The skyline's the limit when it comes to L.A.'s flourishing downtown district. Storefronts and restaurants in the "canyons" below alternate with soaring structures of historic and aesthetic stature. Loft living is the buzzword for urbanites; Johnny Depp owns a loft in the art deco Eastern Columbia Building. First-rate fine-dining and nightlife options abound in the heart of the city, along with ethnic eateries and surprisingly cool boutiques in the bordering neighborhoods of Chinatown and Little Tokyo. And the arts may be the biggest attraction of them all.

Union Station
A sight in itself, the historic Union Station is a hub for the region's Metro Rail system. The Red Line subway links downtown with Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. The Gold Line runs between downtown and Pasadena. Each Metro station (look for the "M") has public art projects. LAX FlyAway/Union Station offers nonstop bus service between downtown and the airport 24 hours a day. Metrolink, the commuter rail service, serves Southern California from Union Station.

Grand Avenue
Downtown is the heart of L.A.'s performing arts scene, and Grand Avenue is its core.

Steps from one another are the four primary venues of the Music Center of Los Angeles County. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is the home of the Los Angeles Opera. Both the Ahmanson Theatre and the Mark Taper Forum offer theatrical and Broadway productions presented by the Center Theatre Group.

Architect Frank O. Gehry's soaring, imaginative Walt Disney Concert Hall is the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, led by dynamic young music director Gustavo Dudamel, and Joachim Splichal's flagship restaurant, Patina. Seasonal gardens at the concert hall are open to the public; the inside of the hall can be toured. Also inside the concert hall, with a separate entrance on Hope Street, is REDCAT, the experimental performance, visual and media arts space.

The contemporary Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is one block east. Two blocks south is the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Southern California's premier contemporary art museum. The Watercourt plaza, landscaped with fountains, waterfalls and metal trellises, runs between MOCA and the Omni Hotel and connects to pleasant California Plaza. Below the plaza, Angels Knoll park is a grassy respite from the concrete jungle made famous in the film (500) Days of Summer. The Angels Flight, "The Shortest Railway in the World," runs from the Watercourt to Hill Street; rides are 25 cents.

Olvera Street
Vendors sell Mexican clothing and piñatas at Olvera Street, a festive, open-air market-place that also offers eateries and strolling mariachis. Historically, L.A. begins in 1781 at adjacent El Pueblo de Los Angeles. The monument now contains 27 historic buildings, including Avila Adobe, the city's oldest building (circa 1818). Nearby, Philippe the Original, an old-school cafeteria where the French dip sandwich was purportedly invented, sells coffee for 10 cents.

Shopping Districts
Bargain hunters flock to the Jewelry and Fashion districts. Top draws are St. Vincent's Jewelry Center (645–650 S. Hill St.), where 500 merchants sell gold, diamonds and baubles of every type and price, and Santee Alley, an open-air bargain bazaar where designer trends breed low-priced knockoffs. Urban Shopping Adventures offers Fashion District tours.

The Cooper Building (860 S. Los Angeles St.) was one of the first discount retail centers in the U.S. The Flower District (766 Wall St.) offers an astonishing array at wholesale prices; Grand Central Market (317 S. Broadway) sells fresh produce and ethnic food specialties. Be prepared: Many vendors in the shopping districts accept only cash.

Open-air mall 7 + Fig offers specialty stores and restaurants like Morton's Steakhouse.

Chinatown
Chinatown shops are jammed with clothing, jewelry, tea sets and, yes, china. But newer entries to the neighborhood lend a cool eclecticism. Chung King Road, home to a half-dozen galleries and the stylish Mountain Bar, is a blossoming art scene. Boutiques Flock Shop and Ooga Booga are highlights on Broadway. Cultural highlights include the Chua Thien Hau Temple (750 Yale St.) and the Chinese American Museum. To the north is Dodger Stadium. In an industrial area farther northeast, San Antonio Winery (circa 1917) offers guided tours and tastings.

Little Tokyo
New arrivals such as gastropub Lazy Ox Canteen and No. A boutique (374 E. 2nd St.) herald Little Tokyo's status as an up-and-coming hipster 'hood. Japanese Village Plaza (bordered by 1st and 2nd streets, Central Avenue and San Pedro Street) features ethnic shopping and dining. A block down 1st Street, the Japanese American National Museum offers traveling art exhibits, a display on the history of Japanese immigration to the U.S. and a tearoom. The Museum of Contemporary Art's Geffen Contemporary is next door.

Historic LanDmarks
Broadway's Historic Theater District includes opulent movie palaces and the 100-year-old Bradbury Building (304 S. Broadway), where Blade Runner was filmed. Pershing Square, L.A.'s oldest park, has a purple tower, huge terra cotta spheres, war monuments and a statue of Beethoven. The Bunker Steps, at 5th Street and Grand Avenue, rise five stories along a watercourse to the 73-story U.S. Bank Tower, the West Coast's tallest building. Adjacent on 5th Street is the Richard J. Riordan Central Library. The Los Angeles Conservancy offers walking tours.

L.A. Live
A $2.5 billion project, L.A. Live is a burgeoning sports, dining and entertainment center. Its focal point is live-music venue Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. The Grammy Museum is a four-floor shrine to music and Grammy Award history, filled with films, artifacts and interactive exhibits. You'll also find bowling alley and lounge Lucky Strike Lanes, sushi restaurant Katsuya and more. Staples Center features top pop acts; it's also home to the Los Angeles Kings, Lakers and Clippers. There's a Hyde lounge atop the arena. The Los Angeles Convention Center is as long as 17 football fields.

exposition park
To the south, adjacent to the University of Southern California, Exposition Park includes Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Rose Garden and the Natural History Museum of L.A. County, which just reopened its historic core, the Beaux-Arts 1913 Building. There's also the California African American Museum and the California Science Center with its 3-D Imax theater. Farther south, the Watts Towers, made from salvaged materials and pottery shards, are among the finest examples of folk architecture in the country.

Click Here for a detailed map of downtown.