Arts District

I just love the vibe Downtown LA. There are so many cool areas to explore each with their own character. There are also some cool breweries in this area.

Whenever I am in the LA area, there are just some places that I have to visit. You may know them.
Disneyland.
Santa Monica.
Little Tokyo.
Koreatown.
Surprisingly, the Arts District is on that list as well. Why? I LOVE art and I love ALL the murals in the district. It’s an escape for me, a break from the monotonous grind of every day life. It is a place where I can reflect and be at peace.
Bring your camera and check out the AD. It’s an amazing area and it won’t cost you a cent. Sometimes the best things in life are free and we don’t even realize it.

Art district is pure adventure in L. A if you don’t mind bumping into crazy homeless people. There are new arts and new homeless people every block starting from 2^nd all the way down to what I don’t even know (7^th, 8^th?). I’ve only made it to 4^th so far and am definitely plan to explore more.
I highly recommend that you go during the day and go with a group, or at least another person. I did not feel safe walking around the area as the sun came down.
Exploring art district can be a great date idea. There are also so many eats around that you literally can spend a whole day around the area. lunch at Urth café, wurstkuche, Umami Burger, and Dinner in J town, you name it they have it.
Fun tips: wear colorful, hip clothing and think of creative poses for each mural. It will make your adventure that much more fun.
If you’re a photographer, you’ll definitely love exploring this area. Not only that there are arts all around. there are so many places which you can see the iconic L. A skyline.

The Arts District is a must visit in DTLA. It’s right next to Little Tokyo, so it’s very close to downtown proper.
I’ve walked here twice from my sister’s place in Ava Little Tokyo to patronize a couple of cafes – The Pie Hole and The Urth Café. There are many other restaurants worth visiting like Umami Burger and Wurstküche.
Aside from the cool restaurants and cafes, the murals are worth seeing. They’re all over the place, on Traction, Alameda, 3^rd and 4^th Streets and the little side streets as well. You won’t miss them!
I do hope that gentrification does not turn out the artists from their ateliers, as is the case in San Francisco!

*** (Downtown LA) ***
The Arts District is located in downtown LA near Little Tokyo. I was working nearby and actually stumbled upon it by accident. There are a few cool places to eat or hang out. I like it because of the unique murals painted around the area. The murals certainly adds character to the community.
Here’s what I liked…
* The murals are pretty cool.
* I really like the safety patrol! It’s awesome that there are people riding around on bicycles keeping order on the streets in this area. I’m impressed that private companies are hired in order to keep the streets safer.
I’ll have to return when I have more time to explore the area :-)

Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth. — Pablo Picasso
A big part of our society doesn’t embrace truth very well. Neither does it embrace places like the Arts District. The «district» is buried in a very unglamorous part of DTLA, neighboring dirty industrial warehouses, abandoned buildings, and dusty streets. I’m the fourth reviewer of this place and it’s obvious that not too many people have paid attention to these few blocks of extraordinary mural paintings.
Urban street arts are often sharply critical of the dark side of our civilization. Whether the messages challenge religion, politics, class-​polarization, stereotypes, and racism, not everyone is comprehensive or comfortable with them. I see art, you see graffiti. You see trash, I see treasure. Then there are those stunning works in a shabby parking lot that evoke the goddess and divinity in many of us… Giant artwork that sweep you off your feet and makes you wonder why the whole world isn’t seeing it.
All I can say is that, if you think you are a bit artistic at heart, and you happen to be in downtown with a good camera, this place may be worthy of your 10 minute walk.
Creativity take courage. (Henry Matisse)
It takes more courage when the artists are struggling with poverty, pain, despair, loneliness, and criticism. We can all lend a hand to an artist, or appreciate his/​her unique contribution to life.

Hidden away behind Little Tokyo, the Arts District is the perfect little radius with bars, eateries, and shops.
There has been at least a few events where the entire neighborhood has been blocked off and all the shops are open with owners and staff socializing with visitors. The neighborhood isn’t very large but it packs a lot of businesses.
It’s very strange that parking is one of zee most challenging finds in Los Angeles but the Arts District is immunized. I can always find parking along side 3^rd street or the little residential areas. There is this one parking lot however, that has a huge sign that advertizes $ 2 for parking but be sure to read the fine print located at the bottom of the sign. It is actually $ 10. Even for LA that is unreasonable! Just be careful when looking at parking lots around Arts District, they can be misleading.
There is the main area of the Arts District that house Angel City Brewery and EightyTwo that is more commonly known but the Arts District is more wide spread than that. Down 4^th street there are more artist lofts, there is a flea market, Blue Bottle Coffee is down the street and Urth Café is also near by. Down 1^st street before the bridge, there is wicked graffiti and local bars that are chill to hang out at.
Another great quality about this neighborhood is that it is near Little Tokyo. By near I mean walking distance. Just by crossing a street, anyone can be right at Little Tokyo. There is delicious ramen and sushi spots, MOCA and the Japanese American National Museum are right next to each other and there is yogurt-​land and pinkberry.
Los Angeles has a bad reputation for being a motor vehicle, non-​friendly public transportation type of city, when there a plenty of neighborhoods that can be explored with nothing more than placing one foot in front of the other.

