A Day of Sightseeing in Los Angeles

On Wednesday Jan. 9th we took Athena and Mat on a sightseeing tour of Los Angeles.  The weather was clear and beautiful.

We used the  Metrolink public transportation  to get around town.

First stop on the "redline" of the Metro was Pershing Square.  A  quick walk and we are at the grand "Biltmore Hotel".

A short 2 blocks from the Biltmore is the Angels flight tram.  If you take the metroline downtown be sure and save your receipt and show the ticketing office. The ride on this historic tram up the hill will cost you a mere twenty five cents.

 Angels Flight, the "Shortest Railway in the World," opened in 1901 and quickly became a city landmark.

At the top of Angels flight is the California Plaza.

After a quick look-see here we walk  along the side of Angels flight down to the street below.
The grassy area just to the side of Angels flight is Angels knoll.  Athena and Mat sat at the bench to duplicate a scene from a movie shot here called "500 Days of Summer"

Here's the same setting from the movie.

At the bottom of the hill and just across the street is the famous Grand Central Market. Food vendors and many ethnic restaurants are here.  This is where we ate lunch.

A quick hop on the metrolink red line and we are at our next destination "Hollywood Blvd" at the Hollywood/Highland stop.  Here you will find quite a scene of characters dressed up in Superhero costumes,  Robots, starlets.  If you take pictures with them be prepared to pay a fee.  On the corner of Hollywood and Highland is the Kodak theater surrounded by cafes and shops.  Go to the 2nd floor and towards the rear you will have a great photo opportunity of the famous Hollywood sign in the hills just beyond where you are.

The famous Chinese theater where footprints and handprints of the stars are cemented on the ground in front of the theater. After shopping at Zara and H & M across from here we hop back on the metroline to the Los Angeles Union Station stop which is the main train station hub.

This is a busy place where metrolines connect to all different part of Los Angeles and where people can also catch the Amtrack trains.

This main lobby of the train station is beautiful. Built in 1939 it is on the Register of National Historic places. Certainly worth a visit if you are in the area. The furnishings and fixtures all in the Art Deco style. Really nice.

The stately exterior of the Station is surrounded by lovely tall palm trees. This is in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.

Just across the street are the first buildings and street of the city. Visit "Olvera Street" for a sense of historic Los Angeles and a bit of Mexico.

As the sun begins to set it's time to catch the metro home.  What a fun day touring some spots in Los Angeles.  Time to say "Adios" for now!