip-Hop” exhibit, which is on display until August 18.
Celebrating the photographers who have played a critical role in bringing hip-hop’s visual culture to the global stage, “A Visual History of Hip-Hop” is an inside look at the work of hip-hop photographers. The photographic exhibition includes more than120 works from more than 60 photographers.
Images include Barron Claiborne’s iconic Notorious B.I.G., aka Biggie Smalls, portraits, early images of Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West as they first took to the scene, and Anette Beckman’s defining photos as part of the female rap group, Salt-N-Pepa.
The exhibit also includes rare videos, memorabilia, and music to demonstrate how the documentation of a cultural phenomenon impacts not just music, but politics and social movements around the world.
Westfield Century City Mall
A good mall always comes in handy for an all-around shopping and dining experience that can stretch your dollar further.
And the Westfield Century City mall is arguably one of the best in the country, offering everything from bars with cheap draft beers to both high-end and budget-friendly shopping and dining experiences.
But aside from an assortment of shops, bars and restaurants, the Westfield Century City mall also has a lot of unique entertainment offerings and a cool design with a lot of open-air options.
As far as adrenaline-packed entertainment, millennials should check out the amazing virtual reality experience at Dreamscape.
This is a terrific family experience, but note that children must be at least 10 years old.
As part of the first domestic Millennial Travel Forum in Los Angeles back in April, TravelPulse took part in the experience.
We did one called, “Curse of the Lost Pearl: A Magic Projector Adventure,” an experience that calls for participants to do everything from virtually avoiding deadly spikes to jumping over cliffs.
The unexpected highlight of the experience was when all three of the male participants, including Dan Callahan, travAlliancemedia’s Director of Marketing and Business Development, and Ryan Doncsecz, an advisor with VIP Vacations, Inc. in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, realized they had all mistakenly chosen female characters.
The cost is $20. Now, that may not sound like value to some considering the actual virtual reality portion of the experience is about 10 minutes long, but it’s the stories and laughs you’ll be sharing long after that makes it worth at least that much.
In fact, when TravelPulse took part in this back in April, we found ourselves talking about the experience throughout the night, especially the character choices we made.
Also, the entire experience, when factoring in the check-in, and “gear-up” and “gear-down” portions, is closer to 40 minutes.
Where to Eat
If you decide to visit Westfield Century City mall, you won’t have to go far to find a top-notch, outdoor Italian meal where the prices are far less than the portions.
Terra at Eataly L.A., located on the third floor of Eataly Los Angeles in the Westfield Century City mall, is a rooftop bar, restaurant, and lounge featuring a wood-burning Italian grill and views of the Hollywood Hills.
Named for “earth” in Italian, Terra’s menu is centered around the grill, where the chef cooks seasonal raw ingredients over burning flames.
Some popular dishes here include the Ravioli Di Fava E Pecorino, with fava beans, pecorino, ricotta, mint and burnt leek; and the Pollo allo Spiedo, wood-fired half rotisserie chicken with roasted garlic and hot sauce.