Downtown Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California Travel Guide

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Downtown LA

Area: Downtown Los Angeles

Overview: There’s nothing like the thrill of a big city – big buildings enclosing the streets, big markets with hustle and bustle and big activities and sights. Driving towards downtown Los Angeles, whether from the 110 Freeway or one of the surface streets such as Olympic Blvd or Pico Blvd, you will see a cluster of high rises – both old and new. The newer buildings congregate together, reflecting the sun with their sheen, mirrored windows. Downtown L.A., located in the eastern part Los Angeles, is exciting; it’s also the birthplace of the big city as we know it today.

Note that the city’s revitalization and beautification efforts since early 2000 has made Downtown L.A. a pretty safe and clean place.

There is much more to Los Angeles than Hollywood; there is Downtown L.A. And much can be said about downtown LA. Though not quite considered your typical, downtown pedestrian scene like Manhattan, downtown L.A. has much going on and is fast developing into one of the most desired hotspots both to live in and visit. Tourists and even locals who live outside the downtown district may have a perception that downtown L.A. doesn’t have many sights to see, activities to do and needs a large vacuum to clean up the streets. But, the perception is quite clouded. The downtown L.A. area has more to offer visitors and locals per square footage than any other district in Los Angeles.

Downtown L.A. casts a wide net as far as culture, interests, activities and people are concerned. The various fabrics of the net cast over downtown represent the different interests and nations of the people who built downtown and who continue to make downtown thrive. Indeed, Los Angeles was the Spanish who discovered Los Angeles in 1781, with the 1850 realizing the establishment of Los Angeles County. And the railroads in the west were built by the Chinese and Irish.

Downtown L.A. is comprised of several areas: the north is bound by Chinatown with the Government, Theater and Historic areas below. South of the historic area are Little Tokyo, Gallery Row, Toy District and Financial District. Below the Toy District and Gallery Row is the Fashion District. Alameda Street borders these areas to the east. East of Alameda Street are the Artist District and the Wholesale District.

Chinatown L.A. is reminiscent of any mainland Chinese city but with an American, Los Angeles flavor. The sporadic, strong smells of food and fish are present and so are the large outdoor markets and stylized pagodas with sloped roofs. Chinatown is one of the larger American Chinatowns in the United States and is definitely a destination you should visit – for the shopping at the multitude of plazas and bazaars and cuisine at the Empress Pavilion Restaurant.

Los Angeles also enjoys and boasts a world-class, live performance Theater District, which really takes places on a couple of blocks on Grand Avenue. The major theaters are the magnificent Walt Disney Concert Hall, the historic Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Mark Taper Forum and the elegant Ahmanson Theater.

You may not think of Los Angeles as a place of aesthetic, historic buildings, but the Government and Historic District of downtown Los Angeles beg to differ. Visit Los Angeles’ grand and stately City Hall, the Los Angeles Public Library, the Bunker Hill Building, the Biltmore Hotel, the Million Dollar Theatre, the Grand Central Market and much more. You will be very pleasantly surprised when strolling around Main Street, Hill Street and Broadway.

For more modern architecture and high rise buildings, visit the Financial District. Visit the tallest building in Los Angeles – the US Bank Tower. Glaze over the sculpture sitting atop a water fountain at the Arco Building. If you’re feeling ritzy, visit the cylindrical towers and the revolving restaurant and lounge at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel. Need petroleum? Take a gander at the Gas Company Tower.

Diversity and the arts are well represented in downtown L.A.’s Little Tokyo, a district comprised of about four blocks. Little Tokyo’s reputation as a cultural center begins at the north end with the MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art), followed by the Japanese American National Museum, which is adjacent to the MOCA. Across the street, you can’t miss the high Yagura Tower at the entrance of the quaint Japanese Village Plaza. At the end of the village lies a huge shopping mall. Recessed next to the village is Koyasan Buddhist Temple, and kitty corner from the temple sits the David Henry Hwang Theater, which houses the first and largest Asian American theatre organization, East West Players.

To the south and westward are the famed Toy District and Fashion District. The incredible Fashion District spans a massive 90 blocks with wholesalers and retailers selling everything from textiles, to imitation and real brand name clothing items and other objects. Wade through the water of the crowds on the weekends to find your bargain, especially in the three-block long Santee Alley.

On the east side of Alameda, you’ll find a well-established Arts District and the Wholesale District. The once industrial land was taken over by artists, who, in combination with the city and developers, have converted the area into lofts where artists both live and work.

For many locals, downtown Los Angeles has a reputation for having the best restaurants and nightlife. If you don’t believe me, get vibed up in attire and attitude and check out the Mayan on Hill Street, Seven Grand on 7th Street, the Library Bar on 6th Street and the swank-a-dank hipster bar on the rooftop of the Standard Hotel, where bikinis collide during summer pool parties. But, you probably want to eat first and get warmed up. So, stroll over to the popular and affordable Pete’s Cafe and Bar on Main and 4th Street or Panini Cafe on 9th and Grand. Treat yourself to some delicious Asian/Hawaiian fusion dishes at Roy’s Restaurant but be ready to open your wallet to catch the fish there.

Is downtown L.A. safe? Yes but I wouldn’t walk alone on 5th Street east of Los Angeles Street or nearby San Julian in the middle of the night. Downtown L.A. offers more than you can handle in one day. Give yourself about four to five days to visit the area.

Accessibility: Downtown Los Angeles is wheelchair accessible for the most part. There are the rare instances where some of the sidewalk curbs don’t have ramps. The Fashion District does get extremely crowded and west of Los Angeles Street from about 3rd and 4th Streets, there are some hills to reach Grand Ave.

Getting There: www.metro.net, www.ladottransit.com