+ Main Street

Main St is less tourist-orientated than the Third St Promenade precinct of Santa Monica, but still a nice walkable area (especially from the apartment). There are decent cafes, some boutiques and a whole bunch of council buildings.


Like City Hall.


And the Civic Auditorium.


This lovely art deco mural was rather unfortunately painted over in parts with white paint. What a shame. Also, a large mobile home was inconveniently parked in front of it so I couldn't take a wider shot.


I don't know if this is the real deal from the movie, but the store window it was sitting in suggests it could be. It was kept company by an array of vintage tin toys and novelties.


Main St is also an easy distance to the beach.


By the end of the shops in the drag, I found myself on the border of Venice and Santa Monica, though I didn't venture any further south. If cheap, crappy trinkets and airbrushed artworks of reggae artists are your thing, look no further!


These ladies caught my eye though.

+ the city of lost angles

I had an internship interview on Friday downtown and being a little nervous about getting down there by bus, I took a reconnaissance trip the day before to familiarise myself with the layout. I'm really glad I did - it was a good opportunity to get a feel for the area, and to earmark places to return to the next day.



Downtown LA does not enjoy a particularly good reputation as being a must-visit area, but many of the older buildings were surprisingly lovely (set between smells of hobo urine...) The building where I interviewed was itself an old bank converted into office studios upstairs and a swanky bar downstairs in the former vaults.

Th block before on Spring St featured this street art.


Walking up on 5th St towards Bunker Hill.


The next day, after the interview, I walked back up towards the Hill, to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). I was stymied by said Hill, until I noticed a little trolley gently gliding up and down. Score!

For just 25 cents, it takes you up gracefully without need for exertion or sweat.




On my way to MOCA, I was blinded by the silver brilliance of Walt Disney Concert Hall. Its steely layers beckoned.


At the Museum, I found this James Rosenquist piece highly alluring. I think it's called Waves.


As was this neon configuration, by I forget whom.


DTLA - it's what you make of it.


More photos in this flickr set.