A walk through DTLA

Broadway in Downtown LA (DTLA) used to be like Broadway in New York, with theaters, the lighting billboards and glamour. That’s all gone. Now you’ll find homeless people on every corner and it’s become more of a business district. Still, you can find some nice spots if you know what to look for and where. Everything is more or less at walking distance, although some parts are less interesting for walking. At the bottom of this blog you'll find a walk that combines almost every spot described!

Grand Central Market

This is a food hall with all kinds of food, from breakfast to a late night snack. Here, everyone can find something of their liking; from German bratwurst to superfood smoothies. Some of my favorites are

• Eggslut; here you get the famous 'Slut', a coddled (kind of poached) egg on top of mashed potatoes. Also nice for breakfast are the sandwiches, of course with eggs.
• Sari Sari Store; a Filipino restaurant with excellent fried rice and a lot of other different goodies (from bbq to sweets). No wonder 'sari sari' means 'whatever'.
• Sarita's Pupuseria; made famous by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone having a romantic date sitting at this vendors bar in the movie Lalaland. A pups is a Salvadorian dish, a kind of flatbread filled with all kinds of fillings.
• Get your drinks either at G&B coffee for your specialty coffees, or the stand of Golden Road Brewery for a locally brewed beer (also worth a visit is this brewery, located in Glendale).

The Last Bookstore

Before you head up, visit this very large, uniquely designed and decorated bookshop. They have used and new books, and they also sell records. They sell, buy and trade! Take your time to discover the quirky corners of this shop, but hurry, they won’t be here forever 😉

Angels Flight

The little orange tram that goes up a steep hill, made operational again after the popular movie Lalaland was shot here. For a dollar you can go up or down, skipping the steep steps! You can now buy their merchandise online here.

The Broad

Definitely check out this museum. Book your ticket well in advance online!!! See my other post about museums for more information.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Try to book a concert here to hear one of the, if not thé best orchestras in the world. But even if there’s nothing on or you don’t feel like a concert, step inside this impressive building designed by Frank Gehry (also know for his design of the Guggenheim in Bilbao). The architecture and especially the garden are amazing. There’s a free audio tour available that takes you through the whole building. If the theater is closed, you can still step inside the foyer and on the outside walk up the stairs on both sides of the building to get to the garden with a fountain of real Dutch Delftware!

Little Tokyo

Little Tokyo is a neighborhood which you can identify by the decorated streetlights. Here you'll find a lot of Japanese shops with their quirky goodies. But, more importantly, good and affordable sushi 😋 The Japanese Village Plaza forms this neighborhood's bustling center. Get your sushi here at OOmasa. Order a lunch menu, so you get to taste all different kind of things. Or try to get a seat at the bar and see the rolls and sashimi made right in front of you.

Arts District

In Arts District you’ll find a couple of fun galleries with free entrance, for instance Hauser & Wirth with contemporary art exhibitions that change every few months. Keep in mind; most museums and galleries are closed on Mondays. 
Don't miss the best ice cream ever!!!!!! Step into the Salt & Straw shop (just follow your nose and the smell of very good vanilla) and take your time trying out their different flavors. Eventually you'll go for the Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons anyway, because it's the best. And it's your vacation, so take a freshly baked cone too!
After all this art, you definitely deserved a drink at the Angel City Brewery. Ask the bar staff to help you pick something you'll like, because they even have a beer for people that don't even like beer. Don't forget to bring your ID, because otherwise they won't let you in. Children are welcome though, as long as they're accompanied by an adult.

Other restaurants

KazuNori is popular restaurant with limited seating. You'd probably have to wait a little to be seated, but it's worth it! You'll sit at the bar where the handrolls, a kind of sushi, are made right in front of you. Order one of the menus. You can always order more if you want.

Pez Cantina is a Mexican restaurant with 'sea to land' dishes that are delicious. Be surprised by the fresh, but complicated flavors of the Mexican kitchen. Sundays open until 3pm, Mondays open until 7pm.

The Walk

Below you'll find a map with the route that I'll describe next. The parts between the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Japanese Village Plaza, and between Arts District back to Grand Central Market, are not always interesting and after dark maybe don’t walk here on your own. But when you do walk, you'll definitely deserve that sushi, ice cream and beer!

1. Start your day with breakfast at Grand Central Market. If you came by car, park your car at one of the parking lots on Hill street, for instance Joe's Auto Parks. Don't leave anything of value in the car though!
2. Exit the market on Broadway and walk to the right, take the next left onto 4th Street and then the second right to Spring Street. At the end of this block on the right you'll find The Last Bookstore.
3. Walk the same way back and find the entrance for the Angels Flight on the other side of Grand Central Market and take it up.
4. Walk straight out of the exit of the tram towards Grand avenue. Walk to the right and soon you'll see The Broad lying on the opposite side of the street. If you made a reservation you can walk straight past the long line of people and show your ticket at the entrance. Don't forget to sign up for possible special extra exhibitions right after you walk in.
5. After your visit walk out of the building and cross the street to visit the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
6. When you exit the Concert Hall walk to the left and take the first street right (actually called 1st Street, which goes down). Keep following this street until you arrive at the Japanese Village Plaza on your right. OOmasa is the first restaurant on your left when you enter the plaza.
7. With your belly full of sushi walk through the Plaza to the other side and go left on 2nd Street. Keep going on 2nd street by crossing two big roads (Central Avenue and Alameda Street). Before you cross Alameda Street, you'll see the Angel City Brewery lying on the other side. Take the street that goes past the brewery, Traction Avenue. This will lead you to 3rd Street. Go left on 3rd Street and soon you'll walk past beautiful (but expensive) shops, AND Salt & Straw! Walk a little further and you arrive at the Hauser & Wirth gallery.
8. Go get you're well deserved beer at the Angel City Brewery you just passed. If you're done walking for today, stay here, order food at the food truck and take a Lyft back to your car or your stay.
9. If you want to eat something more special, walk back to the Japanese Village Plaza (by crossing Alameda Street and follow 2nd Street). Keep following 2nd Street and go left on Main Street. Then, on the third block to your right, you'll find KazuNori.
10. When you finished your dinner you can walk back to Grand Central Market if you parked your car here by going to the left when you exit the restaurant. Take the second street left onto 3rd Street. Then take the second left again to arrive back at the market.   

I also have a pdf version of my LA guide available :) And don't forget to subscribe on this blog by clicking the 'subscribe' button on the top of my homepage.

Thanks!

Sarah
@sarahinlalala
sarainlalala@gmail.com