Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
KOREATOWN
West of Downtown; bounded by Wilshire Ave., Crenshaw Blvd., Olympic Blvd., and Vermont Ave.
Here's something you probably didn't know: There are more Koreans in Los Angeles than
anywhere else in the world outside of Korea—some 100,000. If you drive down Western
Avenue between Olympic and Wilshire boulevards it won 't take much imagination to
believe that you're suddenly in a section of Seoul. Hundreds of signs in Korean script are
bolted onto doz ens of minimalls and office buildings within this vibrant commer cial
district. Park the car and spend a fe w hours br owsing the elixir shops, bargain stor es,
malls, and authentic K orean barbecue joints. You might also want to visit the museum
within the
Korean C ultural Center ,
5505 Wilshire B lvd. (M on-Fri 9am-5pm, S at
10am-5pm;
&
323/936-7141;
www.kccla.org), which houses historical photographs,
Korean antiques, and rotating exhibits.
179
LEIMERT PARK VILLAGE
Southwest of Downtown; bounded by Crenshaw Blvd., Vernon Ave., Leimert Blvd., and 43rd Place.
The neighborhood around tiny Leimert Park is becoming a center of African-American
artistic life and culture. It features galleries, restaurants, and shops filled with local crafts
and African imports. Folks flock here to jazz clubs that evoke the heyday of L.A.'s Central
Avenue jazz scene, when greats like Ella Fitzgerald mesmerized audiences. In December,
Kwanzaa
celebrations further enliven Leimert Park.
LITTLE TOKYO
Downtown, southeast of the Civic Center; bounded by 1st, 2nd, San Pedro, and Los Angeles sts.
Like nearby Chinatown, this redeveloped ethnic neighborhood isn't home to the majority
of Angelenos of J apanese ancestr y; suburban G ardena has that distinction. B ut Little
Tokyo functions as the community 's cultural focal point and is home to sev eral malls
filled with bakeries, bookshops, restaurants, and boutiques, as well as the occasional Bud-
dhist temple. The
Japanese American N ational M useum
(p . 172) is her e, as is the
Japanese American Cultural and Community Center,
244 S. S an Pedro St. (
&
213/
628-2725;
www.jaccc.org), which regularly offers traditional Kabuki dramas and mod-
ern music concerts.
Unfortunately Little Tokyo is shabbier than almost any district in the Japanese capital,
and it has difficulty holding a visitor 's attention for much longer than the time it takes
to eat lunch. E xceptions to this r ule come twice y early, during the
Cherry B lossom
Festival
in spring and
Nisei Week
in late summer. Both heritage festivals celebrate Japa-
nese culture with parades, traditional O ndo street dancing, a carniv al, and an ar ts fair.
The Japanese American Network provides a community calendar, a map of Little Tokyo
points of inter est, and useful Web links online at www
7
.janet.org/janet_little_tokyo/
ja_little_tokyo.html.
4
ARCHITECTURAL HIGHLIGHTS
Because it 's mor e r eceptive to experimentation than some other American cities, Los
Angeles is a v eritable Disneyland of ar chitecture. The city is home to an amalgam of
distinctive styles, from Art Deco to Spanish Revival, to coffee-shop kitsch, to suburban
ranch, to postmodern—and much more.
