579063 - The Broad Museum, Grand Central Market, The Last Bookstore and More!

Course Description

Fee: Book Early for $69. For booking made after 6/30, fee will increase to $79. Itinerary slightly changed due to the relocation of L.A.Times Building. The tour at L.A. Times Building has been replaced with a visit to the Broad Museum. Downtown LA is changing, and in this small piece of it you will have the chance to experience some of the energy fueling its transformation Just west of what was LA’s central business and entertainment corridor is an area called Bunker Hill. One hundred plus years ago, before the Pasadena freeway began taking people out of the city and its hills were flattened to make room for modern buildings and plazas, the Bunker Hill neighborhood was home to stately Victorian mansions and considerable wealth. Our first stop will be at the Broad Museum where we will enjoy exploring the collection in the galleries. The exhibition presents more than 20 artists with featured works ranging from painting and sculpture to photography, film, and installation. Then we will stop near the Grand Central Market. Operational since 1917, Grand Central Market was a one-stop destination housing grocers, butchers, bakers, and fishmongers. Over the decades it has evolved, and today it is a lively emporium housing an eclectic mix of food vendors. Across from the market and built in 1901, you can make the steep climb from Hill to Olive Street, like one of the original neighborhood’s upper-class residents on the recently refurbished Angel’s Flight Railway. For $1, a funicular will carry you 298 feet on the world’s shortest railway. A mere .3 mile walk from here is what Flavorwire calls one of the “20 most beautiful bookstores in the world.” The Last Bookstore is a 22,000 square foot wonderland of new and used books, vinyl records, graphic novels, galleries, and shops in what is one of the largest independent books left in the world. Originally the Citizens National Bank building when it was built in 1915, this bookstore is full of surprises and is definitely worth the visit. Finally, if you have ANY time to spare, consider buying a ticket for OUE Skyspace L.A. to get a panoramic 360-degree view of LA from the 1000 feet high observation deck of the iconic U.S. Bank Tower. Imagine what was and what could be in this changing 3½ block area of downtown LA.