It’s not secret that I fell in love with Los Angeles when I visited back in March! Before I planned my trip I had no idea how vast LA is, where the different neighborhoods are positioned on the map or which places to visit except for Beverly Hills and Santa Monica! The bits and bobs I knew about LA came from TV series (hello Beverly Hills 90210), films and of course celebrity blogs and magazines (I honestly can’t recall how many times celebrities were spotted on the Grove (which, yes I managed to visit back in March).
The one place I knew nothing about was Downtown LA which was undeveloped (and neglected) for many years. Surely it’s full of skyscrapers and office buildings, but there are also museums, open spaces, interesting restaurants and picturesque neighborhoods like Little Tokyo.
Related: 12 Fun Things I did in Los Angeles
Our walk around Downtown LA (aka DTLA) starts from Walt Disney Music Hall, as we parked nearby!! The Music Hall was design by architect Frank Gehry, whom I admire! The building was completed in 2004 and now houses the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. I suggest you walk around the building and visit the Blue Ribbon garden, which features a water-lily fountain created by broken porcelain, dedicated to Lily Disney.
Moving on we passed by The Museum of Contemporary Art and headed to Bottega Louie, which is a desserts’ paradise straight out of Paris! Those lilac pastries stole my heart, but I decided to be more practical and opted for a huge macaron with raspberries and chocolate cream!
Next stop: Little Tokyo. It’s no secret that I love everything that has to do with Japan (it’s on my bucket list), so I was really happy to visit the area. And I bought some Japanese stickers as well. For my collection!
It was getting late in the afternoon so we made our way back to our car passing by LA’s City Hall and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, which has to be one of the most modern churches I’ve ever seen).
We got a little glimpse of DTLA, but if you do make it there, here are a couple of places you should check out: Arts District, Staples Center (that’s were the LA Lakers play) and El Pueblo de Los Angeles! If you’re a books’ fan add The Last Bookstore to your list. Oh and a drink atop The Standard Hotel wouldn’t hurt either!
Have you visited Downtown LA? Any cool places I should add to my list?
I'm Anna and this is my lifestyle and travel blog! 
Everything looks so pretty – a very jealous blogger over here!
Steph
Los Angeles is a very nice city!!
Τουλάχιστον έχουμε σένα και ταξιδεύει λίγο το μυαλό μας…
προσπαθώ κι εγώ…τι να κάνω!!!
I haven’t yet been to L.A. so I enjoyed seeing your posts and photos. Thanks for sharing, and greetings from #weekendwanderlust!
Katie
LA is such a diverse and interesting city! Thank you!
Looks like you were near Angels Flight (what remains of it) and Grand Central Market. The Last Bookstore on Earth is worth a gander and if you can swing it (pun intended) dress up in your best vintage and dance at the historic Cicada Club.
yes we did pass nearby Grand Central Market and Angels Flight but didn’t know anything about these places so we did not visit them! I realized we missed The Last Bookstore only when we left DTLA!! Well…next time!
Thanks for the walk through! I’ve never been to LA, but you and I seem to have similar interests. I love churches, museums, and all things Japanese! Also food, how could I leave that out?!
Silly Medley: Lifestyle and Travel
You’re welcome!! LA is such an interesting city! Well if you love museums and churches you must definitely take a trip to Europe one day…you’re going to me amazed!! Food wise as well!
Haven’t been to LA but later in the year we have a one day and night stop over and are looking for ideas. May try downtown LA
Oh there are so many things to choose from LA to do in a day! I’ve read that are tours that take you (almost) all around LA in a day! I’d personally hit Santa Monica and Venice Beach!
Love the photos! I never thought of LA as a walking city. But I don’t know it very well having pretty much flown in and out of it a few times. #weekendwanderlust
Well Downtown LA is walkable! Santa Monica and Venice as well! For the rest part (Beverly Hills, Central LA etc) you definitely need a car!
Love your photos! I visited LA many years back but no way it looked like what you captured in your photos. Hope you visit Japan soon, it is my favourite country on earth to visit!
I believe LA is ever changing…especially the downtown are which was neglected! I hope I’ll be able to visit Japan one day!!
I love the first picture – it is a mixture of old and new architectural styles! We’ve been to LA once but we didn’t spend any time in Downtown, maybe next time 🙂
Indeed DTLA is all about old/new mix! you should definitely visit one day…it’s different from the rest of LA!
It looks like you had a great stay and I’m loving the architecture photos towards the start of your post. And those blue skies! 🙂 #mondayescapes
I am all about architecture! I had a great time in LA indeed!
Drooling over the lovely photos! Love the buildings! #mondayescapes
LA has interesting architecture indeed!
I’ve been to LA a few times and I’m going again in September. I never knew there was a Little Tokyo, it looks fun, I’ll have to check it out! Also, not sure if it’s considered “downtown” LA or not, but I loved the La Brea Tar Pits, very touristy but pretty interesting nonetheless 🙂
Little Tokyo is very pretty! I’ve passed by La Brea when I visited The Grove…the area is West Hollywood by the way! DTLA is further to the east!
Great to know you loved Los Angeles. A lot of people do not like it (at least, the first impressions are bad for some). If you decide to visit again, do not hesitate to contact me. We can go tot he Arts District, Chinatown, the flower market and many other cool places in Downtown.
I actually loved LA and I hope I’ll visit again one day! I had Arts District on my list, but didn’t have the time to visit! Will let you know when I’m visiting again!
The Mark Taper Forum is a fantastic smaller theater that I always enjoyed attending events at – your pictures of downtown LA definitely take me back to the time I used to spend down there! I really love the area around the Music Hall and the theaters much more than the the area around LA Live. I think it has more character!
I liked the area around the Music Hall a lot! Little Tokyo as well! I loved LA as it is so diverse…
Look at all that amazing architecture! I’m bummed that I didn’t get to spend any time in downtown the last time I was in LA. Great photographs!
Downtown LA is so different from the other areas of LA! Next time you’re in town, make sure you pass by!!
All those photos are amazing! I mean it looks nothing like the LA we see in movies or tv! It looks real and beautiful and quirky! And it has a little tokyo?? What?? I’m so there 😀
apparently this part of LA isn’t in the movies usually, although a friend of mine spotted some parts in Fast and Furious 7!!
Ahhh I’d love to go to Little Tokyo! Didn’t know there was one in LA. I haven’t been to LA before but would absolutely love to go. Thanks for linking up with #WeekendWanderlust 🙂
Oh yes, there is a little Tokyo in LA! A Chinatown and Koreatown as well! There are many “off the beaten path” places in LA worth visiting!
That pastry shop looks heavenly! Those éclairs are so precious!
That pastry shop was amazing! I had a hard time choosing!
dtla looks like fun, I went once, but we spent most of our time in the theme parks.
I didn’t visit any theme park in LA actually! I was too busy exploring the rest of the city!
I’ve never been to LA and never really fancied it – even though a good friend of mine lived there for 2 years! However, your photos of Downtown LA are wonderful and know I think I would be quite happy exploring the area! #MondayEscapes
well LA is so over exposed really but it was on my wishlist for a long time and I’m happy I made it there! I loved it!