If Los Angeles is a city in flux — a place with an ever-shifting center that’s home to many a transplant and is sometimes too eager to favor the new — then perhaps no neighborhood better embodies our town than downtown. Once the beating heart of the region, downtown has survived multiple eras of ups and downs, and remains a place in constant transformation.
But it always was. To try to capture downtown in a neighborhood guide is nearly impossible: The Historic Core is as different from Bunker Hill as South Park is from the Fashion District. We’ve splintered off, which is equally unwieldy, and have defined downtown as a place stretching from around Union Station to the mecca of activity near Crypto.com Arena. Look for the neighborhoods-within-a-neighborhood that are Little Toyko and Chinatown to receive a similar treatment soon.
As Kippered has settled in, co-owners Reed Herrick and Lydia Clarke have tinkered with the menu. Some nights, for instance, may feature tasteful sloppy Joes or decadent garlic cheese bread . The feel is casual but ever so slightly sophisticated, as burgundy-accented furnishings create a warm yet urban vibe. Cozy up to the bar, and don’t be surprised if unexpected conversations erupt, as Kippered’s ambition is to be a big city’s small-town bar.
Alamo Drafthouse was among the pioneers of in-seat service, with an extensive menu of food and beverages available to be ordered and served in the theater. The chain also prides itself on a strict policy of no texting or talking during a movie. That’s important, because its 12 downtown theaters, ranging from 40 to 63 seats, are all relatively intimate.
Inside, guests are still getting lost in Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms, which mesmerize and dazzle in the array of lights and colors . But elsewhere, the Broad’s permanent collection of contemporary art is filled with Pop masterpieces, including extensive collections of work by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha and Jean-Michel Basquiat, among many others.
On the latter, guests can currently touch their way through hip-hop history. It’s a good way to go down musical rabbit holes. One of the Grammy Museum’s showcase exhibitions, Mono to Immersive, also is interactive, designed to educate guests on the recording process, with an emphasis on technological advancements., most of which are held in the 200-seat Clive Davis Theatre. Artists who have appeared include Olivia Rodrigo, Janelle Monáe, Caroline Polachek and Mark Ronson.