Fun stop when visiting Grand Central Market. So many movies have filmed here -- Blade Runner and…read moreLethal Weapon just to name a couple. It's refreshing to see this kind of architecture in Los Angeles among endless mini malls. You can tell real pride went into the design and craftsmanship. A true historic landmark and worth taking a few minutes to appreciate while you're there.

What can you say about the Bradbury Building except that it is not what it once was. Currently, you…read morecan walk in there pretty much seven days a week and see the skeletal remains of what was once a fantastic piece of DTLA architecture. Now, the upstairs offices are generally blocked off and all that is left is the what used to be. Certainly, the Bradbury Building came to fame during the 1982 movie, Blade Runner where it was used as one of their primary sets. This was long before it was renovated showing off it's truly unique interior architecture. Very beautiful! For a lot of years, this building was pretty much closed to the public except for those who used it as a filming location. Being involved in the film industry for a lot of years, I personally have been in this building a number of times throughout its evolution. More recently, somebody got the great idea to renovate it. I guess that's a good thing? But, in its current state, all that you see is a whole lot of tourists coming in there, even tour guides, taking people in there telling them all kinds of lies about the history of the building. They weren't there, so they don't know! Yet, they speak about it. Now, it's a modernized office structure. Yes, much of the interior metallurgy is still there -- reminiscent of the time gone past. But much the vibe of the building is long gone. That's sad, I think. So, if you're in DTLA, and you want to look back to the past, the Bradbury Building is a interesting place to do that. It's right across the street from Grand Central Market, so it's impossible to miss. You can pretty much go in there seven days a week, and though you'll be limited to staying on the first floor, you can take a look and see what once was. I would say it's definitely worth the expedition.

Always a great spot to stop at if your a fan of American Horror Story: Murder House! Some other…read morenotable shows that were filmed here were: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X-files, Dexter, and so many more! It's a great photo op, usually there's no one else there, or maybe one of two other groups. But the place is big enough that you don't have to wait in line to take pictures! Street parking is free, but also, be respectful of the area as it is a residential area!

The famous "Murder House" from American Horror Story is located in Los Angeles and is great fun to…read moresee. The Murder is really the Rosenheim Mansion. Rosenheim built the mansion in 1908 to live in his wife. In around 1930 Edward Everett Horton lived there. The Sisters of Social Service then took over the mansion in 1930, using it as a convent and adding a chapel to the building in 1932. Around 1999/2000 the site was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. It was beautiful and still is in its own right. It was later sold in 2015 for about 3 million, which was a huge price cut from its initial offering. There was a lawsuit against the sellers agent for never disclosing that the property was featured on American Horror Story. Fans of the TV show stated going to it and this made the owners just a tad upset. It is now Murder House. You can now up to walk Murder House and take photos of the beautiful mansion and the area greenery. It is about an hour of fun. I had read that some can walk though it, but I did not see anyway to do that.

Forgot to mention super easy to get there on Metro E line to the Pico/Aliso station. There are also…read morea number of cool bars and taqueria places in the area for a great ELA beginners experience (or if you ride to the end of E, there's dim sum in Alhambra or the beach in Santa Monica.)

The 1st Street Bridge, officially the 1st Street Viaduct, is a beautiful old bridge. By…read more"beautiful," I don't mean pretty; it's not a pretty bridge by any stretch of the imagination, but it serves its purpose in a no-frills way, and it reminds me of the Downtown L.A. I grew up with, a sometimes scary but always fascinating place dominated by imposing physical structures of steel and concrete. The East L.A. Interchange and everything around it seemed intent on delivering millions of cars into and out of Downtown as brutally efficiently as possible, with no regard for the local neighborhoods (or the people who lived in them), the physical environment, or even the L.A. River itself. Unlike its flashy new neighbor the 6th Street Bridge and its closer and more crowded neighbor the 4th Street Bridge, the 1st Street Bridge always felt like the little-used last chance to cross the river before the busier (and confusing) Cesar Chavez Avenue (formerly Macy Street) Viaduct, not to mention Main Street much farther north. The construction of Metro's Gold Line (now the E Line) saved the bridge, in a way. Before the train tracks were laid across the span, there were five total lanes, with the center lane being one of those confusing ones that changes directions at certain times. Caltrans or L.A. Public Works or whoever couldn't seem to decide how wide to make the lanes, so they kept changing the sizes, possibly because the bridge originally had shoulders or three lanes in each direction? Now, there's one lane of motor-vehicle traffic heading westbound and two heading eastbound. All lanes are now permanent. There is a fairly well protected bike lane on the north side of the bridge, and the train tracks run in the middle. It's probably slower now, but because everyone knows it has three lanes total, fewer people probably use it. Or maybe GPS navigation has completely ruined the idea of people driving and not driving places because of their personal knowledge of situations there. In any case, driving westbound gives you the perfect view of Downtown L.A. My dad's side of the family has deep routes in Boyle Heights, so I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff, as ugly as it probably is to most non-Angelenos.

