Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [99]
Wilshire Blvd is the most attractive thoroughfare and lined with historic churches and other buildings harkening back to the time when this area was a wealthy business and residential district known as Wilshire Center.
Coming from Downtown, first up is the 1929 art deco Bullocks Wilshire (off Map; 213-738-8240; www.swlaw.edu/bullockswilshire; 3050 Wilshire Blvd), the country’s first department store designed for shoppers arriving by car. Unfortunately, it closed in 1992 and is now a law school rarely open to the public.
These days, shopping around here is done at slick malls such as the new Aroma Wilshire Center (off Map; 213-387-0111; 3680 Wilshire Blvd; ) near the Metro Red Line Wilshire/Western station. Pick through Korean groceries, cosmetics, music, books, stationery and all sorts of fun imports, get a workout at the golf-driving range or work out the kinks at the fancy fitness center.
To connect with local Korean culture, pop into the free Korean American Museum (off Map; 213-388-4229; www.kamuseum.org; 4th fl, 3727 W 6th St; admission free; 11am-6pm Wed-Fri, 11am-3pm Sat) which has changing art exhibits and cultural events.
A bit further east, the Wiltern Theatre (off Map; 213-388-1400; www.wiltern.com; 3790 Wilshire Blvd), a 1931 theater turned concert venue, struts its stuff in a glorious turquoise mantle right at the intersection of Wilshire and Western Blvds (get it?). Sting, Fergie and Feist are among the artists who’ve played here.
East Los Angeles
The Los Angeles River is a bit like the US–Mexican border without the wall and the minutemen. Beyond the concrete gulch lies the oldest and largest Mexican community outside of Mexico. It’s been the breeding ground for musicians like Los Lobos, athletes like boxer Oscar de la Hoya and actors like Anthony Quinn.
Life in the barrio is tough but lively. Stroller-pushing moms stop for pan dulce (sweet bread) and gossip at local panaderías (bakeries), pick up dinner at the carnicería (butchershop) and fresh tortillas straight from the factory. On summer nights, makeshift grills pop up at street corners, taquerías (taco shops) get packed with families, and laborers chill with a cold cerveza (beer) after another hard day’s work.
There aren’t any major stops on the tourist track out here, but even a quick drive or stroll and perhaps a bite in one of several excellent restaurants will deepen your understanding of this complex city. Access will be easier once the Metro Rail Gold Line extension is completed in 2009, but for now the best way to visit is by car via 1st St. Street parking is ubiquitous.
Just a tortilla toss east of the river is Mariachi Plaza (Map; cnr Boyle Ave & 1st St), where traditional Mexican musicians in fanciful suits and wide-brimmed hats troll for work. Stop for coffee in the artsy Homegirl Café Click here or indulge in a classy meal at La Serenata de Garibaldi.
East of here, a nondescript building houses the Hollenbeck Youth Center (Map; 2015 E 1st St) where Oscar ‘Golden Boy’ de la Hoya punched himself into shape for the 1992 Olympic gold medal. Just past a giant cemetery is El Mercado (off Map; 3425 E 1st St & Lorena), a colorful indoor market where locals come for homemade mole (sauce), dulce de leche (caramel), toys and tortilla presses. On weekends, it’s a scene and a half in the two 3rd-floor restaurants where ‘dueling’ mariachi bands entertain families and kissing couples.
North of here, Self-Help Graphics & Art (off Map; 323-881-6444; www.selfhelpgraphics.com; 3802 Cesar E Chavez Ave at Gage Ave; admission free) has been nurturing and promoting Latino art for the past three decades. Because of budget troubles, it’s rarely open these days but the remaining staff still puts on the Southland’s best and largest Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Day) celebration on November 1. The mural on the eastern wall (above Super Taco) is a recreation of David Alfaro Siqueros