Great Outdoors Orange County/Long Beach Chapter
presents
Repeat of Urban Walk in Downtown Los Angeles
Date Sunday, February 18, 2023, starting at 10:00 AM
Contact: Frederick Brown E-mail: fredincal346@gmail.com Phone: 562-754-1838
The itinerary has been altered because of lessons learned from the outing on January 14. Specifically, the Library does not open until 1 PM on Sundays, and the restaurants in St. Vicent Court are closed on Sundays. The estimated time for this outing is about four hours, depending on how much time participants spend at each of the sites.
Wear comfortable walking shoes and clothing and bring a liter of water. There are restrooms in the Grand Central Market, the Los Angeles Public Library, the Biltmore Hotel, the Last Book Store, and the Macy’s Store across 7thStreet from the metro station.
Downtown Los Angeles has many interesting sites. The recommended way for participants to travel to the event is to take the Los Angeles Metro A Line which runs from Long Beach to Azusa, or the E Line which runs from Santa Monica to Atlantic Avenue, East Los Angeles into Los Angeles. We will meet up outside the Historic Broadway Station on the corner of Broadway and Second Street (click here for map) no later than 10 AM. For those who want to leave on the A Line from the Willow Street station, we can meet at the ticket machines at no later than 8:35 AM and take the train at 8:50 AM. Please let the trip leader know by text if you plan to meet there. For those who choose to drive, the parking garage across the street from the station at 221 2nd W Street costs $7 for the entire day but was closed on January 14. The garage at 213 S. Spring Street was open and costs the same $7. We will meet at the entrance outside the station (See picture above).
If people need to use the bathroom at the Grand Central Market, we can make a quick pit stop there. Otherwise, from the station, we will walk to the Bradbury Building for a photo stop and a walk through. Exiting the Bradbury Building by the back door, we will walk through the Bridget “Biddy” Mason Memorial Park, arriving back on Broadway.
Leaving the museum, we will walk south on Broadway to 7th Street, and proceed west to the corner of 7th and Olive for a look at the Bank of Italy building (predecessor of the Bank of America).
Reversing course on 7thStreet we will reach Saint Vincent Court. Saint Vincent Court is an alleyway with a European atmosphere made of colorful shopfronts, cobbled brick paving, and charming cafes.
After a quick stop there, we will walk back north on Broadway to reach the Last Book Store on 5th Street which is in a former bank. The vault is still in the bank but is now unlocked. We will spend about 45 minutes in the book store.
After leaving the bookstore, we will have lunch at the L. A. Cafe at 639 S. Spring Street. The cafe includes vegan choices. Prices range from about $10 to $20.
Following lunch, we will return to the Grand Central Market for a walk through. Two favorite stops there are the ice cream and donut shops.
Exiting the market at the Hill Street entrance, we will cross the street and take Angel's Flight to the top of Bunker Hill. The TAP Card gives you half price, but you must have enough stored value on the card. Otherwise, the ride is $1.00.
From the top of Angel’s Flight, we will head across Bunker Hill to the Library Steps which descend the hill between the U. S. Bank and Citicorp buildings to arrive at the Los Angeles Public Library. Postmodern in style and reminiscent of Rome’s Spanish Steps, the steps are choreographed as an urban experience similar to a city street, complete with terraced landings, retail shops, and outdoor cafes with a range of activities for relaxing, dining, or shopping.
At the bottom of the steps, we will cross 5th Street to the Library. Inside the library, we will see the new wing rebuilt after the fire, as well as the beautiful children's library under the dome on the second floor. We will also visit the current exhibition on the second floor.
Leaving the Library, we will head West on 5th Street, taking a quick detour through the ornate Biltmore Hotel and exiting the hotel across the street from Pershing Square.
At the end of the tour, for those who took Metro, we will walk west on 5th Street past Pershing Square to the Metro Station. All others can return to the Spring Street parking garage, for the journey home.
Contact: Frederick Brown E-mail: fredincal346@gmail.com Phone: 562-754-1838
