As the second largest city in the United States, Los Angeles encompasses neighborhoods like Hollywood and Silver Lake. The downtown Los Angeles area is surrounded by towering skyscrapers, entertainment venues, historical places of interest and cultural highlights. Los Angeles is a relatively young city, but there are many things to do and see downtown.
Explore downtown with a walking tour with the Los Angeles Conservancy. The Downtown Renaissance: Spring and Main Walking Tour takes guests down one of the oldest streets in Los Angeles: Main Street. Other highlights of the tour include the Alexandra Hotel, Pacific Electric Building, San Fernando Building and Stowell Hotel. Tours are offered on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month at 10 a.m.
A Union Station walking tour is also offered and includes highlights like the north and south patios, train platforms and the main waiting room. The Union Station tour is offered the third Saturday of every month and begin at 10 a.m. The Downtown Modern Skyline Tour offers highlights like the Los Angeles Central Library, Standard Hotel, US Bank Tower and the Bonaventure Hotel. Tours are offered on the first and third Saturday of every month at 10 a.m. All tours with the Los Angeles Conservancy are $10 for non-Conservancy members, and $5 for Conservancy members.
Olvera Street is an area with 27 historic buildings that's open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and free to the public. The area offers a traditional Mexican-style plaza, Mexican cuisine and vendors selling souvenirs. The street also holds events throughout the year celebrating significant Mexican holidays like Las Posadas, Mexican Independence Day and Cinco De Mayo.
Angels flight, known as the "Shortest Railway in the World," is a set of two railway cars. These railway cars began transporting people up a short slope (298 feet) to the fashionable neighborhood of Bunker Hill in 1901. After being taken out of service in 1969, Angels Flight was reopened in the 1990s. Visitors can take a railway car for 25 cents.
For cultural Los Angeles, take a walk down Gallery Row. This area is home to museums, activities and restaurants reflecting Los Angeles' culture. You can partake in a community art class like drawing, painting or ceramics, with no experience necessary. Classes range in price from $190 to $230, last eight to 10 weeks and are held at the DAC Gallery located on Main Street.
For a museum fix, visit the Museum of Contemporary Art. In addition to temporary exhibits, the museum has permanent exhibits consisting of pieces which have been collected since 1940. It has a collection of 2,300 documentary photographs covering the 1940s through the 1980s. The museum also includes work from Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Yoko Ono.
Explore one of the newer areas of downtown by taking in a basketball game at the Staples Center, home to the Los Angeles Lakers. If you're not into basketball, watch a show at the Nokia Theatre, just a short walk from Staples Center in the L.A. Live District. In this district you can take in a movie or go out to eat.
A couple miles from L.A. Live is the Walt Disney Concert Hall home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Shows at the hall occur almost every night in this acoustically-sound building designed by Frank Gehry.
