You’ve seen it in the movies…

But what’s it really like? Not glamorous. At all. Downtown LA is not clean, not safe for late night strolls, and not for the faint of heart. (That’s a lot of nots.) If you can get past the grit, grime, skid rows, and vocal homeless people, Los Angeles’ urban core is utterly fascinating.

The Ghosts of Hollywood’s Past

Of the handful of walking tours available, the haunted tour appealed to me most. Murders, suicides, mysteries, and unsolved crime unfold on this evening walk. Highlights include the Hotel Alexandria, circa 1906, which was once LA’s most elegant hotel, host to many celebrities of the golden age, kings, queens, and presidents; Charlie Chaplin married his first wife in the hotel’s glamorous Palm Court Ballroom. The penthouse is where Rudolph Valentino lived for a year in 1917 and some say he never left. The elevator is known to stop on random floors to let ghosts off and on. Just blocks away, Cecil Hotel began as housing for businessmen in the 1920s but was hit hard during the Great Depression.

The Cecil quickly became a hide out for drifters and transients. The first suicide was reported in 1931. Many more occurred in the ‘40s and ‘50s, one of which was a jumper who took an unlucky pedestrian out with him. A number of serial killers including Richard Ramirez resided here. Ramirez, aka “The Night Stalker,” engaged in a killing spree during the time he called the Cecil home. In 2013, hotel guests complained of poor water pressure, black water, and odor which culminated in a maintenance employee discovering the dead body of a young Canadian woman in a water tank on the roof, a mystery which remains unsolved. (Check out the video below of some of her unsettling last moments.) I’m told that this property is currently in the process of converting to high end condos which, no joke, will include a pool on the roof.

Ah, Chinatown.

It’s one of the worst Chinatowns I’ve ever seen. Walking down dirty streets past out-of-business storefronts, Danny and I have fun visiting the Seven Star Cavern Wishing Well in the Old Chinatown Plaza. The wishing well has been here since the 1930s and it looks it. It’s in rough shape and all around kind of sucks, but it’s childhood memories for Danny. Tossing an entire handful of coins, I got “long life” and “patience” (wait, patience?!) and Danny scored “prosperity” and “wisdom” (wait, wisdom?!!). You probably won’t see other tourists here but you will most definitely see hipsters waiting hours for hot chicken sandwiches from Howlin’ Ray’s.

LA’s Most Iconic Sandwich

I know it’s weird to not eat Chinese food while in Chinatown, but I wanted to get in the middle of the Philippe’s vs Cole’s battle. Philippe’s is located in Chinatown and Cole’s is on the other side of Downtown. Both restaurants opened in 1908 and both claim to have invented the French Dip. I don’t really know who originated this signature dish but both restaurants are charming classics and make an excellent sandwich. (For more food recommendations, check out my post Where To Eat in Downtown LA.)

The Birthplace of Los Angeles

While almost nothing remains of LA’s mid-1800s Chinatown, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument (est. 1781) is the oldest part of the city. This pocket of town is a rare, intact gem that represents LA’s early development. Brick-lined Olvera Street is the city’s oldest street. You’ll find delicious taquitos and guacamole as well as vendors hawking stuff tourists buy in Mexico. Painted skulls, cheap ukuleles, luchador masks and the like. Sure, it feels a little contrived.

The Oldest Cafeteria

Clifton’s has been serving cafeteria style food to LA since 1931. In 2010, Clifton’s was snapped up and made into a nightclub. They still serve throwback recipes like meatloaf and Jello salad on school lunch trays. The decor is over-the-top, in your face kitsch complete with a hidden tiki bar (find the mirror and press on it), various themed bars, an ominous stuffed tiger, and a giant fake redwood tree as the centerpiece of the multistory establishment. It’s an unusual place to get a drink and a magnet for LA douchebags.

Los Angeles Landmark Since 1901

Angel’s Flight railway is a funicular designed as a sweat-free way to the top of Bunker Hill. Olivet and Sinai are the names of the two cars which run in opposite directions up and down the cable. I’ve always been intrigued by Angel’s Flight because it’s said to be cursed. A series of derailments, including a 2001 fatality have fueled such rumors. Another person died while walking on the tracks. The railway gets shutdown all the time but since it’s currently up and running I mustered up the guts and hopped on. The world’s shortest railway at 315 ft, is a 30 second ride and if you can blackout the laundry list of past safety issues, it’s not scary. It costs $1 to ride up, the ride back down is free.

No Lip Syncing Allowed

South Park is a newer part of town and with the addition of the large entertainment complex LA Live, this corner of Downtown has changed in recent years. Located in this more polished area is the Grammy Museum. Check out relics like a shirt worn by Elvis, Johnny Cash’s jacket, Jimi Hendrix’s BASS guitar….?!! If you read my Guide to Jimi Hendrix’s Seattle, you know that I know a little bit about that guy and I’m pretty sure he didn’t play the bass. Danny was outraged and asked to speak with a manager but we weren’t given any real explanation. Also of interest, Milli Vanilli’s 1990 Grammy that was retrieved and intentionally broken when the lip sync scandal was exposed.

Downtown Los Angeles is a Hub of Activity

Architecture, hidden secrets, street art, historic theaters, and all of it walkable if you don’t mind stepping around the occasional urban camper. In DTLA we are always making new discoveries.

Down and Dirty Downtown Los Angeles