The art gallery on the second floor of The Last Bookstore.
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Courtesy Megan Tan
)
Topline:
The next time someone says Los Angeles isn’t walkable, here’s The LA Local Guide to an art-filled stroll through DTLA.
More details: Held on the first Thursday of each month, DTLA ArtNight — traditionally referred to as the Art Walk — reimagines downtown L.A.’s Historic Core as a premier, pedestrian-oriented destination for art enthusiasts.
Why it matters: A lot of people don’t think downtown Los Angeles is worth visiting. For some unfamiliar with the area, DTLA can feel overwhelming, expensive or just not worth the effort.
Read on ... for a curated guide to a fun date night in downtown.
This story was originally published by The LA Local on Feb. 12, 2026.
A lot of people don’t think downtown Los Angeles is worth visiting.
For some unfamiliar with the area, DTLA can feel overwhelming, expensive or just not worth the effort.
But if you’re a little cheap (like me), enjoy walking around the city and love art paired with a solid drink, downtown actually has a lot to offer — especially for a low-stress date night or a spontaneous adventure.
Held on the first Thursday of each month, DTLA ArtNight — traditionally referred to as the Art Walk — reimagines downtown LA’s Historic Core as a premier, pedestrian-oriented destination for art enthusiasts.
So the next time someone says Los Angeles isn’t walkable, here’s The LA Local Guide to an art-filled stroll through DTLA.
A woman holds a map to all the galleries at “DTLA Artnight.”
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Erick Galindo
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The LA Local
)
First Stop
The Hive Gallery & Studios
The Hive Gallery & Studios instantly breaks the stereotype of what an art gallery is “supposed” to be. Located on Spring Street, it’s perfect for bringing along that one person in your life who says they’re “not really into museums.”
The art is quirky, creepy, colorful and fun — very Tim Burton-esque at times. It feels expressive and personal rather than polished and institutional. Another big plus is affordability. The gallery genuinely feels like a community of artists who want their work to be seen and sold without breaking the bank.
Just down the street is Beelman’s Pub, a true neighborhood bar. It’s not the kind of spot influencers travel across town to photograph — and that’s exactly why it works.
Drinks and food are reasonably priced, happy hour is solid and there’s a large outdoor patio along with plenty of indoor seating.
The staff is friendly, the vibe is relaxed and it feels like a place where you can actually have a conversation without shouting.
Sports fans will feel right at home. During the Dodgers’ 2024 World Series victory, the energy poured into the streets of downtown. With TVs throughout the bar and a crowd that genuinely cares about the game, it feels like watching from home.
The gallery works especially well for people who may not consider themselves “art people” but appreciate street art and cultural commentary.
The Vault showcases work that feels distinctly Los Angeles — graffiti-inspired pieces, political undertones — and art that blends history, culture and rebellion.
Much of it carries a Banksy-like edge.
I’ve personally picked up Aztec Mega Man pieces and Blood-in Blood-out Dragon Ball–inspired art from The Vault, which reflects the range of work on display.
Arrive early during the DTLA Art Walk, and you may even find complimentary snacks and bubbly.
An art piece on display at Art Walk LA in downtown Los Angeles.
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Louie Martinez
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The LA Local
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Fourth Stop
Emerging Art Gallery
The Emerging Art Gallery may feel more traditional at first glance, but it’s far more dynamic than it appears. The gallery serves as a central hub for the DTLA Art Craw, making it a key stop on any art-focused night downtown.
Inside, visitors can find a rotating mix of photography, paintings and sculptures from both established artists and emerging creatives.
The DTLA Art Crawl takes place on the first Thursday of every month and offers a true choose-your-own-adventure experience.
More than 25 galleries are within walking distance of one another, but the energy extends well beyond the gallery walls.
Local artists line the streets with booths selling everything from original artwork and handmade prints to plants, clothing, vases and small knickknacks.
Many galleries also bring in DJs spinning music, creating a vibe that feels more like a block party than a traditional art show—putting Los Angeles artists front and center.
Josie Huang
is a reporter and Weekend Edition host who spotlights the people and places at the heart of our region.
Published September 27, 2026 9:27 AM
The star marks the epicenter of a small quake Sunday morning off shore in the South Bay.
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Courtesy USGS
)
Topline:
An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.6 struck near Hermosa Beach, and it was reported as being felt as far off as Oxnard.
Keep reading ... for more on what we know for now.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.6 struck off the South Bay at about 8:40 a.m. and was reported as being felt as far as Oxnard.
