It took years and hundreds of miles of walking to become very familiar with the different districts or areas that make up Downtown Los Angeles or DTLA. And I still don't know everything. This city is alive and continuously changing.
Each "district" is distinct and has its own personality. You'll figure that out soon enough as soon as your feet hit the pavement. I hope the following will help you out in your downtown adventures and will be an avid tourist in your own city. If you're an out of town visitor, welcome!
The major areas are: Financial District, Historic Core, Fashion District, Industrial District and the Arts District. I’m ignoring everything outside the “circle” at the moment. “The Circle” being the area inside the 110, 10, 101 and 5 freeways.
Walk amidst suited office workers between shiny high-rises in the Financial District. One of the Museum of Contemporary Art's museum locations is right here. Grand Central Market is a great place to get some coffee and great food.
Toy District is where you can afford to give Christmas gifts to all your nieces, nephews, godchildren and yourself, to boot. Those $13 poppers and $8 fidget spinners would cost you half the price when you shop around and haggle in this district. If you have an iron stomach, and know how to safely consume street food, this is a good place to grab a bacon-wrapped dog cooked in a cart right there on the street. You can't miss it or the mouth-watering smell.
The not-so-nascent Arts District used to be a collection of derelict warehouses (I know coz I used to walk this area in the early aughts) whose only claim to fame was the ubiquitous (on screen) entrance to the LA River under the old 6th Street Bridge that was either proudly representing itself or is standing in for something else in TV shows or movies. The birth of the new artsy and culinary-forward Arts District was marked, in my not-so-humble-opinion-in-this-matter, when Sci-Arc decided to open here. Since then, this area just got bigger and cooler. Even the old 6th Bridge underwent a makeover and the old semi-Hellenic pillars have been replaced with modern arches. Home of Hauser & Wirth, trendy foods, and a whole lot more!
Fashion District was known in the 90s as the place to get some disposable fashion-wear. Knock-offs are on every street corner and pirated DVDs and CDs are hawked on the sidewalk. But it was called "Fashion District" for a reason. The buildings camouflaged by the loud and flashy street vendors house designer showrooms where wholesale purchasers from giant retailers go to choose which pieces should go on their famous mall racks --- then they'll order thousands of units worth. Also, "Made in America" sweatshops abound.
When Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising opened here, young future designers starting walking the streets and, hungry for success, opened boutique shops right in the heart of the Fashion District, adding unique and edgy fashion to the scene.
Little Tokyo has always been here too and has always been a great pit stop for tourists walking around downtown. I can't pinpoint exactly when and what caused the great surge of human traffic to descend upon this admittedly irresistible district, and if you know, feel free to educate me. It could just be that the increase of traffic in the rest of downtown, especially in next door neighbor Arts District, caused an influx here too. It's literally just across the street from Alameda. Make sure you walk through the Japanese Village, check out the temples, and visit the Japanese American National Museum.
Okay, I lied, I'm going outside the circle, after all. Our very own Chinatown. The current location is not original. The original Chinatown was located in what is now a part of the Olvera Street complex but anti-Asian sentiment drove the local populace to pass ordinances driving them out and when that didn't work, straight up violence did the trick. You can read more about this at the Chinese American Museum located right there at the El Pueblo De Los Angeles. Also, you shouldn't miss Chinatown Summer Nights.
South Park is a new name to an old section of downtown where the convention center is anchor and around it came LA Live, Microsoft Theater, Crypto Arena and more.
There is a Flower District where flowers from all over the world are shipped to LA Flower Mart and from where florists all over the South Coast come to get their inventory. The Crafts District sits adjacent to the Flower District and you can find all your flower arrangement needs here, along with the fake flowers and all other crafting needs.
Yes, Skid Row is here, I'm not trying to pretend it doesn't exist. Poverty and homelessness is always a part of any major city and resources available for those who wish to avail themselves of it.
Civic Center, of course, is at the heart of DTLA. Our historic and iconic City Hall is here and within walking distance, you'll find not only civic buildings like the LA County Courthouse and LAPD Headquarters, but also the LA County Music Center, home of the LA Opera, LA Ballet, LA Philharmonic, multiple world class theaters and divine museums!
There is also a Jewelry District. If you know your stuff and would like to avoid paying too much for jewelry, come shop here. If you're here, you should visit Bottega Louie, Sugarfish or St. Vincent's Food Court.
You will never run out of places to go and things to do and food to eat here in DTLA. There are free concerts, festivals, markets, and exhibits all year round. The following are website you can check to see what's up:
Happy trails!
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