Downtown Los Angeles isn't celebrated in the way that, say, downtown New York or Cincinnati are. People imagine that the urban center of LA is a gang-dominated wasteland where tourists are escorted around in armored vehicles. But, that is actually a long way from the truth. After all, some of the largest businesses in America have chosen downtown LA to locate their offices.
Because downtown LA has such a bad rap, and because other locations, like Hollywood and Beverly Hills, have stolen its thunder, it's now full of hidden treasures for those intrepid enough to go looking for them. Check out these fantastic places you would never guess were located right at the heart of the City of Angels.
LA Boulders
LA Boulders is a company located in downtown LA which runs an indoor climbing facility. It is, therefore, the perfect way to work off a few calories if you visit one of the areas many fast food joints for lunch.
LA Boulder wants to appeal to as broad an audience as possible, and so it offers people the opportunity to try out climbing walls of varying difficulty. The beginner climbing walls are still hard if you're not used to heaving your body up vertically, and you'll quickly start to feel the burn in your arms. But it's still a fun day out and one that you don't want to miss if you're in the area.
Velveteria
Did you know that you could paint in velvet? Probably not. But that's the whole point of LA's Velveteria, a gallery dedicated to velvet-based art.
It's not a small place either. The venue is home to some 3,000 original paintings - enough to keep you occupied for a full afternoon. The Velveteria is open all days except Tuesday.
LA Broadway
If you've ever searched for cheap theater tickets, you will no doubt have come across LA's very own Broadway. LA's Broadway is a knock-off version of the real thing in New York, right? Wrong. It turns out that LA has had its own theater district for just as long as New York, but like so much else in downtown LA, it's been overshadowed by other parts of the city.
Nickel Diner
If you're on a diet, you might want to stop reading now. The Nickel Diner is not a diet-friendly place. It is, however, just the sort of dive you want to find when you're on holiday and treating yourself to pleasant culinary experiences.
Top items on the menu include strawberry crumble donuts, pulled pork sandwiches and homemade biscuits with jam. Is maple-glazed bacon more your thing? Fear not: you can get that here too.
Biddy Mason Park
L.A. doesn't have an equivalent of New York's Central Park, but it does have the Biddy Mason Park, located just off Broadway. The park is a tribute to Biddy Mason, a courageous woman who fought for equal rights for African Americans in the nineteenth century. You can find out more about her life and struggles inscribed on murals in the park.