The U.S. Geological Survey says it was centered about four miles west-southwest of Hermosa Beach. More than 1,500 people reported feeling it within the first hour after it struck. [You can report what you felt to the USGS.]
No significant damage has been reported, which is typical at this low of a magnitude.
The quake was below the threshold of 4.0 magnitude that triggers an alert on the ShakeAlert app.
We don't want to scare you, but the Big One is coming. We don't know when, but we know it'll be at least 44 times stronger than Northridge and 11 times stronger than the Ridgecrest quakes in 2019. To help you get prepared, we've compiled a handy reading list:
Members of Compás Discoteca (L to R): Adrian Silva, Albert Piña, Ricardo Carlos, and Elias Ruiz.
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Dañiel Martinez
/
LAist
)
Topline:
Compás Discoteca, a four-person DJ collective, fosters community and connections with eclectic live vinyl mixing at restaurants in and near the Inland Empire.
The backstory: Ricardo Carlos, Elias Ruiz, Albert Piña and Adrian Silva have been friends for about two decades. They all DJ as a hobby and often share music. The crew decided to form the collective after seeing what they thought of as a "sign" in 2024.
On a Sunday night at the Mexican restaurant La Popular in Claremont, diners are eating to a soundtrack that starts with cumbia and jumps to J Balvin and Bad Bunny before landing on Luther Vandross.
That’s the aim of DJ collective Compás Discoteca — to bring connection and community through live vinyl mixing at La Popular and El Balcon in Ontario.
How Compás Discoteca was born
Ricardo Carlos, Elias Ruiz, Albert Piña and Adrian Silva have been friends for about two decades. They all DJ as a hobby and often share music. On a night out in 2024, they saw a sign: a parking space for a “compact car,” minus two letters.
“The C and T are missing — compá. Like, ‘We're compás,’” Carlos said, recounting that night.
A "Compás Discoteca" turntable mat.
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Dañiel Martinez
/
LAist
)
Their DJ collective, Compás Discoteca, was born. “Compás” means “buddies” in Spanish and “Discoteca” means “nightclub."
Seasoning the scene
When Compás Discoteca first formed, the members said Southern California’s vinyl-listening scene was more focused on track selection, letting songs play out in full. The collective wanted to bring more life to the experience by mixing music live.
“It just seemed a little stale,” Silva said. “I feel like we helped to bring some seasoning to that.”
They also wanted to play genres people wouldn’t normally hear together.
“You might hear us jump from funk to cumbia to hip-hop to disco, soul to house. We're just trying to take people on a journey with us,” Silva said.
Each compá takes their turn at the turntables for two 30-minute sets. And each brings their own sound.
Three of the "compás" pose for a picture in between their sets.
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Dañiel Martinez
/
LAist
)
Silva is the “party-starter.” He gets people dancing.
Carlos has a Latin bent, taking influence from his Puerto Rican, Salvadoran and Creole roots.
Ruiz lives for “jaw-drop moments” and brings records he thinks will surprise his fellow DJs.
Piña spins rare world grooves in the funk and boogie vein.
“He probably gets the most Shazams from us and from the audience,” Ruiz said of Piña. “But most importantly, you feel like you're hanging out and with some good music.”
Albert Piña prepares looks through a box of vinyl records during his DJ set at "La Popular" in Claremont.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
)
Feeding off the energy
Compás Discoteca DJs at El Balcon in Ontario on the first Friday of each month and at La Popular in Claremont on the third Sunday.
The vibes for Sundays are chill, they said, and Fridays are for letting it all loose.
“There's like an energy there, like, ‘Oh, man, we made it through the week.’ We try to feed off of that,” Piña said.
Compás Discoteca vinyl nights
Compás Discoteca DJs at El Balcon (200 N. Euclid Ave., Unit C, Ontario) on the first Friday of each month and at La Popular (235 N. Yale Ave., Claremont) on the third Sunday.
When: Fridays, 7 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Sundays, 5 to 9 p.m.
Cost: free to diners
Next shows: Friday, Oct. 2, at El Balcon; Sunday, Oct. 18, at La Popular
Keep up with LAist.
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Fiona Ng
is LAist's deputy managing editor and leads a team of reporters who explore food, culture, history, events and more.
Published September 27, 2026 5:00 AM
The Bagel Portal, the bagel delivery system of 29 Loaves, in Joshua Tree.
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Courtesy 29 Loaves
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Topline:
Joshua Tree has quirk, character and plenty of nature. Since 2024, it also has real New York-style bagels.
