Guide to DTLA’s Historic Core

When Los Angeles was a new city, Downtown was the place to be. This was the center of banking, movies, and learning. This guide to DTLA’s Historic Core will give you plenty to do if you are a tourist, a local, or an Angeleno entertaining tourists.

History

The first movie premiers happened here, not in Hollywood. Broadway was the entertainment district of Los Angeles from the late 1910s to the late 1920s. The name pays homage to New York’s Broadway, famous for its nightly plays and musicals. Instead of works on stage, Los Angeles’ Broadway featured the new technology of motion pictures. This street was lined with opulent movie palaces featuring themes of ancient Egypt, the Aztec empire, and the French Rococo.

You can still see a lot of L.A.’s history here–the city’s first skyscraper, a food hall that has fed Angelenos for over a century, and the shortest railway in the United States are within a couple of blocks.

If this is your first time visiting Los Angeles, I recommend you read my tourist guide. Whether you fly into LAX or take the train to Union Station, this guide answers many questions about your first moments in L.A. 

Why tourists come to the historic core

1. They think the downtown area is where everything is, like other cities. Los Angeles has no center. Whether tourists are pleasantly surprised or disappointed, I don’t know. I hope this guide gives you something to do in this neighborhood, which I am drawn to more and more the longer I live here. 
2. To go to the Last Bookstore to get that social media content. Don’t forget to visit the shops upstairs for some great Los Angeles souvenirs.
3. To go to the Broad Museum to see art and get social media content. 
4. To go to the Grand Central Market to sample some of Los Angeles’ great food vendors
5. To see inside the Bradbury Building.

You may have noticed that tourists and locals often visit the same places but for different reasons.

Local Tip

If you serve jury duty downtown, don’t forget your jury badge, which gets you into museums for free. Civic Center is a quick train ride to the Broad and the Museum of Contemporary Art Grand Avenue Campus.

 Tickets to see Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Room are sold on the last Wednesday of each month.

Top things to do in DTLA’s Historic Core

1. Go on a Los Angeles Conservancy Tour. This fantastic non-profit is saving Los Angeles’s history. These walking tours are educational and raise funds for future conservation efforts.
2. See the city from hotel rooftops like the Freehand, Hoxton’s Cabra restaurant, LA Proper, and Moxy.
3. See art at The Broad, Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA), and DTLA’s monthly Art Walk.
4. See live music at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Belasco, and the Regent.
5. Programming! There are so many organizations, museums, and businesses that have regular programming. Don’t forget Together Thursdays at the Broad, Grand Central Market’s events lists, and Grand Park’s weekly programs.  In the summer hit Grand Performances, Dance at the Music Center, and Last Remaining Seats.

My favorite things in the Historic Core

• Coffee: Aquarela Coffee (Figeroa location)
• My favorite cheap eat: Surtido Taco from Villa Moreliana
• My favorite splurge meal: Shibumi
• My favorite cocktail bar: The Wolves
• My favorite thing to do: Grand Performances
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BIPOC and Women-owned places to support in DTLA’s Historic Core

DTLA has a wealth of small businesses, and although I wish I could list them all, here is a selection of my favorites. 

• Arquela–This Brazilian cafe is located. It is a beautiful place to sit and have coffee.
• Au Lac–This Vietnamese restaurant is 100% vegan. 
• Badmaash–This award-winning restaurant gives a modern spin on Indian Food. 
• DTLA Cheese/Kippered–DTLA Cheese is a cheese shop and superette that makes picnicking and hosting easy. The husband-and-wife team also owns neighboring Kipped, a Spanish bar that gives me my Spain fix when I can’t travel.
• Guisados–Los Angeles is home to food from all of Mexico’s states. If you haven’t tried guisados with stewed meats and vegetables, you have to do it. Get the sampler of five mini tacos to taste the region.
• Sarita’s–Although the steam table is filled with dishes covering El Salvador, I can’t get past the pupusas. They are some of the best in the city. Sarita’s is also one of the oldest vendors in Grand Central Market. 
• Sonoratown(DTLA location)–This has to be my favorite burrito in Los Angeles. I crave it when I am away from the city; it is one of the first things I order when I return.
• Villa Moreliana–I haven’t gone anywhere else in the GCM once I tried this carnitas spot. I get the surtidos, a mixture of all of the cuts of pork, including a bit of offal. I like it best with no toppings. It is juicy and flavorful on its own. 

Walkability Score: 93

DTLA’s Historic Core is walkable and well-connected to public transportation. With the recent addition of big-name grocery stores like Ralph’s and Whole Foods, running errands and getting to all the places you want to go is now easy.

The historic core of Downtown Los Angeles is well connected by transit–LA Metro buses and trains, a Rapid Santa Monica bus, and some commuter coaches.

Parking in DTLA can be expensive across all of its areas. Several parking garages are available, but they charge hefty per-hour fees. This interactive map from the DTLA Business Association shows pricing.

I hope this guide to Downtown Los Angeles’ Historic Core guide gave you many ideas for exploring places. 

Neighborhoods to explore next