The Bullocks Wilshire Building is a Los Angeles Cultural Monument and is listed on the National…read moreRegister of Historic Places. The building was originally a high-end luxury department store with live models or what they referred to as walking mannequins and an exceptional sales team who took meticulous notes of their patrons and their preferences, which included every detail of their past purchases. Southwestern Law School eventually purchased the building in 1994 and renovated the building to its art deco glory after the LA riots. Upon entering the building, the Perfume Hall greets you with imported marble adorning the walls and display cases of Southwestern memorabilia. With the exception of the display cases, it is virtually in the same condition as it was when the building opened its doors in 1929. The second floor takes you to one of my favorite rooms, the Louis XVI Room, which is inspired by one of the rooms in the Palace of Versailles in Paris and is now home to the law school's special events and receptions. Adjacent to the Louis XVI Room, is the Chanel Room and La Directoire, aka the French Room. The Chanel Room, one of most elegant rooms with finely painted wall murals and a beautiful chandelier, is of particular interest because it is where Coco Chanel housed her fine accessories. The third floor has been repurposed into various classrooms while the fourth floor has been converted to various staff and faculty offices. The fifth floor takes you to the legendary tea room where Hollywood legends like Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, and John Wayne have dined. The Dean's Office was originally the owner, John Bullock's suite and private residence with a terrace and garden, which now overlooks downtown. It truly is a hidden gem of Los Angeles and a must-see landmark if you want to travel back into time or simply, to appreciate the beauty that is the Bullocks Wilshire Building.

I'd like to start by saying I overall really enjoyed the tea and tour today! I appreciated that our…read moreguide seemed really knowledgable and excited about the building and the results of the preservation efforts are truly amazing. However, the tea left something to be desired. My sister very politely asked the maitre'd if we could have a table next to the window, since we saw some that were open. He told us no, which was fine, except the two parties after us (one the same size as us of two people, one was a single person), were sat next to the window when they did not even ask. One of them later even asked to be moved away from the table next to the window. We did ask to be moved to that table after we saw she moved, and the other staff were really great and obliged. Before we moved, the server very clearly took the USED clotted cream and jam from another table and placed it at ours, telling us it was for us. The little bowls were on a used plate with a used knife. Again, when we asked another server about it, they were very apologetic and brought us new servings. I do want to emphasize that the other servers were excellent and accommodating, just these two incidents really dampened an otherwise lovely experience. I also understand that the vast majority of the price of the ticket goes to maintaining and restoring the building, as it should, but I think that expecting at least fresh food is reasonable. I also understand that this was most likely an issue with the catering company.

Yes, it's old and rusty... But that just adds character…read more.. ...And it's rusty on purpose! Alana and I were here before, but did not know that there was a check in for this Monument! I found it when I researched "Landmarks". We visited again and I did some research because I admire artists. They are creative, brave, and can express themselves in a productive manner! George Herms is the mastermind behind this art installation at the corner of South Park View and 7th Streets at MacArthur Park. It's not advisable to view this piece at night time... The park has a "reputation", so it's a bit of an adventure if you are curious... This artist is known for taking scraps and discarded materials and assembling them into an interesting conversation piece. He is more of a self-taught artist who decided on this profession "...when a transient sat down next to him in a Sacramento bus depot and said, 'There's the makers, the takers, and the fakers. Which will you be?'" This "Clock Tower" piece was presented in 1987. George Herms also has commissioned pieces in Beverly Hills (1988) and Citicorps Plaza (1989) in Los Angeles. Guess which one I will visit next...

located on the southwest tip of macarthur park, this little piece of public art is composed of…read moreseveral rusted ocean buoys grouped around an eighteen foot tall (also rusted) metal column which is topped with a modernish (and purposely broken) three-faced clock. from the mind of george herms, this sculpture was installed in 1987 and is dedicated by the artist to the men that used to play chess in macarthur park. other than that, it's hard to find out more information about this piece of public art but that doesn't stop it from continually drawing attention. it's worth checking out, if for the sheer oddness alone, if you're in the area and are curious about the art in that park.

