Downtown

Description:

There's always been a restaurant -- of some sort -- inside the Union Station passenger concourse, but Traxx is the first to do justice to its grand, historic setting. Showcasing a stylish mix of retro-evocative Art Deco character with sleek contemporary touches, the interior blends seamlessly with the station's architecture. Elegant enough for a romantic dinner, yet welcoming to the casual commuter in search of a stylish lunch or sit-down snack, Traxx features a menu with the same cosmopolitan flavor as the station itself. Samples range from "small plates" of red chile-crusted shrimp, and "really good" (and they are) crab cakes with a chipotle kick to main dishes such as pork chops with mission fig polenta and the much-talked-about Gorgonzola-crusted beef tenderloin presented atop crispy mashed potatoes. The top dessert is the crunchy chocolate truffle cake with crème anglaise.

Description:

Like nearby Chinatown, this redeveloped ethnic neighborhood isn't home to the majority of Angelenos of Japanese ancestry; suburban Gardena has that distinction. But Little Tokyo functions as the community's cultural focal point and is home to several malls filled with bakeries, bookshops, restaurants, and boutiques, as well as the occasional Buddhist temple. The Japanese American National Museum is here, as is the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, 244 S. San Pedro St. (tel. 213/628-2725; www.jaccc.org), which regularly offers traditional Kabuki dramas and modern music concerts.

Unfortunately Little Tokyo is shabbier than almost any district in the Japanese capital, and it has difficulty holding a visitor's attention for much longer than the time it takes to eat lunch. Exceptions to this rule come twice yearly, during the Cherry Blossom Festival in spring and Nisei Week in late summer. Both heritage festivals celebrate Japanese culture with parades, traditional Ondo street dancing, a carnival, and an arts fair. The Japanese American Network provides a community calendar, a map of Little Tokyo points of interest, and useful Web links online at www.janet.org/janet_little_tokyo/ja_little_tokyo.html....

Description:

This theater district (also known as the Broadway district) stretches from Third Street to Olympic Boulevard. It was the first district of its kind to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are a dozen major theaters covering a six-block area. Theaters on this strip include the Million Dollar Theater, the Los Angeles Theater and the United Artists Theater. Recently, the L.A. Conservancy has been working to revitalize this district and make it a center of downtown life. They give tours of the area; call the number listed for more information.

Also note this guide of historic theaters through-out the Los Angeles area.

Description:

This is one of downtown's most unique architectural offerings. Wrapping around the base of the First Interstate World Center, this huge and exhausting stairway was designed by Lawrence Halprin in 1990. The stairs link the two halves of the business district, Bunker Hill and Hope Street. It includes a number of landscaped pedestrian areas. Meanwhile be sure to check out some of Halprin's other new financial district landmarks, such as the West Lawn of the Central Library and the Hope Street Promenade.

Our Local Expert Says:

The birthplace of Los Angeles

Description:

Olvera Street is, like most of Los Angeles, a combination of authentic history, reconstructed fantasy and pure fun. Situated in the middle of Downtown, Olvera Street has been turned into a lively market place reminiscent of Old Mexico. It was here that Los Angeles was founded in the late 1700s as El Pueblo de Nuesta Señora Reina de los Ángeles. In the 1930s, it was turned into a Mexican oasis in the middle of a burgeoning and thriving Downtown. Olvera Street continues to attract locals and visitors alike with an assortment of Mexican restaurants, small curios shops and historical markers.

Description:

This is one of L.A.'s early architectural achievements and the third-largest library in the United States. The city rallied to save the library when arson nearly destroyed it in 1986; the triumphant restoration has returned much of its original splendor. Working in the early 1920s, architect Bertram G. Goodhue employed the Egyptian motifs and materials popularized by the discovery of King Tut's tomb, and combined them with a more modern use of concrete block to great effect. Walking tours are the best way to explore this old beauty; they're led Monday through Friday at 12:30pm, Saturday at 11am and 2pm, and Sunday at 2pm. Warning: Parking in this area can involve a heroic effort. Try visiting on the weekend and using the Flower Street parking entrance; the library will validate your ticket, and you can escape for only $2.

Description:

Built in 1928, the 27-story Los Angeles City Hall was the tallest building in the city for more than 30 years. The structure's distinctive ziggurat tower was designed to resemble the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The building has been featured in numerous films and television shows, but it is probably best known as the headquarters of the Daily Planet in the Superman TV series (or from Beverly Hills Cop, depending on your birth date). When it was built, City Hall was the sole exception to an ordinance outlawing buildings taller than 150 feet. While you're here, be sure to take the elevator to the rarely used 27th-floor Observation Deck -- on a clear day (yeah, right), you can see to Mount Wilson 15 miles away. Free docent-led tours are available at 10 and 11am Monday through Friday, and self-guided tours are available at other times. Call tel. 213/978-1995 for tour information.

