| Looking for something new to do with the kids? Or perhaps you have guests coming from out of town who want to bring the family to see the coolest parts of Los Angeles. Either way, here are 9 ethnic / cultural enclaves that are fun to explore. Put on your comfortable walking shoes and take the family to discover a new culture right here in Los Angeles! | ||
Things to do in any of these areas:
| ||
 | ||
Chinatown Where it is: DTLA; bounded by N. Broadway, N. Hill St., Bernard St., and Sunset Blvd. Public Transportation: take the train to union station What You’ll Find There: East Gate, Central Plaza, Thien Hau (Taoist) Temple, Chung King Road, the Chinese American Museum is nearby in El Pueblo (which was formerly part of Chinatown), and many places to eat Dim-Sum. | ||
 | ||
Koreatown (K-Town) Where it is: West of Downtown; bounded by Wilshire Ave., Crenshaw Blvd., Olympic Blvd., and Vermont Ave. Public Transportation: take the Metro D (purple) line or B (red) line to Wilshire / Western or Wilshire / Vermont What You’ll Find There: Koreatown Pavilion Garden, Koreatown Plaza Mall, The Wiltern Theatre, Chapman Plaza, the Hotel Normandie, fun K-Pop Karaoke, and boba, bibimbap or Korean BBQ for the tasting. You’ll also notice a homogenization of ethnicities! | ||
 | ||
Thai Town Where it is: a six-block area within Los Feliz Public Transportation: take the Metro B (red) line to Hollywood & Western Station What You’ll Find There: Thailand Plaza, Apsonsi-Thai Angel statues at the gateway to Thai Town, silk shops, and on weekend evenings starting at 5pm you’ll also find the AtSiam Night Market! | ||
 | ||
Little Armenia Where it is: just south of Thai Town and north of LA City College Public Transportation: take the Metro B (red) line to Vermont / Sunset Station What You’ll Find There: Armenian Genocide Memorial Square, The History of Armenia mural, St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church, Barnsdall Art Park, Armenian coffee, and every type of Kabob you can imagine! | ||
 | ||
Historic Filipinotown (Hi-Fi) Where it is: located in Westlake, and wedged between Koreatown, Echo Park, and Downtown Public Transportation: take the Metro B (red) line to Vermont / Beverly Station and walk approx. 1.5 mi along west Temple St. OR transfer from the station to the 14/37 Bus east (Washington / Fairfax bound) to Beverly / Alvarado stop and walk north along N. Alvarado St. for a few blocks. What You’ll Find There: The Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway, known as Talang Gabay, Unidad Park’s historical mural: “Gintong Kasaysayan Gintong Pamana,” Filipino WWII Veterans Monument, Temple Seafood Market, Filipino Christian Church, the Tribal Café, an amazing alley full of street art murals off Dillon Street, and if you’re lucky, you might even see the Pilipino Workers Center’s Jeepney tour go by! | ||
 | ||
Little Tokyo Where it is: Downtown, southeast of the Civic Center; bounded by 1st, 2nd, San Pedro, and Los Angeles Streets Public Transportation: take the train to union station What You’ll Find There: The Japanese American National Museum (JANM), James Irvine Japanese Garden at JACCC, the Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple, Little Tokyo Mall, Max Karaoke Studio, Kinokuniya book shop, and lots of udon or ramen noodles and fresh sushi. | ||
 | ||
Olivera Street & El Pueblo Where it is: Enter El Pueblo Historic Monument via Alameda St. near Cesar Chavez, across from Union Station Public Transportation: take the train to union station What You’ll Find There: L.A. Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Olivera Street’s shopping kiosks filled with Tijuana-style treasures, America Tropical Interpretive Center, the Museum of Social Justice, the Avila Adobe, and jovial Mariachi or Mexican cultural music. | ||
 | ||
Leimert Park Village (“African-American artistic life and culture”) Where it is: Southwest of Downtown; between Crenshaw Blvd., Vernon Ave., Leimert Blvd., and 43rd Pl. Public Transportation: Take the Metro K (Crenshaw / pink) line to Leimert Plaza Park Station What You’ll Find There: Leimert Plaza Park (which has a well-known drum circle on Sunday mornings), Art + Practice (A+P) Exhibition Space, the Vision Theatre, Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center, World Stage Performing Arts Space, and on the last Sunday of the month, there’s The Leimert Park Art Walk along 43rd Pl. & Degnan Blvd. | ||
 | ||
Arts District of Los Angeles Where it is: on the eastern edge of DTLA, between Alameda Street, First Street, Violet Street and the Los Angeles River Public Transportation: take the Metro A (blue) line (the former Gold / L line) to Arts District / 6th St. Station What You’ll Find There: The Bloom mural, the 6th St. Bridge, The Broad, Two-Bit Circus, Retro Pinball at EightyTwo, A+D Architecture and Design Museum, guided art walk tours, and plenty of galleries, breweries, and coffee shops. | ||
