1st Street Bridge

For those wondering why this place is worth visiting while around Los Angeles, all you have to do is take a walk on the bridge and a subtle feeling of déjà vu will slowly waft over your senses.
This particular spot of scenery is one of the most often filmed sections of LA simply because it looks so different depending on which angle or perspective you shoot it (and yes, it’s City of LA, so you should have a film permit if you plan to do that kind of thing…) It has looked everything from something out of the 1920’s to ultra-​futuristic, to post-​apocalyptic, all in the same spot. They’ve made it look like mid-​western freightyards, Terminator chases, ghetto back-​water hangouts, and even Hoboville, without really changing anything.
It was created as an expanded bridge to carry the original RedLine trolleys across the LA River to East LA, and continues to serve as one of the great many examples of when we built structures that were more than plopped-​down K-​rails and HOV lanes.
See also, the Colorado St. bridge (Pasadena) and the 4^th Street Bridge.

Beautiful bridge. It’s a great place to take photographs of undisturbed «urban decay.»

Appropriately, this was one of our last stops before heading back home to Hawaii.
It was a bittersweet visit as my phone battery was dying. I took a shot forwards as a few cars drove past and beeped at us.
I thought, «Who cares?» We’re tourists. We’ll probably never see these people again!
I looked back at Downtown LA and took another shot.
I almost cried, saying, «Aloha oe»… Until we meet again…

Of all the DTLA bridges, I think the 1^st Street bridge has the most interesting views and is among the most pedestrian-​friendly (although we were skateboarding, and «friendly» is a relative term, since the sidewalk is narrow and the railings seem low).

I came here to take some pics with DTLA in the background. Great spot for it, and while I saw some other photogs and a photo shoot being set up under the bridge, there was plenty of room for everyone without stepping in each others shots. It was surprisingly not busy at all. The metro goes over the bridge, which is great for pics.
It’s right next to the metro station (and there is some street parking as well near the metro) and it’s a quick walk to Little Tokyo

The view from the bridge towards the city is one of zeee best views in LA! Car commercials, photo shoots, movie car chases in high speed, 30 seconds to Mars video, they’ve probably shot it here. This is but one bridge that runs across the L.A. River and is calming to drive late at night!
Being one of the most recognizable and used landmarks in Los Angeles, is also hidden!
Definitely one of the gems in the crown of Los Angeles!