A Trip to LA

Eden’s Los Angeles (LA), California Experience on a College Kid Budget

Eden Liu is in his second year at a university in Minnesota. He has been able to travel during the summer and throughout the school year even while taking a full class load and working multiple jobs. Los Angeles has always been a dream of his because of the weather, outdoors, lifestyle, and food. Eden grew up in Taiwan and believes that these aspects are similar to the island life that he is used to. Enjoy this Foodie’s perspective on how to travel LA on a college kid budget, eating the best food SO CAL has to offer!

Lodging

California is expensive like nobody’s business, in order for you to cut funds for the cost of living, it would be best to find someone to stay with. It could be a friend, family member, mission housing, or any relation; if you can find somewhere to stay for free, you’re all set. If you plan on staying in a cheap hotel, forget it. LA is dangerous, cheap hotels or Airbnb’s will be located in shady areas in the city, and as a tourist that’s not the move to go. To be blunt, don’t bother visiting LA if you don’t have an affordable place to stay.

I stayed with my high school friend, he rents his place from a pool house in someone’s backyard near his university. Since I kept him company, he gladly accepted me to stay there rent free.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to ask family and friends to stay with them, or look at mission housing through church organizations.

Transportation

Uber is expensive, however, it gets you places. If you’re on a budget, you’ll want to take the bus. The LA Bus app allows you to find buses near you and purchase one dollar tickets for each ride. The downside is that, it’ll take you a while to get anywhere in LA on bus, you’ll have to leave an hour before your estimated time of arrival.

Another similar app that I think is better, is the Transit app. It’s green, but also does the same functions as the LA Bus app, but the information and organization of Transit is easier to navigate than LA Bus.

You’re going to see a lot of electric rental scooters in LA, you’ll see them titled as Birds or Lime. While they’re fun, don’t use them, they’re expensive and not cost effective. It’s too boujee for a college student’s wallet. 

Tip: Look at public transportation options when traveling on a budget, the extra time is usually worth the money saved.

Food 

Bring your own shopping bag wherever you go. You are a tourist, you’re going to be walking around seeing cool things, eventually you will give into the urge to splurge on random things. LA has a lot of specific ethnic grocery stores. From East Asian to West Asian, you’ll come across grocery stores that have delicious food. If you’re lodging has a stove, you’ll want to hit up these ethnic grocery stores and buy supplies.

 I reccomend the matcha ice cream popsicles from the Japanese stores; it’s rich and fulfilling, if the quality is good, the matcha won’t taste grainy like Dunn Brother’s coffee.

Another aspect of food are the array of options in ethnic specific districts. LA has multiple “towns”, you can choose to visit Chinatown, Koreantown, Little Osaka, Thaitown, Little Ethipoia, farmers markets or even taco trucks, the options are endless. Taco trucks are cheap but DELICIOUS, street food is the best food, and if you’re too chicken to try it, you’re missing out.

When eating out in LA, the best way to save money is to order a big portion of a meal and split it with your friend. Always bring someone with you to eat out, it’s cost effective and a fun moment as you share food with a friend. My friend and I went to Menya Tigre in Little Osaka on Sawtelle Blvd; it serves Japanese curry ramen with beef and veggies. Since the portion was huge, my friend and I split a ramen bowl and ordered tea from a nearby store. We spent about eight dollars including tips on that meal.

We also went to a farmers market in West Hollywood and ate at a Brazilian barbeque stand called Pampas Grill. We piled meat on the plate and split the cost; it was delicious. The meal was about $12 dollars.

The best tea I had in LA was from Yi-Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea. I myself like fruit tea over milktea’s, so when I saw AUTHENTIC, NON-SYRUP made tea I was ecstatic. I ordered Tangerine/Orange Green tea with Honey, it was citrusy, cold and refreshing. Comparatively to Minnesota tea, Yi-Fang is incomparable. They include actual tangerines in the tea, so when you’re done, you can use your straw and munch on the fruits as a snack. Drinks are about five to six dollars including tip. One thing to note is that it is cheaper to buy tea’s from a grocery store, ranging from two to four dollars. However, handmade/shaken teas taste better and are worth the expense. Treat yo self.

Tip: “Street food is the best food.” Street food is a great cheap option in most cities.

Know how to finesse

The way how I saved money in LA is through connecting. I have extended family in the area that I asked to take me out. Also through my high school friend’s connections, we were able to have fun and hangout with his friends through a big group, who had cars and were able to take us places. When you’re visiting a city, my best advice I could give is to know someone in the city you’re visiting. Always jump at opportunities, and be nice to everyone you’re meeting. You don’t know if you’re coming back again, and when you do, you want to make sure you left on a good impression with the new people you met.

Tip: Reach out! Friends and family love having visitors and will often be open to you staying for a short period of time. Bring your appreciation, great conversation, and great company!