Downtown Los AngelesView Related PhotosEvery time I visit Downtown I am surprised at how large it really is. From a distance, Downtown LA appears as a small patch of high rises that pale in comparison to the city centers of San Francisco, Chicago, and New York; yet if you actually walk through downtown you are surprised at its size and diversity.
On Saturday I set out from the Fairfax district with Nicole, Lisa, and Rich via MTA transit. We hopped on the 217 bus where we each purchased a Metro Day Pass for $3.00. The day pass, providing unlimited access to all local bus and rail service, is great for anyone who wants to use mass transit to explore the city. We stepped off of the bus at Hollywood and Highland where we then boarded the Union Station-bound Red Line subway. Our first destination: Little Tokyo.
Of the four of us, only Lisa had previously been to Little Tokyo. Despite numerous trips to downtown I had never thought to check this part of the city out as a destination. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that the Civic Center stop would be the closest to the Little Tokyo so we took the 7th/Metro stop instead. Prior to leaving our house earlier I learned that the LA Department of Transportation (LADOT) operates a weekend DASH services labeled "DD" (for Downtown Discovery). We found the DASH DD stop located right near the Macy's Plaza across from the 7th/Metro station and boarded the very clean and comfortable DASH bus. (DASH fares are normally $0.25, however they accept the MTA day pass for unlimited rides).
The Downtown Discovery service operates every Saturday and Sunday with busses every 20 minutes. The DD line takes you on a winding route through most of downtown LA providing you with an inexpensive tour of all of downtown's historic and notable points of interest. We got off of the bus at the 1st/Grand stop and walked a few blocks to Little Tokyo.
After a sushi lunch in Little Tokyo we walked back through the Civic Center, past the Disney Concert Hall and through the City Hall courtyard. By chance we happened across the California Plaza where a chamber orchestra was setting up for a free evening concert. We sat for a while and listened to them practice. California Plaza is a gem that I had forgotten about until this weekend. A lovely outdoor performance space in the center of a small shopping area, with reflecting pools between seating areas and an elevated stage. California Plaza also offers a spectacular view of the U.S. Bank tower and other high-rise structures of downtown's modern business district.
Our tour continued past the downtown Hilton and other seemingly ritzy hotels until ultimately returning the 7th/Metro Red Line stop where we boarded the North Hollywood-bound train back to Hollywood and Highland.
We saw only a small, but enjoyable portion of downtown during this day trip. The areas we strolled through felt very clean and safe, leaving us with a positive memory of downtown Los Angeles. Sadly, downtown is still a virtual ghost town during the weekends, with little in the way of dining and shopping and very few pedestrian traffic. Still, it's nice to be reminded that we do live in a city every once in a while and not just a bunch of sprawling suburbs lumped under a common name: Los Angeles.
DASH Downtown Discovery Map
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