bucket list: DTLA

as I was heading to my other must see spot on my DTLA adventure, I had a super deja vu feeling, and realized that I was right in the middle of one of my favorite movies. remember the park bench from 500 Days of Summer that was tom's favorite view of LA? you're looking at it. the park (Angel's Knoll) has unfortunately closed due to budget cuts (some suit thinks it should be turned into a sky scraper - cue eye roll), but if you walk down the Angel's Flight railway/stairs (another randomly cool thing I stumbled upon), the park is to the right. being from boston, a city where old and new combine so seamlessly wherever you look, I love finding pockets like this. I snapped a quick picture, almost slipping and tumbling down a giant concrete trench in front of a gaggle of homeless people, checked out the originally restored cars from 1901, and headed on my way.

the point for my trek away from the museum was to see the bradbury building, an obsession of mine for years. I love old architecture, and this building is a serious gem that is still fully functioning as an office building (including the original cage door elevator). thankfully, visitors are allowed into the lobby of the building during office hours, so I poked my head in for a few fan girl minutes, snapped some pictures, and headed on my way. so much attention to detail- they just don't make building like they used to. unfortunately for fans of the building, there is a security guard on duty who makes sure you don't go any higher than the first floor landing. I'm sure the view from the top looking down is amazing, but even from the bottom I loved it.

 

the last stop on my DTLA adventure was a total happy accident. I had a bit of time to kill before I headed home, and realized that I was right around the corner from the last bookstore - a place that I had read about for a while, but never made it to. I love putzing around a traditional bookstore, and this place takes that love to another level. used books for dirt cheap, new releases, records, vintage books, artist studios, and a labyrinth of rare book combine in an insanely cool downtown space. I could have spent hours pursuing the shelves, and checking out the art work. definitely a must see, we all have to work to keep cool and unique spaces like this alive in a world that is slowly and surely killing off bookstores in favor of amazon and online shopping.

have you paid a visit to any of these locations?

xx, marissa