Genuinely lovely historic building. Well-maintained venue. Helpful and efficient staff…read more Well-maintained rest rooms on every floor. The only issues can be pretty important, so if they apply to you and your group, they could send you elsewhere: PARKING is an issue, both because the garage fills surprisingly quickly and for safety in the neighborhood. It's a nice-sized garage and the staff there is fabulous. True to L.A. form, you can drive in circles just looking for the exit because the signage is so dreadful, which is not only irritating, but doesn't feel particularly safe. NEIGHBORHOOD: It's a problematic neighborhood because of the poverty and homelessness. So, for example, there tend to be shuttles for events that take you from the parking garage to the building, a mere 2 blocks away, if that far. Security staff is essential and so is a shuttle, so budget for those items. ELEVATORS: There are only 2 elevators, which is fine if you and your guests are not on a schedule, for example moving entire groups of people at the same time. So, if you have an event where everyone moves from one session to another at the same time, it can be an issue because there just isn't much capacity.

We had the opportunity to visit the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall due to supporting the Gary Sinese…read moreFoundation. The building was beautiful inside. The staff was kind and willing to assist. The event was beautiful with plenty of parking in the back. The artwork on the wall was beautiful. Taking it all in and remembering the wonderful commitment that our military has done to protect our country.

Basically this is a tunnel in DTLA so it's not much to look at basically. It goes along 3rd Street…read moreof course. The 3rd Street Tunnel is one of the city's oldest. Meaning it has historical value of some kind apparently. You may not think so with the graffiti and homeless. A way to get through this area. It's located between Flower and Hill. This runs past the arena and the music hall among other things. Also there's a pedestrian walk inside it. You can actually walk all the way through. Seems like it gets kind of a bum wrap, pun intended. There's certainly more than a few homeless hanging inside and out. Has a practical purpose of moving traffic through the area. It's not much more than that to be honest. This is a good place to get out of the weather.

Located on 3rd St in Downtown Los Angeles. It's a nice long tunnel. It has been used in movies as…read morewell.

Fantastic stairs. Can imagine back in the day. Needs a cleanup- maybe sand blast(?) to remove the…read morelayers of paint and graffiti. Trash pick up. Great workout with great view towards Sunset. Please pay attention to parking signs and keep in mind that you are parking in front of people's homes. A little respect goes a long way. Anyone want to join in on a cleanup day?

Great place in Echo Park to get exercise. It looks a lot like a normal set of stairs, and it is…read more The Laveta Terrace Stairs are just a way to get up the steep hill these houses are located on. A lot of these and it looks like they go on forever. You can get a pretty good view of things at the top. A lot of these staircases are around. It's a steep area so it's a main way for pedestrians. This is located just off Sunset Boulevard at Laveta Terrace. Going north from it, the street twists around and climbs up a hill. These stairs go between a few houses, and lead up to the next section of the street. Has no handrails but there's kind of a wall that's on each side of it. There's a flat part in the middle of the stairs good for a rest. Be sure to remember this is a neighborhood and people live here. It's typical to see lots of people going about these stairs and hanging out. The neighborhood is nice but there's some not so nice things so be careful and stuff.

They do a couple of shows in this building - Dr. Drew being one that has a studio audience…read more The building is nicely done and security is thorough (as you would expect) without being rude - a delicate balance a lot of studio security doesn't quite get. If you are meeting or attending a show in this building, parking is tough in the neighborhood. There are meters so if you drive around a bit, you should be able to snag one. If not, residential parking is 3 or 4 blocks behind the building (towards Fountain).

