Daytime activities while visiting downtown Los Angeles

June 29, 11:34 AMLA Escapes ExaminerJennifer Marlo

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the LA Escapes Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Union Station. Photo courtesy of  Wikipedia.

Downtown Los Angeles' rich and fascinating cultural history is best observed on foot.  If you are taking advantage of the great summer deals offered by hotels like The Biltmore, The Standard or The Bonaventure, begin your downtown walking tour in the Jewelry District. Extending from 5^th to 8^th street, between Hill and Broadway, the old Theater-turned-Jewelry District hosts an eclectic collection of wholesale diamond vendors who operate from flea-market booths set up underneath old vaudeville stages.

If you are interested in bargain clothes and plastic knickknacks, visit Santee Alley between Santee Street and Maple Avenue at E. 12^th Street, where you will find over three hundred stores scrunched together on four short blocks.

Head down Broadway and Spring Street to explore the art-deco and beaux arts revival buildings. The crown jewel of historical buildings in downtown Los Angeles is the turn-of-the-century Bradbury Building which features an incredible skylight and intricate lacework railings (304 South Broadway).  Take a moment to explore the stunning Moroccan influenced Figueroa Hotel, which was the Hollywood hotshot hotspot over eighty years ago (939 South Figueroa Street). The Staples Center and L.A. Live are a very short distance from the Figueroa Hotel; do make sure to check out this new center as well.

Step back in time and grab a snack in The Grand Central Market; the largest open air market in Los Angeles. 

The downtown Los Angeles library is also a worthwhile stop. Built in 1926, the library marries ancient Greek architecture with Beaux Art and Modernist styles. There are many murals and interesting carvings throughout this massive library; the Los Angeles Central Library is the third largest library in the United States.

Walk (or take the subway) down to the newly renovated Union Station at 800 West Alameda Street. From Union Station it is a short walk to Olvera Street, where you can tour the 19^th century Avila Adobe after downing a margarita or two at one the timeless Mexican restaurants nestled on the drag. While you are there, get over the afternoon slump with a .09 cent coffee at one of L.A.’s oldest restaurants, Phillipe's.

From Phillipe's you can head over to Chinatown. (Although if you have been to San Francisco’s Chinatown, you might be sorely disappointed.)

There are plenty of fantastic restaurants, taco wagons and hot dog stands in downtown Los Angeles, but if you are looking for something truly special attend high tea at The Biltmore Hotel. $26 per person covers a bottomless tea kettle and a mouth watering assortment of petite-fours, baked goods and chocolates. Dining in the Biltmore’s exquisite Moorish-style foyer is the icing on cake…or scone. 

Related articles: 

SUMMER HOTEL DEALS IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

EVENING ACTIVITIES IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES