Downtown Los Angeles

Some of the best downtown Los Angeles Attractions and places to visit in downtown Los Angeles are the fabulous Los Angeles Art Galleries on Gallery Row and the trendy bars and restaurants in the art deco historic area of downtown LA.

The downtown area of Los Angeles consists of a collection of smaller districts, such as the bustling enclaves of Little Tokyo and Chinatown, and the Art Deco Theaters and art galleries of the historic area.

Many of the buildings downtown are architcural jewels and worth a visit just to admire and take some pictures of. Some are designed by the finest architects in the World and some are simply beautiful historic buildings downtown.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall

There are several significant architctural buildings such as Frank Gehry's magnificent Walt Disney Concert Hall on South Grand Avenue. The fabulous stainless steel building has become a Los Angeles landmark.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of The Angels

The fantastic modern design of Jose' Rafael Moneos's Cathedral of Our Lady of The Angels on West Temple Street, Los Angeles is an architectural masterpiece. This beautiful Catholic Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles serves the Arcdiocese of more than four million Catholics in Los Angeles.

It is the heart of all 287 Los Angeles Parish Churches, and its the church where the Archbishop Of Los Angeles celebrates the major Liturgies of the year. The Cathedral welcomes all pilgrims and visitors.

Esteban Sabar Art Gallery

The downtown Los Angeles art scene is centered in the walkable areas of Gallery Row Los Angeles, between South Main Street and Spring Street, and Chinatown.
There are lots of cultural events happening in downtown every day, you wouldn't have time to do them all. So many art galleries, more then 40 galleries are here now, so if you like art you should come downtown.

Museum Of Neon Art Los Angeles

One of the fun galleries is the Museum Of Neon Art, which features gas art. They even offer workshops for what it takes to restore old neon signs. For information and to register for a workshop call (213)489-9918.
There is also a great store nearby called the Comme des Garcons guerilla pop-up store which sells limited edition items.

While at Gallery Row you must stop by Banquette Cafe for a delicious veggie panino, or my favorite the Blossom Restaurant for Vietnamese shaking beef and the wonderful Vietmnamese crepes, Banh Xea, with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, cucumbers, fresh herbs and fish sauce. Awesome!

The Vietnamese Crepes At The Blossom Restaurant

The menu at the Blossom Restaurant has many delectable and fantastic unique dishes from Vietnam. I love them all! The restaurant is located at 426 S. Main Street, Los Angeles. Phone: (213)623-1973. Do yourself a favor and stop by.

Edison Bar And Lounge Los Angeles

On an alley off Gallery Row is The Edison Lounge, located in a former underground powerplant where you can sip cocktails amid polished turbines. The place is usually packed during week nights.

Don't leave Little Tokyo without eating fresh Mochi (sticky rice with an icecream filling) at Mikawaya Sweet Shop in the Japanese Village Plaza. A wonderful afternoon treat.
Back at the Disney Hall you can take the 45 minute self-guided walking tour for free.

If you are looking forward to a fabulous dinner downtown, make reservation in advance at the award-winning Restaurant Patina in the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Phone: (213)972-3331.

The Patina Restaurant Los Angeles

Or try the Parisian Kendalls Brasserie, where Placido Domongo has been known to have a few post-performance drinks.
Nearby there are many fine restaurants, especially for seafood lovers. I absolutely love the Prawn Martini appetizer at Restaurant Noe, in the Omni Hotel, and the Peruvian style cheviche at Restaurant Ciudad.
And the Water Grill Seafood Restaurant, one of the citys most expensive but worth it restaurants.

The Clifton Cafeteria Los Angeles

Another downtown restaurant that has been around forever, actually since 1931. The Clifton Cafeteria is great for inexpensive comfort food. They will even give you a whole birthday cake for free.
Just give them three days notice and a minimum party of four, and you can have a free birthday cake. The food here is consistently good. I have eaten here many times over the years and I really like this place.
It's a great place to have dinner or lunch if you want to save money on eating out and still have good food and a good time.

The Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles

For a real Downtown Los Angeles experience, consider staying at one of the downtown neighborhood hotels. The legendary 1923 Biltmore Hotel is a smart choice for its Hollywood glamour and reasonable room rates.

Then there is the Standard Hotel Downtown, a super modern cool hotel that's very popular with models, photographers and artists. The hotels rooftop bar and lounge is the ultimate bar experience.

As you see there is so much to do and see in downtown Los Angeles, I just gave you some real tidbits to sample on this page. I know you will like them.

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