LA’s Arts District is absolutely one of my most favorite neighborhoods to go to when visiting the city. Not only does it have a sweet art scene (the murals and pieces along the walls and streets are great spots to position your smartphone or SLR), but the businesses and restaurants are cool to walk through and check out.
Want to grab a bite? Head over to Wurstküche for sausages or Umami for burgers. Still need dessert? Get a slice at Pie Hole. And of course, an Arts District visit wouldn’t be complete without downing a craft beer at Angel City Brewery. The space itself features lots of artwork to admire while sipping (or chugging) your pint.
Tim C.‘s review offers better, detailed information on the area and businesses. I haven’t had the chance to go on an official tour, but maybe next time I’ll need to! Also, I’ve heard about the proposed expansion in the area and walked by a development that juxtaposes with the Arts District theme we’ve all grown to love. We’ll have to see how it all plays out, but in the meantime, I still enjoy heading over to the area when in Los Angeles.

I’m sure everyone has heard of the Downtown LA Artwalk by now but did you know that is not the Arts District? I’m sure you just drive down the streets and didn’t know that a few of these streets called Vignes and Aliso is named after some important people. This area came grapes, then oranges and grapfruit, then freight depots and warehouses, followed by factories. After the rails freight business came the trucking industry, small manufacturers have been absorbed by larger competitors 20 years after World War II. Vacant warehouses and industrial spaces were available in the late 60’s and early 70’s, a small group of artists saw opportunity to take over these spaces. The City of Los Angeles finally realized in 1981 passed the Artist in Residence ordinance which made it legal for artists to live in their working studios. Just a brief description and a small glimpse of one from history, Los Angeles history.
With groups like Google city Experts and CartWheelArt tours (
), I was fortunate enough to hear some great stories and a walk through this district to see what has transformed and emerged in this area. We heard how cheap rent was in this district and how Angel City Brewery was started about 6 years ago. Our next stop was the Pie Hole, even though these businesses are fairly new to the neighborhood. We get to sample an item or two as we continued the tour. In the same structure is one of the oldest hotels called The American. I’m sure if there is a guest list, you can find names of all the artists who have been in and out of this hotel. Albeit you never knew people were living here for years especially in this old building. Artists have been invited or has been showcasing their talents and we heard a little bit of that from guest artists. In the smallest parking lot behind this building is a few murals that tells a story in itself.
Moving along, we look from the outside the Art Share L.A. building which is a Residence — Gallery — Theatre (
) to hear a little bit of what it’s all about. The next stop is much more interesting even though we get a little information about the art walking down 4^th Place. Inside trade secrets perhaps? I might tell you if you buy next round. After rounding the corner, we stop at The Container Yard (
) where we almost interrupted @a_shop.com finishing up a mural of a lovely girl he just met the night before. That is just amazing to see what he put on this canvas just from a picture he took of her. We got more information and a short tour of the yard. I remembering hearing a rapper pulling in an expensive sports car in here for a shoot. Just a sight to see what these minds can put into images on the wall.
Our next stop is more of an indulgence of sights in a form of what we all wanted to do when we were in school, video games and alcohol. Yes, Eighty-​Two has all of the old school games along with old fashioned drinks and inventive new drinks names after a few games. The last stop is a tour of Angel City Brewery, one of the oldest buildings still standing from the late 1800’s. The company back then made all of the steel cables that hold up the Golden Gate Bridge and a few others that you probably wouldn’t know. I think this would be the only tour group that is allowed up on the rooftop to watch the sunset hide behind the skyscrapers in the distance. Selfie, panoramic, whatever pictures tickles your fancy before we all head back down to the main floor. Oh, did I forget to mention we got to sample a few of the brews along with a guided tour in the brew house? Those barrels are heavy so don’t try to lift one by yourself. We did get to try a new sake infused beer Angels City is about to debut. Grab bag, swag, gift cards, another beer for the road, I’m happy to play tourist any day. Let me know and I’ll contact Cindy for another tour but I cannot promise we would see the roof.
@CartWheelArt @ContainerYard #GoogleCityExperts @AngelCityBeer