Free

Become a Member & Go Out More in:

Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles: Bus & Walking Tour of Downtown L.A.

Esotouric Bus, At Nick's Cafe (1300 N Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90012)
2773236530-40a2caf9e2-m
Full Price:
$58.00
Our Price:
SOLD OUT
4.3 by 3 members
Join host Richard Schave, the founding director of the Downtown LA Art Walk, on a tour that reveals the secret history, and the fascinating future, of this most beguiling L.A. neighborhood. This is a tour about the populated, vibrant mid-20th century Downtown Los Angeles you've only heard about, and about the 21st century Downtown which will rise again with a richness of heritage and quality of life.
Current Offers:
1300 N Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Imgp1830

Goldstar Member Tips

  • FrugalFun on Where to Eat
    Philippe's or Olvera Street
  • FrugalFun on Where to Park
    Nearby parking lot cost $4
  • FrugalFun on What to Wear
    Casual

Goldstar Member Reviews

Missing_member_pic_grid_2_1
Rating_5_0
Excellent - we have lived in LBC for 10 years but know little of LA -this was a great tour. Would love to do more!
Written on Dec 19 2009

report as inappropriate

  • 3
  • 3
  • 0
Missing_member_pic_grid_2_1 FrugalFun
Rating_3_0
I also reviewed on YELP:

Took the "Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles: Bus & Walking Tour of Downtown L.A" recently. Check-in was prompt. Tour left on time. Bus was comfy. Two of the five monitors were broken. Took four hours. First stop was the recently re-opened Angel's Flight which we rode down. Next we crossed the street to Grand Central Market. The guide took us inside but we DID NOT walk through. Advertised that there was a significant walking component but instead we would board the bus, get off, listen, board again only to be driven often as little as 2 blocks. The tour guide and his wife are very knowledgeable however there was often no structure and many off-topic tangents. The F-bomb was dropped too many times than I care for. As were political opinions. A 30 minute break at Clifton's Cafeteria was not enough time to wait in a crowded line and eat. Last stop was at an artist's personal loft - all work contained phalic and pornographics. Unsure why it was even part of this tour. I suggest sticking to facts about the actual buildings and areas, actually walking through or around the areas, toning down the language, keeping political opinions internal and replacing the artist stop with something more significantly downtown historical.
Written on Aug 30 2010

report as inappropriate

  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
Missing_member_pic_grid_2_1
Rating_5_0
Richard, the tour guy was very informative and fun!
We are natives, but learned and was reminded of so many great places.
Written on Aug 31 2010

report as inappropriate

  • 1
  • 1
  • 0
All Reviews

More Information About Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles: The Lowdown on Downtown Bus Tour

Description

Join your host Richard Schave, the founding director of the Downtown
LA Art Walk non-profit, on a tour that reveals the secret history, and
the fascinating future, of this most beguiling LA neighborhood.

This is a tour about the populated, vibrant mid-20th Century Downtown
Los Angeles you've only heard about, and about the 21st Century
Downtown which will rise again with a richness of heritage and quality
of life that leaves natives and visitors gaping in disbelief. This is
a tour about Downtown's invisible neighborhoods and great public
spaces which managed to escape the wrecking ball. This is a tour about
how gentrification sprung up on the city's meanest streets, with all
the conflicts that go along with a major socio-economic shift in a
small community. This is a tour about the real Los Angeles, the city
even natives don't know. Get on the bus for the real Lowdown on
Downtown, as no one but Esotouric's Richard Schave can reveal it.

Having studied under architecture critic Reyner Banham in the
mid-1980s, tour host Richard Schave has taken it upon himself to
correct his teacher’s gross oversight of downtown Los Angeles,
relegated to a dismissive coda in his seminal Los Angeles guidebook
Los Angeles: A Study of Four Ecologies. Richard and his wife Kim
Cooper work extensively with the history and lost cultures of downtown
in their bus tours, on blogs including On Bunker Hill, In SRO Land and
1947project, and through public lectures on the subject.

This tour has a significant walking component, down the stairs along
Angels Flight, around Pershing Square, through several other
pedestrian locations. We return to the bus to cool down and rest, and
passengers can remain on the bus if they wish, but please be prepared
to take a stroll.

Locations on the tour include:

  • Angels Flight
  • Grand Central Market
  • Mercantile Arcade Building
  • St. Vincent's Alley
  • Artist David Hollen's art studio