I've worked for a business that is housed in this building for close to 6 years…read more The building is managed by Transwestern, even though it is called the CNN building, and has the CNN logos on the side. CNN is the largest tenant. I believe the company I work for is the 2nd largest tenant. The security guards at the front desk are generally good, friendly and reliable- they work to know who works in the building (if not by name, at least by face). CNN has additional security, which is much more hardcore- yet chill at the same time. They deal with escorting high profile guests, and other security concerns more specific to CNN. The Transwestern management staff is great. They're very friendly, helpful, and flexible. They've always been kind to me- especially considering all the *crazy* requests I make. See, we have a photo studio on the 7th floor. Yeah. The _7th_ floor. ::facepalm:: It's not an ideal situation. It's not a portrait studio. We shoot _everything_. But, we have no shower (not even a private bathroom), no drain in the floor, no roll up door. Heck- there's not even a real freight elevator in the building. So, we can't bring in set walls. It's a nightmare. So often, a shoot that would be easy in a normal, ground floor studio is unstrung by the fact that we can't get whatever it is we want to shoot, or the equipment we need into the studio. The building was revamped a couple years ago. They switched to computer controlled elevators, and made a lobby upgrade. The construction seemed to take forever, and in the end, the changes they made weren't that big- but other people seem more impressed than I am. What I really wanted them to put in was a loading dock and a real freight elevator. ::sigh::

Never have seen any of Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture, I decided to check it out since I was in…read morethe area. As it's up on a hill, limited parking, and a private residence, I enjoyed the view of it briefly from my car where I was able to take a quick pic of it. Thanks to the previous reviewers for giving some background on this place so I won't repeat any of that here. Good to check out if you are in the area and interested in historic homes and architecture.

Storer House (1923) - also kind of depressing but at least it's getting repaired I guess... "By…read more1980, the house had fallen into a dilapidated condition. It was put on the market for $1 million in 1981,before being acquired in 1984 for $800,000 by motion picture producer Joel Silver. Silver, who has produced such films as Lethal Weapon, Die Hard and The Matrix, began a restoration project in 1984. One of the blocks in the house was used as the Silver Pictures logo from 1991 to 2005, shown at the end of The Matrix Trilogy, Conspiracy Theory, Cradle 2 The Grave, Swordfish, and Romeo Must Die. In The Venture Brothers, home of Phantom Limb and later the Monarch and Doctor Mrs. the Monarch. It is prominently featured in The Rocketeer." (see pics)

After recently finishing a PBS visual documentary of "Lost LA," I was awestruck by how many…read morehistorical landmarks are missing from Yelp! It is so easy to walk or drive past important buildings, statues, or places of interest in a large city like Los Angeles without blinking an eye. One particular example is the Merced Theatre (originally named the Merced-Abbott Building) located in the original El Pueblo de los Angeles district. This was not only the first theatre in the city, but also a gift to cabinetmaker William Abbott's wife, Mercedes (who went by Merced)--hence the building's name. Together they had hoped to rival the other three-story building around the corner, The Pico House. Both buildings shared an interconnecting door which worked great for Pico House guests. Merced Theater offered live theatre between 1871 to 1876 until it ceased operations due to an outbreak of smallpox at the nearby Wood's Opera House. Here's where things get interesting... When the Merced re-opened towards the end of the 19th century, Victorian Sex Clubs were the only organizations that could afford the high rent of the building making it LA's first porn theatre. At that time, it also offered a safe gathering place to LGBTQ+ individuals through its hosting of masked balls. These costumed balls allowed anyone to socialize with one another under the safety of their concealed identities, in addition to have the freedom to dress in clothing of the opposite gender without fear of persecution. Beginning in 1897, the building was used as a lodging house for queer men. Now the building is apparently undergoing renovations to become the new home of Cityview, the City of Los Angeles public access TV station on Channel 35. Nonetheless, I wanted to share these fascinating facts and can't wait to go visit the building and peek through the windows. "Plaque Marker NO. 171 MERCED THEATRE - The Merced Theatre was built in 1870 and is one of the oldest structures erected in Los Angeles for the presentation of dramatic performances. It served as the center of theatrical activity in the city from 1871 to 1876. The theatre was built by William Abbot, the son of Swiss immigrants who settled in Los Angeles in 1854. In 1858, he married the woman for whom he would name the theatre, Maria Merced Garcia, the daughter of Jose Antonio Garcia and Maria Guadalupe Uribe, who were long-time residents of the Los Angeles pueblo."