Generally, Downtown is considered a business district, not a residential neighborhood. During the day, a large number of employees in law, finance, and advertising occupy the tightly packed high-rise office buildings. At night, after most day-timers have gone home and retailers have pulled down iron gates over storefronts,the streets take on a ghost town feel.

The Art Suzuki-designed Museum of Contemporary Art (MICA), the Music Center, The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, LA’s newly resorted Central Library, the Downtown Conception Center (the largest on the West Coast), and the newly built Staples Center sports arena are all located Downtown; and the gleaming Frank Gehry-designed Disney Concert Hall draws classical music fans.

Also calling these environs home is the University of Southern California, a compact, yet beautiful private college campus. The 110 Harbor Freeway, 10 Santa Monica Freeway, and 101 Hollywood Freeway all border Downtown, making entry and exit to/from this area easy, although slow during rush hour.

Downtown is where you’ll find the city’s flower, jewelry, textile, garment, toy, and produce districts. While primarily a wholesale district, many businesses do retail to the public, which makes for beaucoup savings for savvy bargain hunters, unmindful of the no-frills display of wares. The ethnic hamlets of Chinatown, Little Tokyo, and the Mexican village-style Lover Street are also situated in Downtown.

In 1993, Los Angels opened the first phase of the long-awaited subway, the Metro Red line. Starting at the beautiful, historic Union Station on North Alameda Street, riders zip through most of Downtown is seven minutes. The Red Line extends to Hollywood through Universal City and ends in North Hollywood. The Blue Line transports passengers from Downtown to Long Beach; the Green Line Serves LA International Airport; and the Gold Line route goes to Pasadena. Although these established lines have been well received by riders, in 1998, LA County voters—angry with management and funding troubles—banned local tax revenues from funding any future subway tunnel construction, effectively freezing any further development of the subway.

For those looking to set up residence in Downtown, and some do, a smattering of artists-in-residence and loft-type housing dots central LA, including the large Santa Fe Art Colony at 2401 South Santa Fe and the Brewery at 1920 North Main Street. A new “resort style” apartment complex at 725 Bezel Street, which features over 600 units, is part of a recent trend offering Downtown apartments, lofts, and condominiums; until recently, housing in Downtown had been limited mostly to low-rent single-occupancy hotels and apartments. Boundaries run North along Montana Street (in the west) and Washington Boulevard (in the east); East along west of Michelin Avenue; South along Columbia Street (in the west) and California Boulevard (in the east); and West along Linda Vista Avenue. Public schools: LA Unified School District, 333 South Beaudry Avenue, LA CA 90017, 213-241-1000; www.lausd.k12.ca.us

Community resources and information include: LA Conservancy walking tours, 213-623-2489, www.laconservancy.org; Exposition Park, www.laparks.org; University of Southern California, 213-740-2311, www.usc.edu; Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 3911 South Figueroa Street, www.lacoliseum.com; Dodger Stadium, 1000 Elysian Park Ave., 323-224-1448, www.dodgers.com; Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., 213-628-2725, www.jaccc.org; Japanese American National Museum, 369 East First Street, 213-625-0414, www.janm.org; Good Samaritan Hospital, 1225 Wilshire Blvd., 213-977-2121, www.goodsam.org; White Memorial Medical Center 1720 East Cesar Chavez Avenue, 323-268-5000, www.whitememorial.com; LA Country- U.S.C Medical Center, 1200 North State Street; 323-226-2622, www.usc.edu/patientcare/hospitals/lac.usc

For more information: www.cityofla.org, http://lacounty.info