Description:

Downtown L.A. is slowly making its long anticipated comeback and places like this are a big reason why. As its name might suggest, the dishes served here are all drawn from a "firefighter" theme. In fact many of them come from firefighters' own private cookbooks. And, God forbid, if something should burn out of control in the kitchen, help is certainly not far away! Favorite menu items include the meatloaf, sausages (with a very unique spice blend) and roasted chicken. Walk in for lunch after 11.15p from Monday to Friday and for dinner after 5p Monday through Saturday.

Description:

Widely considered to be the best seafood house in the city, Water Grill is popular with the suit-and-tie crowd at lunch and with concertgoers en route to the Music Center at night. The dining room is a stylish and sophisticated fusion of wood, leather, and brass, but it gets a lighthearted lift from cavorting papier-mâché fish that play against an aquamarine ceiling. The restaurant is known for its shellfish; among the appetizers are a dozen different oysters, Nantucket Bay scallops, and crispy sweetbreads. Main courses are imaginative dishes influenced by coastal cuisines of Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest, New Orleans, and New England. Selections from the menu may range from Santa Barbara spot prawns paired with fingerling potato salad to line-caught pan-roasted Alaskan halibut with Niman Ranch bacon and sweet pea tendril juice. For dessert, try the mascarpone with figs and cherries, or the chocolate bread pudding.

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In a city not known for tall skyscrapers, this impressive structure is the indisputable centerpiece of the L.A. skyline. This, the tallest building west of the Mississippi River, stands 73-stories high and was designed in 1990 by the architectural firm of Pei, Cobb, Freed and Partners. It is perhaps most famous for being the first building destroyed by the aliens in the blockbuster movie Independence Day and features prominently in every contemporary L.A. skyline picture. Presently the building houses some of the most prestigious banking and law firms in town.

Description:

A busy public space dating back to 1886, this square is right in the middle of downtown. Once filled with lampposts, palm trees and a central fountain, and rather reminiscent of San Francisco's Union Square, this five-acre area was re-invented by architect Ricardo Legorreta in 1984 to acclimate it to its transformed surroundings. The park has since been stripped of its grass and trees and is now dominated by a 120-foot high purple campanile (tower), a Legorreta favorite. The park is also full of Californian symbols, the most prominent of which is a fake fault line that runs from one corner of the park to the other.

Description:

Consistently regarded as one of the best restaurants in town, this flagship of Joachim Splichal's Pinot-based hot spots will not disappoint you. It is a favorite of the executives at neighboring Paramount Studios, so chances are good for celebrity sightings. The Corn Blini filled with Marinated Salmon and Creme Fraiche is wonderful as are the scallops wrapped in potato slices with brown butter vinaigrette. Be sure to ask about the special dishes that change nightly. The wine list is outstanding, but if you choose to bring your own, theree is a corkage fee.

Description:

This museum run by the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) is an important landmark in Little Tokyo. It is one of the three MOCA museums in the city. The spacious establishment has a gallery where art exhibitions of renowned artists are hosted and a reading room stocking books.

Description:

Japan's top architect, Arata Isozaki, built this museum in 1986. The series of bright galleries with exposed vaults display some of this century's finest artwork. Works by Mark Rothco, Franz Kline, Claes Oldenburg and more are displayed year-round. In addition to the curators, artists and critics frequently give guided tours. Inside the museum is a great restaurant called Patinette serving great Mediterranean cuisine. For further information check the website.

Description:

Completed in September 2002 at a cost of $163 million and built to last 500 years, this ultracontemporary cathedral is one of L.A.'s newest architectural treasures and the third-largest cathedral in the world. It was designed by award-winning Spanish architect Jose Rafael Moneo and features a 20,000-square-foot plaza with a meditation garden, more than 6,000 crypts and niches (making it the largest crypt mausoleum in the U.S.), mission-style colonnades, biblically inspired gardens, and numerous artworks created by world-acclaimed artists. While most Angelinos admit that the exterior of this austere, sand-colored structure is rather uninspiring and uninviting (the church doors don't face the street, but rather a private plaza in back surrounded by fortresslike walls), the view from the inside is breathtaking: Soaring heights, 12,000 panes of translucent alabaster, and larger-than-life tapestries lining the walls create an awe-inspiring sense of magnificence and serenity. The 25,000-pound bronze doors, created by sculptor Robert Graham, pay homage to Ghiberti's bronze baptistery door in Florence. Free self-guided tours are available, and there's a small cafe and gift shop as well.

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