Walking Tours of LA

Saturday was a beautiful sunny California January day, perfect for a walking tour of some of the historic buildings in Downtown LA.

+1 and I have been meaning to take one of the LA Conservancy (laconservancy.org) guided tours for as long as we've known each other, but it's one thing or another. Well the planets aligned this past weekend and somehow I magically didn't have any school or homework pending so we made the most of it.

I could tell you a million things about everything we saw but I figure I'll let you hear it for yourself on the tour. Here's a few photos though of what you have to look forward to if you ever make it yourself. Really, I have enough photos here for four blog posts, but I'm not one to turn down the opportunity to post a photo.



Downtown LA Skyline


Pershing Square is a big cement park


That purple thing is a bell-tower, although our tour guide had never heard the bells


Cross-stitching in Pershing Square


Ice Skating in Pershing Square


Beethoven in Pershing Square


Pershing Square pink pillars


The Pacific Finance Building, classic Beaux Arts work


Outside the Pacific Mutual Building


Inside the Pacific Mutual Building


Inside the Pacific Mutual Building


Outside the Central Library


Outside the Central Library


Central Library west entrance


Bunker Hill Steps


Looking up at the US Bank Building


Admiring the So Cal Edison Building


So Cal Edison Building chandelier


Inside the So Cal Edison Building


Inside the Subway Terminal Building (now lofts)


Faux windows look so real


California Plaza, Downtown LA


Angels Flight


Grand Central Market, Downtown LA (see website)


Man I love candy!


We loaded up on fresh spices from this vendor, it was so cheap!


+1 in Grand Central Market


Million Dollar Theater. The walls are covered by elaborate Churrigueresque ornaments.


Million Dollar Theater. North Entrance.


Million Dollar Theater. Exterior


Outside the Bradbury Building





Renegade+1 inside the Bradbury


Ceiling of the Bradbury Building


Inside the Bradbury Building


Charlie Chaplin in the Bradbury


This is a mural across the street of the Bradbury with Anthony Quinn dancing on the floor of the Bradbury Building


Biltmore Hotel across from Pershing Square


If you'd like to plan your own walking tour, here are some resources on the web:

There are these great self-guided tours with podcasts provided by the city
Downtownlawalks.com - The arts and culture tour and the historic tour look cool.

There's this self-guided walking tours page provided by USC
http://college.usc.edu/geography/la_walking_tour/ - I haven't looked through it that much but the website looks impressive.

LA Conservancy has these self-guided tours with podcasts explaining what you're seeing:
http://www.laconservancy.org/tours/tours_selfguided.php4

...and docent-led tours ($10 Each for non-members)
http://www.laconservancy.org/tours/tours_docent.php4
Different tours are available on different Saturdays and Sundays of the month. Just a few examples:
Art Deco tour 10AM (No Reservation Reqd)
Historic Core 10AM (No Reservation Reqd)
Broadway Historic Theatre District 10AM
Evolving skyline 10AM (No Reservation Reqd)
Union Station Tour 10AM

...and they have some really awesome partner tours:
http://www.laconservancy.org/tours/tours_partners.php4
I'd love to check out the Hollyhock House