Unfiltered Review: LA for the SOCAL Cup — Flights, Food, Hotel & All the Vibes

The News Had More Riot

Date of Trip: June 2025

So, I was in LA for the SOCAL Cup Volleyball Tournament with my son —because packing up all 4 of us and flying across the country isn't the cheapest thing to do. And while the headlines made it sound like the city was on fire, the reality? Way overblown. There was a curfew, sure, but aside from that and some quiet nights, LA felt surprisingly chill.

✈️ Flight Experience: United Airlines from IAH to LAX

We flew with United, and I was impressed. The plane was clean and modern with:

• TVs in the headrests

• Multiple charging ports including USB-C!

• Comfortable seating

I watched Death of A Unicorn on the way there — and loved it so much I watched it again on the return flight.

Socal Cup Trip Planning Powered by Dream World Destinations

Shoutout to Dream World Destinations for helping plan parts of this trip. From the hotel to logistics around the convention center, they handled the details so I could focus on the experience.

Where I Stayed:

Hotel Indigo Los Angeles Downtown —The hotel was super cute, with:

• No carpet in the rooms (major win)

• Fresh air from an openable window

• Gorgeous city views

• Walking distance to the LA Convention Center

• A Starbucks around the corner (though it was super busy and understaffed)

The hotel bar was a vibe, and the crab cakes were solid, but I would’ve loved more seafood options on the menu.

Overall Food + Drink Highlights

• 🍸 Hotel Bar: Great drinks and good crab cakes — needs more seafood choices. It's a bit overpriced but we didn't have many options after curfew hit.

• 🍽️ Yard House: Their Lobster Garlic Noodles...10/10. Highly recommend.

Extra Stops Worth Mentioning

• Movie Night at Regal LA Live: Took my son to see How to Train Your Dragon.

  • 🎬 Movie: Fantastic totally recommend!

  • 🍿Popcorn: Deliciously overpriced

  • 🚻 Bathrooms: Clean

  • 🪑 Seats: Meh. Kinda uncomfortable

LA, prettier in this photo..

City Vibes: The Real Rundown

Downtown LA is gross... yep I said it...

• Noticeable smell lingers around a lot of corners

• Homeless population was highly visible

• Tons of abandoned buildings added a gritty feel

Not dangerous, just not somewhere I’d choose to explore again by any means.. (However I know I will probably do this again next year, so stay tuned for another review of this city!)

Off the Beaten Path: Marina del Rey + Santa Monica Pier

We took a detour from downtown and headed toward Marina del Rey and Santa Monica Pier, hoping for a change of pace — and we got one. But let’s be real: different doesn’t mean better.

The drive out there painted a whole new picture of LA — the highway was lined with graffiti, and rows of tents showed just how long people have been living there. It was hard to ignore, and even harder to reconcile with the postcard version of LA people hype up.

Marina del Rey was... fine. Pretty views, calm energy, and a quick breath of fresh air from the chaos of the city. We ate at Tony P’s, and while the stuffed mushrooms hit, the rest of the food didn’t. My fish was bland and undercooked, the shrimp came out looking boiled on a stick, and honestly? I expected way more from a restaurant sitting on the water. My drink was decent, but not enough to save the meal.

*this place has since closed.. so there is that.

I did spot a gorgeous Porsche 911 GT3 4.0 parked outside though — easily the highlight of that stop.

We also swung by the Santa Monica Pier, and that cold sea breeze came for me hard. I had to buy a sweater immediately — thankfully found a black one I’d actually wear again.

In the end, both Marina del Rey and Santa Monica were a change of scenery, but neither one made me want to come back.

Final Verdict: 👎🏽

✅ Hotel Indigo: 4 stars — would stay again

✈️ United Airlines: Loved the new plane setup

🍽️ Best bite: Lobster garlic noodles at Yard House

🎬 Bonus moment: Movie night with my son

🧊 Biggest surprise: That Santa Monica sea breeze — I was not ready

🚫 Would skip next time: Downtown LA, Marina del Rey, and Santa Monica — pretty in parts, but none of it makes me want to come back.