Weekend Resident Tourist: Downtown LA DIY Walking Tour

Egads, the weather has been lovely lately, hasn't it? Makes us almost ready to forgive Mother Nature for the torrential rains, winds, and mud. Last weekend was so nice that we thought we ought to get out of the house and into the heart of the city, so we did a little "resident tourist" number and plotted out a hearty walk and photo-taking tour of some spots in downtown LA.

We started off the tour by hopping on the Metro Red Line. LAist loves the Red Line; we embrace its shortcomings, we sometimes laugh at its futility, but we use it when we can. We definitely use it when we go downtown. So we joined the folks carrying their LA Marathon banners and took the train down to Pershing Square. First stop on the tour was the Grand Central Market. We'd never heard of this place until recently, and we were curious to see how it might stack up to the famous Pike Place Market that we'd recently roamed. Even though it was early Sunday morning, the sawdust-covered floors were packed with folks eager for a taste of some of the savory food being served up at the stalls. We weren't ready to eat, though the aroma of Chinese, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Italian dishes were enticing, and the aisles of bulk spices, gleaming produce, and sugary treats looked beautiful, we settled on a modest cafe cubano near the front entrance.

Across the street is Angel's Flight, the historic funicular railway that had to close a few years ago following a tragic accident. We checked it out, and then moved on, north on Broadway, and over to Grand to stare at the glare still bouncing off the notorious panels of Disney Hall. We then wandered the courtyard of the original Music Center Plaza, appreciative of the fact that there were no crowds, and then heard the bells of the Our Lady of Angels Cathedral from across the way, and wandered over to take a closer look at the architecture, and to do a little people watching. We enjoyed a break on the Cathedral's patio, and when the stream of Sunday Mass attendees had dwindled, we snuck inside the church (heathen and non-Catholic as we may be) and marveled at the art and design of the sacred space. Back out into the sunny SoCal day it was, and back down Broadway, either to hop a train home, or to grab a bite. (If you caught LAist yesterday you can guess where we went!) LAist had a blast; we love to look at our own city like a resident tourist sometimes, and with these sunny days, it's a shame not to!

Look here for step-by-step details and more of our pictures.