Category: DTLA Visit

DTLA Visit - Chinatown, South Park, Near Skid Row, Little Tokyo (11/28/2015)

11/29/2015

By: Chad Kim

It has been a while since the last visit back in July, 2015. For the month of November, we decided to first visit L.A.'s Chinatown. It has been years since I have visited Chinatown, and right when we got off at LA Metro's Chinatown Gold Line station, that statement is none more apparent to me.

Not being DTLA residents but vistors, we start off at the Atlantic Gold Line station located in East Los Angeles at the intersection of Pomona Blvd and Atlantic Blvd. There is a parking garage right next to the station providing convenient access if driving to the station, and parking for Gold Line passengers is free.

Source: Google Maps

The map above shows the location of the Atlantic Gold Line Station and the location of the aforementioned parking garage (outlined in red). The location of this station is conveniently located off the 60 Freeway. Typically, I take the Gold Line from this station, otherwise I would take the Silver Line express bus down near Gardena (More about this in a future post). Another convenient feature to mention is the ability to now reload a TAP card online at https://www.taptogo.net/TAPReload.

(Above: View of the Atlantic Gold Line Station from the top of the parking garage)

I have parked many times at the parking garage and have not encountered any difficulties. I would still provide precaution by hiding any personal belongings. This is a recommendation I take anywhere I go.

Right when we got off the train at the Chinatown Station, the first thing we saw is a new development on what used to be a parking lot.

After, we went to try out Burgerlordslocated at 943 N. Broadway #102.

Overall, the vegan burger and fries were delicious and provides vegetarians more options to eat. I recommend visiting this place while taking some time to appreciate the history of Chinatown. What is interesting is the juxtaposition of this place with the "old". A hip burger joint located amongst the old Chinese architectural buildings.

Historically, the location of this Chinatown is not the original Chinatown (source). The picture above however, gives me the feeling of a foreshadowing of what's new to come. The juxtaposition of the new Blossom Plaza and the "NEW CHINATOWN" image strikes the thought of what's in store for Chinatown's future.

After visting Chinatown, we decided to visit Grand Park located in the Civic Center area. One goal of the DTLA visit was to explore DTLA without the need for using the personal automobile. We walked south on Broadway and crossed over the 101 Freeway. It is here, I felt there was a serious disconnect between the districts. The freeway acted as a divider. The homeless population here is great and impedes ADA access to those who needs to utilize the sidewalk on their wheelchair:

Grand Park:

This is one of my favorite parks in DTLA. It was great to see people congregating here hanging out and talking. This park provides a valuable space for the DTLA community. My second favorite is Grand Hope Park. Pershing Square, however, needs a total revamp (More on that in a future post).

We then used the Grand Park Red/Purple Line station to get to Pershing Square Station:

(Above: Getting on the subway train at Civic Ctr/Grand Park Station to Pershing Square station)

I felt giddy and full of joy being able to ride the subway. Don't mind me, I am a transit nerd, but having this service is crucial as it provides such a better service and is superior to the car as it doesn't face any of the traffic congestion or traffic lights above in getting to Koreatown (Purple Line) or Hollywood and the Valley (Red Line).

You can also see the under renovation of the Broadway Trade Center which will be an enormous asset to revitalizing this portion of the area:

One street over to the west on Olive Street, is a large under construction residential tower and across the street is the recently opened Whole Foods within the 8th and Grand mixed use project:

We walked over to South Park and saw a lot of people using the Pico Station:

Right next to this station is what used to be a parking lot and is now under construction called Circa and is a mixed use project that will have two high rise towers:

Rendering of Oceanwide Plaza:

Source: http://www.ctbuh.org/GlobalNews/getArticle.php?id=2854#!

We also visited LA Live:

Afterwards, we took LA Metro Route 28 Local Bus from Olympic & Flower to 6th & Los Angeles bus stop. This is right at the border of LA Skid Row. The difference from origin to destination is much apparent as right as we got off the destination stop the area was more run down and dirty. We went up on Los Angeles Street to Winston Street then made our way over to Main Street. It is amazing to see the difference one street over makes. From the previous street filled with trash and litter while Main Street where it is common to see couples walking their dog and the streets are cleaner.

After having dinner near the area, we then walked up Main Street and made our way over to Little Tokyo to have some Mochi at Mikawaya:

(Above: Along the way on Main Street we saw this at the Old Bank District. This brings back memories as I remember seeing the lighting during New Year's Eve back in 2013.)

Pictures we took as we were heading over to the Little Tokyo Gold Line Station:

Waiting for the train and seeing the East LA Gold Line train approaching:

When we got to the Atlantic Station, I again noticed the 25 years LA Metro sticker on the train and thought how great it is that we have this train system. The thought of not having a train system before 25 years ago is thought-provoking. L.A. has come a long way in transit and the future is bright with many upcoming projects.

Overall, the trip was great as it provided an opportunity to revisit Chinatown and see the changes that are taking place. Being able to walk and use transit provides the opportunity to check out much of the changes that are taking place throughout DTLA. Lots of improvements are taking place, but there are also areas where more improvements are needed. Until next time.

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Visit to DTLA: July, 2015

7/14/2015

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By: Chad Kim

I would like to try something new for this blog. I typically go to Downtown L.A. (DTLA) once a month, and I believe this would be the perfect platform to write about my experience for each trip I visit to that location.

For this month, I visited DTLA on July 11 and I drove to the parking structure next to the Atlantic Station for the Gold Line train. From there, I boarded the train and got off at the Little Tokyo Station. Each time I am able to visit DTLA, I am filled with excitement as I know DTLA is going through rapid changes for the better.

After a quick lunch, I walked by the location of the future train stop at 1st and Central:

Then, I walked over to Grand Park as there was an event called the Renegade Craft Fair (More info here:http://www.renegadecraft.com/losangeles. It was great seeing many people visiting the event and accordingly, the park. It was a very warm day, but it was worth seeing the many different items there.

From there, I took the red/purple line and got off at the Pershing Square Station to visit Pitchoun, a french bakery. I tried their croissant and macaroon and it was delicious. It's my second time visiting there, and I will go back there again.

...

After, I took pictures of the various major developments occurring throughout DTLA such as Oceanwide Plaza, 1200 Fig, Metropolis, and Wilshire Grand. In the process, I got to visit Fig at 7th and it was great to see many people visiting the shopping center and it felt vibrant with music.

Check out the pictures I have taken of the major developments in DTLA:

1200 Figueroa
Oceanwide Plaza
Metropolis

For dinner, I took the Purple Line train from 7th/Metro to Koreatown. I know, I know this is not a part of Downtown, but I still want to share :)

Goat Stew [Yum Soh Tang] at Nam Dae Moon Jip in Koreatown

Dessert at Snow LA in Koreatown

After dinner, I took the subway back to Union Station and transferred from there onto the Gold Line to get back to the Atlantic Station and then to the parking structure.

There were couple occasions of encountering the homeless, but they were not aggressive. While I am not disparaging the homeless, but, in the past, I have encountered a homeless person that was aggressive. All in all, my experience at DTLA and using transit was great.

Stay tuned for next month.

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DTLA Visit: Special Edition: N.Y.E.L.A Event at Grand Park

DTLA Visit - Chinatown, South Park, Near Skid Row, Little Tokyo (11/28/2015)

Visit to DTLA: July, 2015

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