Visitors on the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk can explore the
back streets and art studios downtown on the second Thursday
of each month. (Photo by Dianne de Guzman)

I have lived in Los Angeles for six years now.  The Los Angeles in my head is beaches, palm trees and Hollywood. I've always known there is always another side of Los Angeles, other than the glitz and glam and sandy seasides, so I decided to open my eyes and explore the heart of the city: Downtown Los Angeles.

Every second Thursday of each month, art lovers, hipsters, or just curious Angelinos flock to downtown LA for the monthly Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk. It is a free event held since 2004 in and around the Historic Core's Gallery Row neighborhood.

At first, the idea of walking around at night in downtown L.A. did not particularly thrill me. However, I decided to give it a shot and to get out of my own little box of Los Angeles.

The walk I chose was led by Richard Schave, who also happens to be the director of Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk. A friendly man who is passionate about the downtown area, Schave led us through the concrete jungle and into some of the historic buildings, telling us stories and interesting facts about the area while sipping on his tea that he carries around in a big silver thermos.

Have you ever been to St. Vincent's Court? It is a hidden public space on Hill Street that used to be the carriage entrance of St. Vincent 's College back in the 1860s. The court still retains its old European charm with brick walls and cobble-stoned pavements. Now, there are stores and cafes in the court, where people of the 21st century can grab lunch and walk around while still enjoying the presence of the 19th century.

Schaver also took us up to the roof of the Los Angeles Athletic Club, which used to be the location of the Baltimore Hotel up until 1910. On the roof, we were able to see some of the historic buildings downtown like the Oviatt building, KRKD Radio tower and the United Artist building, which is an English Gothic theater which has been turned into a church.

Next stop was Pershing Square, a public space where music concerts, movie screenings, open-air ice-skating and other public activities take place. Schaver explained the history of Pershing Square when it used to be livelier and less scary.

We visited a couple of galleries before the 60-minute tour ended (our tour ran a little more than this) and I continued to explore the other art galleries. It was a little bit like a huge block party with bands playing on the street, music blasting from the inside of the galleries and hundreds of people walking the streets of downtown L.A. The party started around 6 p.m. when the sun was setting and things started to die down around 10 p.m.

At the end of the night, I was left with mixed feelings about Downtown L.A. As much as I enjoyed the tour, I tried hard to see the appeal of downtown but I still was not convinced:  Downtown L.A. is definitely much smaller than Manhattan and does not have the charm of San Francisco; it is a little grimy and unkempt, and if not for the art walk, I would probably avoid leisurely walking around the area at night.  

It is comforting to see that organizations like Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk are trying to resurrect the life of downtown, however, I think it is safe to say that I still like my little box of Los Angeles more. Maybe I will give it another try next year.

The next Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk will be on Thursday, October 8.