The Los Angeles Conservancy offers 2 1/2-hour walking tours the third Saturday of each month. During the tour, guests explore the station's social history and its monumental architecture in art deco and Spanish colonial revival styles. The tour begins at 10 a.m. and covers 1 1/2 miles of easy walking. Stops on the tour include the Fred Harvey Restaurant in the original terminal, which is only used for special events, the ticket concourse, exterior and the MTA building. Other stops on the tour include the main waiting room, the east portal transit center, and the north and south patios.
Traxx Restaurant is a fine dining restaurant and bar open six days a week for lunch and dinner. As of October 2010, the restaurant is open for lunch weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and for dinner from 5:30 to 9 p.m Monday through Thursday, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m Friday and 5 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday. The lunch menu includes grilled and chilled Japanese eggplant in ginger, and grilled lamb rack chops with creamy canellini beans and charred tomato vinaigrette. Pan-roasted barramundi fillet with spring vegetables and lemon white wine nage, and a Traxx Burger are a few items that can be ordered from the dinner menu. Reservations can be made online or by phone.
Olvera Street has a long-standing history that dates back to 1781. Located across the street from Union Station, guests can explore the 27 traditional, historic Mexican style buildings, and shop for souvenirs and leather goods around the marketplace. Take free docent tours by Las Angelitas or enjoy outdoor entertainment on the weekends featuring musicians and mariachis, performances by Aztec Indians and folkloric dancing. Take a break at one of the many outdoor cafes on Olvera Street.