Cool place to visit if you're into folk art. My visit was short since there's only a two hour…read morewindow that you can visit on Thursdays. Some areas are in need of repair; some loose pieces were on the ground so look where you step. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take photos here. There is no parking on this narrow street so you'll have to park and walk.

Magical garden hidden in a private home. It is open to the public two hours a week while the…read moregardener works on the garden: Thursdays, 10am-noon. However, these hours are contingent on the gardener, who may not show up or may come late / leave early. If you're coming from afar, it might be a good idea to email the owner at gardenofoz@me.com and ask about that particular week. I found the email address on a webpage about the garden. I emailed at the start of the week when I wanted to come but heard back the following week. Turns out the gardener had car trouble so the garden was closed the previous week. The owner did email me back again letting me know the garden would be open the following week, which was nice of her. So, if you're driving from afar, reach out to confirm. Don't come at the last minute just in case the gardener leaves early. It's not the easiest to access but hey, this is a private home and we're lucky to have any access to it. This is interesting for anyone who loves folk art, mosaics, outsider art, etc. It's a large space with a lot to look at. No photography is allowed. Parking is on the street. The streets are narrow and hilly but there should be available parking within a reasonable distance.

A Los Angeles landmark, this facility is located near the grounds of the first settlers of the…read morecity. Built as LA's largest hotel in the 1870s, now utilized as a venue for weddings, events and special gatherings. 3 story building with an open air courtyard in the center, reminiscent of rich old world architecture.

Lovely venue in the oldest area of town. Good site for fundraisers, since we've been to two in…read morethree weeks!

There is NO SSA office here. It's closed and had apparently been closed for 7 years, according to…read morethe sketchy security guard. The building looks abandoned.

Super fast and easy name change to my hubby name within minutes. I completed my paperwork online…read moreand showed up in person but I read online I could've simply mailed in my forms. The peace of mind of knowing my application was completed was worth showing up in person though. The staff are a little less warm and fuzzy. My clerk greeted me with "I.D." I greeted her with a warm hello but it just fell flat as the clerk continued to process me in without looking up. But to her credit she looked up gave me a very big warm smile once my name change was completed. She seemed genuinely happy for me. The security guards were intimidating but more welcoming of you weren't arguing with them about how your sharp metal tools aren't anymore dangerous than a toothbrush. That actually happened. lol! But overall my experience was easy and convenient...and free. I walked so if you need to bring your car you'll pay a premium parking fee.

Hey Alexa, play the title track from the original Charmed series How Soon Is Now by the Smiths…read more "I am the son... And the heir..." as we park in this cozy historic neighborhood in Echo Park, Los Angeles, California and wait for Piper, Leo, Chris, Wyatt and Melinda to pop out and start their day. Maybe Paige, Henry, Phoebe and Coup will stop by and will catch some protect the innocent, save the world antiques in the attic... One can day dream. The Innes House also known as the Charmed House is a Victorian style home at 1329 Carroll Avenue that is truly one of kind and for eight years was heavily featured on the WB series Charmed from 1998 to 2006 and spotlighted again in the CW reboot of the same name in 2022 for its final episode. In the series the original address is listed as 7571 Prescott Street in San Francisco and is shortly updated to 1329 Prescott Street to reflect the actual number address on the home. For fans this residence was also known Halliwell Manor and for native, local, and transplant Angelinos it's unique craftsmanship, historical establishment (1887), and architecture is something to truly take in and enjoy along the Carroll Avenue Local Historic District of Echo Park. Just a beat/walkable feet down from the Michael Jackson Thriller House (also featured on Charmed like many homes in the neighborhood). You can snap a pic, selfie and/or take it in. Of course be mindful of the owners and current residents as this is their home and they've been getting fans for the past couple of decades stop by to do the very same. This beautiful home Historic Preservation home resides in a overlay zone (HPOZ) with zoning tools to preserve as well as protect neighborhoods composed of historically architecturally significant structures. It will live on like the legacy of the Charmed Ones.