How? These bagels are courtesy of 29 Loaves, a home bakery operated by DIY baker and through-and-through New Yorker Richard Lee.
Read on… to find out what distinguishes a New York-style bagel from lesser ones, according to Lee, and how he learned to make his.
Along Highway 62 in Joshua Tree, a stack of high school lockers holds something the High Desert was missing: a real New York-style bagel.
For that, you have DIY baker Richard Lee to thank.
“I want a bagel. What do I do?” Lee remembered thinking after moving to Twentynine Palms in 2023 from Los Angeles, where he had lived for more than a decade.
The Bagel Portal off Highway 62 in Joshua Tree.
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Richard Lee
/
Courtesy 29 Loaves
)
It wasn’t just any bagel the born-and-raised New Yorker was craving, but the kind from back home that gives “a little crunch” when you bite into its crust — with a “chewy, softer” inside and a taste Lee calls “ineffable.”
“Like maybe a sourdough or an Italian bread,” he said.
Taught by YouTube, tested by family in New York
Richard Lee converted his garage in 29 Palms to make bagels.
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Courtesy 29 Loaves
)
A tinkerer by nature, Lee launched 29 Loaves in early 2024, bringing bagels he handcrafts in his licensed home operation to Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree and surrounding communities.
“I went to the culinary school of YouTube,” he said, having watched more than 100 videos on how to make a bagel. At first, he relied on his own taste buds as a guide, before sending his creations to his family in New York to taste.
After months of overnight shipping, Lee said, “Even a UPS store is asking me, ‘Why are you doing that?’”
“I know it makes no sense,” he told them. “That's how I operate.”
29 Loaves serves up New York-style bagels to Joshua Tree and other desert communities.
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Courtesy 29 Loaves
)
Eventually, his sister gave the thumbs-up. To be extra, extra, extra sure, Lee went to folks living in the desert with New York ties to get their blessing.
“Attention is an ingredient,” Lee said of his bagels. It’s a philosophy he’s honed while running his other business providing IT services, which he now operates remotely.
“Garbage in, garbage out,” he said. “If you make a mistake or something falls on the bagel and marks it, it’ll end up that way as a finished product.”
Why bagels mean so much to him
Lee, whose father is Korean and mother is Brazilian, said his bakery is ultimately about food memories — and draws inspiration from what he ate growing up. The only other baked good 29 Loaves sells is pão de queijo, a gluten-free Brazilian cheese puff he makes.
Richard Lee handmakes New York-style bagels at his home operation.
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Courtesy 29 Loaves
)
But nothing rivals bagels. Sundays were often bagel days in his childhood home in the Long Island suburbs. As a teenager working for his father, Lee remembered they would make detours off the Long Island Expressway to grab fresh bagels.
“They were nice and plump, and they were so hot,” he said.
Father and son would eat them straight out of the bag — no cream cheese, no nothing.
“Those were the types of memories that I wanna bring here,” Lee said.
Get your bagel
You can find 29 Loaves bagels in select cafes and markets in desert communities, including Indian Wells, Palm Desert and Pioneertown. Lee himself delivers orders within Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree.
For a 24/7 hankering, there’s The Bagel Portal, at 61877 29 Palms Highway, Joshua Tree — look for a stack of lockers under a wooden A-frame in the parking lot facing the highway. You’ll get a combination code after making a purchase.
The widespread coastal damage from Hurricane Marie, which was hundreds of miles off the coast, is a preview of what El Nino could bring later this year.
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Mario Tama
/
Getty Images
)
Topline:
Big surf from distant hurricanes in the Pacific could bring coastal flooding to Southern California starting this weekend.
Why it matters: Hurricanes Polo and Odalys are expected to cause coastal erosion, flooding and high surf along Southern California's already battered coastline.
Read on ... for the forecast.
Big surf from distant hurricanes in the Pacific could bring coastal flooding to Southern California starting this weekend.
Hurricanes Polo and Odalys are expected to cause coastal erosion, flooding and high surf along Southern California's already battered coastline. Swells from Polo are expect to arrive as early as late Sunday and peak Monday and Tuesday.
Bryan Lewis, National Weather Service meteorologist, told LAist that high tides could reach 7 feet. He said Long Beach and Avalon are among the more vulnerable areas for potential flooding and erosion.
Long Beach and Los Angeles warned residents to prepare for potential flooding and other effects through at least Wednesday.
In early September, Hurricane Marie brought coastal erosion and flooding that led homes being red- and yellow-tagged in L.A. and Orange counties.
