DTLA Visit - Chinatown, South Park, Near Skid Row, Little Tokyo (11/28/2015)

It has been a while since the last visit back in July, 2015. For the month of November, we decided to first visit L.A.'s Chinatown. It has been years since I have visited Chinatown, and right when we got off at LA Metro's Chinatown Gold Line station, that statement is none more apparent to me.





Not being DTLA residents but vistors, we start off at the Atlantic Gold Line station located in East Los Angeles at the intersection of Pomona Blvd and Atlantic Blvd. There is a parking garage right next to the station providing convenient access if driving to the station, and parking for Gold Line passengers is free.

Source: Google Maps

The map above shows the location of the Atlantic Gold Line Station and the location of the aforementioned parking garage (outlined in red). The location of this station is conveniently located off the 60 Freeway. Typically, I take the Gold Line from this station, otherwise I would take the Silver Line express bus down near Gardena (More about this in a future post). Another convenient feature to mention is the ability to now reload a TAP card online at https://www.taptogo.net/TAPReload.

(Above: View of the Atlantic Gold Line Station from the top of the parking garage)

I have parked many times at the parking garage and have not encountered any difficulties. I would still provide precaution by hiding any personal belongings. This is a recommendation I take anywhere I go.

 (Above: Entrance to the Atlantic Gold Line Station from the Atlantic Boulevard side)

(Above: Getting ready to board the Westbound train to Chinatown, but this train goes all the way to Sierra Madre Villa Station in Pasadena. LA Metro is currently extending the northern route from the current terminus in Sierra Madre Villa Station to the City of Azusa. Their website states the anticipated opening date is on March 5, 2016.)

Right when we got off the train at the Chinatown Station, the first thing we saw is a new development on what used to be a parking lot.

This is the new and upcoming Blossom Plaza, a mixed use development consisting of retail and residential. My initial thought was the clash between my old image of Chinatown and the present. I soon came to find that more changes are apparent in this district. Nevertheless, having this development will provide additional residents and foot traffic to this area. This Gold Line station sorely needs more transit oriented developments (TOD).

Looking to the south of the platform, you can see the financial district skyline along with the Civic Center area. Notice you can see the under construction Wilshire Grand (upcoming tallest building in Los Angeles) making a presence along the skyline. After, we went to try out Burgerlords located at 943 N. Broadway #102.

Overall, the vegan burger and fries were delicious and provides vegetarians more options to eat. I recommend visiting this place while taking some time to appreciate the history of Chinatown. What is interesting is the juxtaposition of this place with the "old". A hip burger joint located amongst the old Chinese architectural buildings.

Historically, the location of this Chinatown is not the original Chinatown (source). The picture above however, gives me the feeling of a foreshadowing of what's new to come. The juxtaposition of the new Blossom Plaza and the "NEW CHINATOWN" image strikes the thought of what's in store for Chinatown's future.

After visting Chinatown, we decided to visit Grand Park located in the Civic Center area. One goal of the DTLA visit was to explore DTLA without the need for using the personal automobile. We walked south on Broadway and crossed over the 101 Freeway. It is here, I felt there was a serious disconnect between the districts. The freeway acted as a divider. The homeless population here is great and impedes ADA access to those who needs to utilize the sidewalk on their wheelchair:

Grand Park: 

This is one of my favorite parks in DTLA. It was great to see people congregating here hanging out and talking. This park provides a valuable space for the DTLA community. My second favorite is Grand Hope Park. Pershing Square, however, needs a total revamp (More on that in a future post).

We then used the Grand Park Red/Purple Line station to get to Pershing Square Station:

(Above: Getting on the subway train at Civic Ctr/Grand Park Station to Pershing Square station)

I felt giddy and full of joy being able to ride the subway. Don't mind me, I am a transit nerd, but having this service is crucial as it provides such a better service and is superior to the car as it doesn't face any of the traffic congestion or traffic lights above in getting to Koreatown (Purple Line) or Hollywood and the Valley (Red Line).

Right next to the Pershing Square station, I saw this:

Walking down Hill Street and going through the Jewelry District on the way to South Park, we also saw this cool mural:

You can also see the under renovation of the Broadway Trade Center which will be an enormous asset to revitalizing this portion of the area:

One street over to the west on Olive Street, is a large under construction residential tower and across the street is the recently opened Whole Foods within the 8th and Grand mixed use project:

We walked over to South Park and saw a lot of people using the Pico Station:

Right next to this station is what used to be a parking lot and is now under construction called Circa and is a mixed  use project that will have two high rise towers:

DTLA is full of new construction activity as shown by the above image. Next to the Ritz Carlton/LA Live tower is the mega project known as Metropolis from Greenland Group. Next to the 777 Figueroa Tower is the upcoming tallest building in Los Angeles, Wilshire Grand. Immediately north of the Circa project is also another mega project known as Oceanwide Plaza which will also bring retail, hotel, and residential units. It is truly an exciting time for DTLA.

Rendering of Oceanwide Plaza:

Source: http://www.ctbuh.org/GlobalNews/getArticle.php?id=2854#!

We also visited LA Live:

Afterwards, we took LA Metro Route 28 Local Bus from Olympic & Flower to 6th & Los Angeles bus stop. This is right at the border of LA Skid Row. The difference from origin to destination is much apparent as right as we got off the destination stop the area was more run down and dirty. We went up on Los Angeles Street to Winston Street then made our way over to Main Street. It is amazing to see the difference one street over makes. From the previous street filled with trash and litter while Main Street where it is common to see couples walking their dog and the streets are cleaner.

After having dinner near the area, we then walked up Main Street and made our way over to Little Tokyo to have some Mochi at Mikawaya:

(Above: Along the way on Main Street we saw this at the Old Bank District. This brings back memories as I remember seeing the lighting during New Year's Eve back in 2013.)

Pictures we took as we were heading over to the Little Tokyo Gold Line Station:

The under construction 1st/Central station for the Regional Connector project:

Waiting for the train and seeing the East LA Gold Line train approaching:

When we got to the Atlantic Station, I again noticed the 25 years LA Metro sticker on the train and thought how great it is that we have this train system. The thought of not having a train system before 25 years ago is thought-provoking. L.A. has come a long way in transit and the future is bright with many upcoming projects.

Overall, the trip was great as it provided an opportunity to revisit Chinatown and see the changes that are taking place. Being able to walk and use transit provides the opportunity to check out much of the changes that are taking place throughout DTLA. Lots of improvements are taking place, but there are also areas where more improvements are needed. Until next time.