Exploring Los Angeles on foot

Yes, it is possible: You can walk in L.A. Up to this day I would not believe this to be true - well, to a certain point maybe: Like parking your car and then walking a couple of blocks to your preferred destination. Well, my friend Jason proved me different today.

Him and I explored downtown Los Angeles by foot today, and we probably walked a good five miles or more! If I would have only left my vanity home and worn comfortable tennis shoes instead of my Prada Chelsea Boots!..

We took the metro to Union Station and then headed from there via Olvera Street to our first destination: The Last Bookstore. (The LA Times had currently an article about this gem: http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-ca-0303-last-bookstore-pictures,0,1153539.photogallery?index=lat-cindy-last-bookstore-la0008382652-20130131)

This place is unbelievable - only a few years old, this old warehouse in the former banking district hosts over 100.000  books on 10.000 sq. ft. Downstairs you find anythings from fiction, history to art and photography books, new as well as gently used - and even a pretty decent collection of vinyls. On the upper level we were greeted with an overwhelming amount of used books, for only a dollar each! The Last Bookstore also offers open mic nights and other events, as I found out from the friendly sales assistant. After Jason and me left with one book each, after probably one hour and a half of browsing, we headed to the Grand Central Market to get a coffee and take the trolley up the Angels Flight to Bunker Hill, where we ate our brought-from-home-sandwiches. Jason informed me that the park underneath the Angel Flights was used in "500 days of summer", the particular scene were Zoey Deschanel and Jason Gordon-Lewitt sit on a bench and he shows her his drawings. ( I can't believe I even remember that scene as I really did not care for the film at all)

After finishing our lunch we walked the good 2 miles to Chinatown, which is so vibrant in all its colors and different smells. After browsing through gift shops and taking tons of pictures it was time to head back to Union Station to catch the metro home. Jason was an excellent tour guide and I can't wait to explore more parts of the city - by foot of course!

Red Zora