Homes and Neighborhoods, Los Angeles

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This is not a grand area of Los Angeles but is worth seeing just to fill a curiosity. If you enjoy experiencing an ethnic enclave and a simple day walking tour like me, you'll like it here. Located near Civic Center, Little Tokyo is by and large (well, really small) a community of neighborhood stores, including a market.

Compared to the major Asian counterpart of an L.A. neighborhhood, Little Tokyo is not so grand and flashy, but i think the people who work and live like it that way. As a visitor, I love the serenity throughout the area--the peacefulbness suits the Japanese tranquil manner well.

Historic Little Tokyo is off 1st Street.

Indeed, it is not the first choice area to see in Los Angeles but Echo Park is in the vicinity where locals and tourists alike travel -either for a Dodger game on Chavez Ravine, for fun at nearby Griffith Park and the L.A. Zoo, touring Hollywood or for cruising along Sunset Blvd.

Echo Park is most known for its most attractive neighborhood feature, the Echo Park Lake. This is the scene where violently beautiful water spring and collide filling the L.A sky. Families, friends and lovers enjoy the lake for a picnic and paddle boat rides. Huge crowds fill up the park area for a weekend in July for -Asian culture and the largest bed of lotus flowers in the nation.

Echo Park, the neighborhood is largely Latino, mainly of Mexican decent. However, other ethnic groups and races are adding to the mix. I look forward to future visits here, especially for restaurants (like Masa in restaurant tips) and viewing spray paint art on building walls. (as seen here). As a visitor, stick to coming here during the day but if coming at night for a restaurant or so, stay visible by main streets (like on Sunset or Glendale Blvd) here. It is not the safest of neighborhoods. Definetly don't just wander off aimlessly around here. At Dodger gmes, there is usually excellent safety in numbers.

I know that I should NOT give the exact address of this site, however I will say that it is near / in Hancock Park and is located off of 3rd Street.

If you are lucky enough to visit during the Holiday Season, you should drive by, as the row of miniture statues of David that align the driveway wear Santa hats.

Los Angeles is a wonderful place to explore for ethnic diversity. Even though not so tourist attractive compared to Chinatown, Koreatown may be worth a visit. Exploring it is a bit of task geographically because of its widespread nature. One can start the Korean adveture off the Wilshire Purple Line Metro rail stops (http://www.mta.net) and lurk around. The off-Wilshire Blvd area is the largest settlement of Koreans outside of Korea. Try a restaurant here or go for unqiue shoping, especially at the somewhat mainstream Koreatown Village Center.

More info to come as I make more trips here!

There's a Chinatown in every city, but LA's Koreatown is the largest concentration of Koreans outside of Korea. Just an incredible place to grab an authentic meal, and at night becomes Karaoke central. Many restaurants here stay open until 4am, and the bars are all-night joints. Try the Brass Monkey for karaoke. And The Corner Place for cheap, heaps of Korean barbecue. HK Market is one of the best of the many huge Korean specialty grocers. The Wiltern Theatre at Wilshire and Western is also one of the city's best live music venues. Oh, and there are three stops there on the subway.

Yes, shop in, stay in and /or don't be fooled by the city of Santa Fe Springs.

Shop

SFS Outdoor Swap Meet at the old drive-thru

Shop at one of the biggest outdoor swap meets in the greater LA area. The SFS swap meet is THE reason why most locals bother to come here. Items include clothing, furniture, shoes, jewelry, beauty products, home acessories, antiques and many sorts of knick-knacks. Many items are quite commonplace and not too fancy. I would always come in here for clothing, beauty items, books, and music. Bring good walking shoes here. Walking all around and through the place and shopping takes a few hours at least.

Besides shopping there is much entertainment at the venue here. SFS Swap Meet is known really as an often fun (and/or cheesy) place to see popular music artists of yesteryear (anyone remember Steveie B? He's played here :-), cover bands (like one an Eagles tribute band called Desperado), amateur talent shows, dance contest and really offbeat acts. Yeah, zany American culture...gotta love it!

Check website for free and other info.
http://www.sfsswapmeet.com

Stay

Santa Fe Springs is a common stop for travellers on long road trip. She's a gateway city to either Los Angeles or Orange county, reachable by the 5 freeway. From the highway, many hotels and motel signs are visible. Most places of accomdations are $60 or less in the area. Mostly, the town is quiet, growing and has a modest, blue-collar feel. If you like to mix in with the locals, here is where to go.

Don't be Fooled..

Santa Fe Springs sounds like an enticing resort area but trust, me it's plain old drab town just enough worthy to consider for living. There are no pretty running thermal springs here- but oh, however, in the city government/downtown area of town there are cutesy water fountains with sculptures of little kids playing (Oh, I'm such a sucker for little things like this in a place, you know! I shall take pics of downtown whenever I choose to stop there hehe :-)

it's the oldest home in California!

So many times I have visited Olvera St, everytime I had missed this quaint adobe- until i finally found my way through the entrance recently ( May 2005)

Read on the webpage below for an amusing background on this site!

http://www.olvera-street.com/html/the_avila_adobe.html

pictured here: la cocina (kitchen)

Studio City is home to many struggling actors and other wanna-bes, talented and otherwise, who want their break in the entertainment industry. As you may have guessed already, there are many studios here- of various parts of the entertainment industry.