An interesting street--a cool house from a TV series. There are also interesting Victorian houses…read morenearby.

This is such a beautiful landmark railway…read more This is my second time visiting the railway and it's always beautiful to come and take a slow easy ride down to the other side of the streets. Note: get yourself a TAP card so that you don't have to pay $1.50 instead you only pay $.75 one way.

Celebrating 125 Years!!…read more Angels Flight, a 298 foot funicular / inclined plane, originally opened on December 31, 1901. It connects Hill Street with California and features two vintage cars, Sinai and Olivet. It is open from 6:45am-10pm every day! This was so fun I rode both cars - up, down and up again! $1.50 each way... such a deal! The ride itself takes less than a minute and besides a little shimmy and shake when the cars pass each other, it is a straight shot. You can pay with your metro card, debit/credit card or cash. It's a fairly streamlined process & you pay at the top. The gates for the funicular are automatic at the top and bottom of the hill & only the top is staffed by an employee. If you want to save $1.50, you can always walk up the nearly 300 stairs to the left of the funicular & get your steps in! Peace.

I'd never been to Olvera Street until recently. How is that possible?!…read more I was expecting more authentic stalls - but so many of them were selling mass-produced items. Maybe that's just to keep up with changing times? In addition to the carts and stores, you'll find a collection of eateries - ranging from sit-down to places you can order and enjoy whilst on the go. Mid-week is definitely quieter; I'd say for a more active vibe, definitely pop by on the weekend. One of the things I enjoy the most is probably the architecture. Well preserved! 2026: 29/100

Easy walk to Olvera Street Plaza from the Union Station. There's so much history here. We took a…read morefree tour and our tour guide was going thru all the parts of this area! In the gazebo area there were so many alters for Day of the Dead, so cool! There's also so many small shops along the street of Olvera and free museums. Such a great experience coming here! I would recommend taking the train here instead of driving since parking can be a hassle!

Visited Infinity Mirror Room and let me just say... yes, it's stunning. The lights, reflections,…read morethe whole illusion makes you feel like you stepped into another dimension. No complaints about the actual experience itself, it's beautiful and definitely Instagram-worthy. BUT. That wait vs. payoff ratio? Wild. You're standing there forever, building up the moment, just to get ushered in and out in what feels like 60 seconds flat. By the time you're adjusting your camera and telling your family where to stand, it's already "okay time's up." Like... we just got here?? Honestly, I'd rather they charge more and give people a few extra minutes. Let us actually take it in, enjoy it, and get decent photos without feeling rushed like we're on some kind of aesthetic speed run. That said, it is a must-see at least once. Just go in knowing it's more of a quick visual experience than something you can really sit with.

On Friday afternoon, my family and I reserved tickets for the Infinity Room next to The Broad…read moremuseum in Downtown LA. Just a heads up, you'll need to book in advance if you want to secure a time slot to see the infinity room. We picked the 3:45 PM slot and waited about 5-10 minutes before entering. There's no food, drinks, or flash photography allowed (which makes sense). To be honest, I was a little surprised by how small the Infinity Room actually is. It's just a tiny platform you stand on surrounded by mirrors so be careful not to get too close to the edges. I think the photos online made it seem much bigger and more "galaxy-like," so I had different expectations going in You're only inside for about five minutes before it's time to exit for the next group. Still, it was a cool experience to check off the list and afterward we walked around The Broad, which made it a fun afternoon overall. I'm very grateful for the memories my family and I got to make together! Quick Note: If you get hungry, Grand Central Market is close by and has a great variety of food spots to choose from! Your welcome!!