Downtown Los Angeles may be the most underappreciated destination in all Los Angeles. When I started planning this Downtown Los Angeles tour, I thought it would take less than a day, but by the time it was done, it took more than two, and I had to skip shopping in the downtown Los Angeles Garment District just to fit it all in.
Nowhere else in the metro area encompasses so many aspects of the city's colorful history as downtown Los Angeles does. Touring it is like zipping around in a time machine. One minute, you're at the city's beginnings and five minutes later, you behold the downtown Los Angeles of future in the making, past snuggled up against present in a melange that typifies L. A. at its chaotic best.
As nice as it seems to visit these downtown sights in chronological order, it isn't practical. Our tour of Downtown Los Angeles starts at Grand Avenue and 3rd Street. It's a loop that goes north to Chinatown, so you can start and end anywhere that's convenient for you.
- Los Angeles SkylineLike a dream...
- Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)I don't get it. Neither does he. How about you?
- Disney Hall and Music CenterGreat music, outstanding architecture.
- Grand Avenue ProjectBig changes are underway.
- Our Lady of the AngelsPretty outside - but you should see the inside.
- Chinatown Los AngelesOur opinion of this sightseeing standby may surprise you.
- Philippe the OriginalAre the lines always this long?
- Los Angeles Union StationThe last great train station.
- Olvera Street - El Pueblo de Los AngelesThere's more to the Old Pueblo than just shopping.
- City HallWhat fictional characters had their offices here?
- Little TokyoThree in one: a temple, a unique museum and the Go for Broke Monument.
- Grand Central MarketFeeling hungry?
- Graphic Index
- Text Index
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