lunching around historic downtown la

I'm determined to knock things off my "Adventures in My Own Backyard" list this year. So last week, I went downtown to have lunch with my friend Cwennen, who works in the historic Bradbury Building, and was able to knock two items off my list in one lovely lunch hour. 

The Bradbury Building is amazing! Built in 1893, it's a National Historic Landmark and LA's oldest commercial building. I'd never been inside before, but have seen it on TV and in movies like Blade Runner and 500 Days of Summer. Like most things you see on film, it's much smaller in person, but incredibly beautiful. It's basically a huge atrium with gorgeous tile floors, and wood and wrought iron staircases, railings and old-time elevators, which I even got to ride in since Cwennen works on the 4th floor and I'm lazy ;)

After seeing her office and snapping a bunch of photos, we headed out on foot (the best way to travel in Downtown LA) to go grab a healthy lunch at Mixt Greens in California Plaza. However, California Plaza is up a BIG hill from the Bradbury Building. What to do.... 

Oh yeah, Angels Flight is on my "Things To Do in Downtown LA" list too. Yay! And it just so happens that "the shortest railway in the world" will drop you off right next to the amphitheater and fountains at California Plaza for a mere 50 cent fare up its very rickety tracks. 

Following our lunch (I had the vegan "Be Well" salad, Cwennen had the "Cowboy" salad), we took a long walk around the Bunker Hill 'hood, passing by the currently-under-construction Broad Museum, and walking through the newly revamped Grand Park LA between the Music Center and City Hall. 

The park is supposedly a very big deal downtown, showing that the city (without the help of AEG) could start and actually finish something. I was very happy to see they didn't remove the Starbucks that is there (since with my luck, I will be back there at some point for jury duty). However, I was kinda shocked, and slightly blinded, by the bright pinkness of the place. It's a park, so you'd expect calming, natural colors like green, blue and brown. But Grand Park has bright neon pink furniture... lots and lots of it. Cwennen thinks the city must have gotten a great deal from some patio furniture company with a lot of surplus. I hope she's right because if someone in charge of designing things for our sad city thinks that furniture looks good, we are in serious trouble.