It looks like something out of ancient Assyria instead of being right next to the 5 freeway in LA.
Traffic was pretty light that whole morning (thank you holiday weekend) but as we approached downtown, the traffic got a little more congested...
That was short lived since we got off the freeway to get to our first destination, downtown LA (DTLA).
To get to the 101 from the 5, you have to be on the far left or else you'll miss the exit.
Bert and TC just saw "Doctor Strange" in IMAX and thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
Getting closer...
Mural on side of freeway:
A banner with movie star, Tony Curtis,
Bert pointed this out as we were looking for parking.
Sadly, the $5 parking garage near the Last Bookstore was no longer in service. We'd parked there twice previously and marveled at the great price because that $5 was an ALL DAY fee. The garage opening for that lot was now locked up. We circled around the block and saw a sign that said, "$3 parking" and followed the arrows. It turned out to be a ripoff because in small letters on another sign, it said, "$3 for the FIRST FIFTEEN MINUTES". Like, who the fk parks for fifteen minutes only? Totally shady that sign was. We definitely skipped that one.
We saw an parking lot out in the open for $10 and decided to just bite the bullet. There were probably other parking garages around but we just wanted to park and be done with it.
The lot was fairly empty when we arrived and full by the time we departed later that afternoon.
These are just some photos snapped before heading to Grand Central Market.
The Last Bookstore - I highly recommend visiting.
Not sure what bar or restaurant this was but it was near The Alexandria Hotel. The man pictured is Vin Scully, known as the "Voice of the Dodgers", the hometown team where he announced games from 1950 up to this year, when he retired.
I wanted to pass through the Spring Arcade Building. We had gelato there a few years ago. There is also a popular but hipster Mexican eatery called Guisados there (but we were not planning to eat there).
The Broadway side of the Arcade. The other opening says Spring Arcade Building. The archway is terra cotta and is decorated in the Beaux Arts and Spanish Renaissance style.
As we passed through the Spring Street end, we noticed bright lights and a lot of folks standing around. I think they might have been filming something there. At first we weren't sure if we could pass through, but a guy who was directing pedestrians motioned that it was okay to walk through.
The bottom floor of the arcade only has a few shops but there are big plans to fill those spots with other businesses.
The storefronts remain empty but some walls were covered with vintage photos of bygone days and buinessess in LA.
Vintage photo of Clifton's Cafeteria, a multistory Depression Era cafeteria that was recently revamped.
The now defunct Roxie Theater, the last built in DTLA in 1931. True to the time period, the facade is in the Art Deco style. Here is another link to a great article, "A look inside the abandoned Roxie Theater" (SouthOnSpring, Dec 2014).
Graffiti
Out of order, but here is the Million Dollar Theater, built in 1918, it one of the U.S.'s first movie palaces.
The Bradbury Building, which we visited a few years ago (the interior is AMAZING, plus "Blade Runner" was filmed there!).
Previous visits to the Last Bookstore
April 2014
Previous visit to the Million Dollar Theater and The Bradbury Building:
October 2015
Within a few steps from these places was our next stop, the city's oldest and largest public market...
No comments:
Post a Comment