 | Los Angeles Downtown LA Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 35 |  |
 | |  |  | Downtown LA: Nobody Walks in LA? | Tip Rating:    |  |  | |  |
(This is a duplicate of one of my transpo tips) Enjoy a walking tour of Downtown Los Angeles. It's a part of this city (one of the only) best explored by foot. Very interesting & educational walking tours are offered by the LA Conservancy. I believe they are $8. Red Line Tours is another good company. There are also Self-Guided tours. One, called "Angels Walk", offers a guidebook at any of the DTLA tourist kiosks throughout the city. Once you have your book, you'll walk from place to place and come upon an Angel's Walk kiosk that will tell you all about the area you're standing in or nearby attractions. You'll notice these all over downtown. They're a fun way to get more out of your visit. Finally, if you type "Downtown Los Angeles Walking Tour" into google, you'll get USC's Architecture school's walking guide. It's more heavy into the architecture, obviously, but it's also good. Recently a company began offering a tour where you get a headset and, using GPS, it figures out where you are and tells you about the area. The unique thing is that it tells you about it 100 years ago! (yep, DTLA was THE place to be back then) Leave a Comment Website: www.laconservancy.org; www.redlinetours.com
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| | | | Downtown LA: Million Dollar Theater | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Next door to the Grand Central Market is a building that didn't show up in my guidebook, the Million Dollar Theater. I love ornate terra cotta facades and this one was the most ornate that I saw in the downtown area, designed in a style called churrigueresque. You can see bison heads, Texas longhorm skulls and dancing women adorning the facade of this building, which can be seen in the attached photo. The Million Dollar Theater was one of America's first movie palaces, built by Sid Grauman (also responsible for Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood) in 1918 at a cost of, you've guessed it, $1 million. Although you are no longer allowed inside, there was a 2,200-seat auditorium that resembled a Spanish Colonial cathedral. It was later turned into a church and appears to currently be vacant. Located at 307 S. Broadway, next to the Grand Central Market Leave a Comment Website: http://www.cinematreasures.org/theater/15/
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| | | | Downtown LA: But, Yes, There is a Downtown Here! | Tip Rating: | | | | |
OK, so, tourists that come to L.A. say that they want to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Sign, the beach and the other usual sights. The tourist guides really cater to those but much to my chagrin, there is less mention of the downtown area. It DOES exist! Many locals in the L.A. are quite ignorant about downtown. This is changing though, as developers are promoting the up and coming area better. Fancy lofts are increasingly being rented and purchased here left and right. More and more people are saying an enthusiatic "OK!" to downtown L.A. Look out Manhattan- the heart of L.A. is beginning to rival you. Mark my words- Downtown L.A. will be very close to the grandeur of the Big Apple island about 20 yers from now. For now though, downtown is very much a work of progress-but aren't we all? So, here is a summary of what downtown offers: -world-class theater venues, including the Ahmanson Theater. -fabulous 4 and 5 star hotels and restaurants (see about the Bonaventure and eventually, I'll have a restaurant review) -new and ultra-modern and contemporary lofts (for those who plan to stay for a while. Some are quite expensive ($2000/month, but others surprising affordable) -rapid transportation -a "New York" kind of feel on a smaller level. -bargain shopping at the Fashion district and throughout. So, here I include the whole downtown area as an off the beaten path for all of those who just think and dream of Hollywood when it comes to Los Angeles. Leave a Comment
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on March 16, 2005
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