Searching for Wonder and Beauty in Downtown L.A.

I Need a Place that Restores My Spirit in an Efficient Hour

Escape. I have come to realize that only regular and solitary immersion in a gorgeous, inspiring place keeps me sane and energized for my life’s work. I need to be gobsmacked by beauty, the kind found only in nature or art: That “thing outside ourselves that brings us to ourselves,” as poet Adrienne Rich put it. For me, it must be a place that leaves me so filled with awe, or what some call God, that I can’t even talk right for an hour.

I first discovered this hunger for …

By Torie Osborn | October 30, 2015

‘Los Angeles Times’ Entertainment Editor Laurie Ochoa

I Can Tell You Exactly How Much Your Levi’s Will Shrink

January 8, 2015

Laurie Ochoa is arts and entertainment editor at the Los Angeles Times. Before participating in a panel on the rise of downtown L.A., she talked about her strangest job (managing …

Restaurateur Bill Chait

He Wants to Go Where Everybody Knows His Name

December 10, 2014

Bill Chait is a principal and managing partner of restaurants across Los Angeles, including Bestia and the upcoming Vibiana and Redbird downtown, and Sotto and Picca on the Westside. Before …

Is Downtown L.A.’s New Center?

It’s Got the Hype, the Hot New Restaurants, Growing Political Clout, and More and More People on the Streets—and Its Growth Shows No Sign of Slowing Down

by Sarah Rothbard | October 15, 2014

This year, GQ called downtown Los Angeles “America’s next great city” and “the cool capital of America,” and The New York Times included downtown on its list of “52 Places …

I Loved DTLA Before It Was Cool

Ten Years Ago, Downtown Was Dead at Night and Didn’t Even Have a Grocery Store. Today, It’s a Destination for People Across Southern California.

by Brigham Yen | October 14, 2014

I fell in love with downtown Los Angeles on a warm summer night in 2004. I had parked my car on 7th Street and Grand Avenue, where the restaurant and …

What Can Downtown L.A. Do for Southern California?

The Dense, Cosmopolitan Neighborhood Already Offers Great Art and Food. Now It Needs to Ease Pressures on the Working Poor and Be More Inclusive.

October 13, 2014

When the Ace Hotel opened downtown in early 2014, a billboard announced its arrival with two simple words: “Hello LA.” The sign epitomizes a revitalized downtown Los Angeles intent on …

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