Pasadena has you at the foothills of the Angeles National Forest - Eaton Canyon, Mount Lowe, Echo Mountain, etc

Hotels and motels may fill up over the Independence Day holiday week.
Here's 10 places to go and see:
Getty art museum in Malibu and Brentwood;
Zuma Beach and Point Dume;
Los Angeles County Museum of Art and La Brea Tar pits;
Broad Museum in downtown L.A.;
The Huntington in Pasadena;
Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena;
The L.A. Zoo;
Griffith Park Observatory;
Mt. Wilson Observatory;
Road trip to Joshua Tree National Park.

A nice play to stay is San Francisco.

If you want to hike try temescal park . Nice trails and not to far from santa monica. Check out yogananda’s SRF park in pacific palisades it beautiful. 🤩

This place reminds me of the old Ambassador Hotel.

https://www.langhamhotels.com/en/the-langham/los-angeles/