Seeing the Unseen Los Angeles

Image by colros via Flickr

Before my recent trip to LA, I get a note from Jeremy Cohen who says, “I’d love to sit down and pick your brain about my business.”

Now, I didn’t know who Jeremy was (except that he followed me on Twitter), so I made the following offer:

So, I’m a traveler by nature…and wondering if you might be able to help me take advantage of my time in LA and…at the same time..we can brainstorm about your future.

I’ve been to LA, but nothing extensive (Santa Monica pier, Venice Beach, Getty, Universal Studios), but am looking for something “uniquely LA.”

Perhaps we find something that is sort of close to the LA office and go do it for an hour, all the while discussing your biz. 2 birds, one stone.

Well, did I do well!

Here’s what he proposed…and what we did…all while discussing his business and career.

Here's my idea for an itinerary. I promise it's the LA no one else would ever show you, and it's filled with stuff from a bygone past and places only a real local would know.

• Walking tour of Broadway, home to the most ornate movie palaces of early America. Beautiful architecture everywhere in a revitalized neighborhood.
• Angels Knoll Park. One of the coolest hidden gems in LA. Get a great view of the city in a rare green space.
• Grand Central Market if you want a bite to eat. An incredible, ethnic food court, with cheap, authentic grub.

Not only did I find another marketer at heart, but a history buff as well.

I hate business trips that are airport-hotel-office-airport, so I always try to inject something (even if it is small, like the Roger Maris museum in Fargo, ND).

That makes each trip more memorable.