Some
of the most wonderful travel gems to uncover are those in your very own backyard about which you knew nothing.
This weekend I had the fortune of uncovering such gems when my girlfriend signed us up for a walking tour of
downtown Los Angeles. Downtown Los Angeles is a very odd place indeed. Although it was the heart of the
city in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the area took a deep plunge into urban decay and nastiness. Today, there
are some nice office buildings and museums but that’s about it. Many Los Angelinos live their entire lives
without ever visiting downtown.
The very wonderful Los Angeles Conservancy is trying to change
that. Their tours (tag line: Experience the
Unknown Los Angeles) walk visitors through the historic areas of downtown to reveal an amazingly rich and affluent past
that has now been swallowed up by cheap electronics stores, discount sock sellers, and countless Mexican wedding dress
outlets. Wipe away the cheesiness and grime and a remarkable city emerges.
For only $10 a pop, the Los Angeles Conservancy helps uncover this past glory through 13 walking tours manned by experienced and friendly
guides. Architecture fans can opt for the Art Deco Tour, the Union Station Tour (the fantastic Train Station),
the Angelino Heights Tour (the first Beverly Hills of LA) and a handful of others. We joined the Broadway
Historic Theatre District Tour which I will post about on Tuesday as well as a side tour into the famous Bradbury
Building (to be posted on Wednesday).