Clifton’s

Originally published Aug. 20, 2010

It was a provocative and memorable afternoon filled with gruesome racist public hangings, a wonderfully kitschy eatery glorifying the sporting life of the untamed west, and a glimpse of that ridiculously beautiful building from the charming movie “500 Days of Summer.” It turns out that that pervading notion that downtown Los Angeles is irrelevant is a myth as big as the metropolis itself.

I started my city trek with my fellow journalists under the warm August sun with one question: why should I care about downtown L.A.?  I have lived in Los Angeles for over 15 years, and for most of that time, I have considered the downtown area to be nothing more than a destination of bland necessities rather than interesting possibilities. I was wrong. From Chinatown to the garment district and all stops in between, I realized that, with a little curiosity and the spirit of exploration, the city possessed things, people, places, ideas and stories that made a connection with me. (more…)