From Tacos to Egg Rolls in Less Than Five Minutes
Olvera Street is a Mexican market place near downtown Los Angeles in which we had just spent about two hours exploring. On our way to find the freeway, we stumbled onto Chinatown which was a mere minutes away.
Since we were in the area, we fed a parking meter a few quarters to at least see what this area was all about.
I feel weird about doing a story on Chinatown when we only spent about thirty minutes there; however my friend Google stepped in and helped me with the rest.
Chinatown is a neighborhood in Los Angeles that is full with Chinese culture. As with Olvera Street, it is also near downtown, the city’s civic center, and the iconic Union Station.
The first thing you notice is the architecture of the buildings. Pagoda style buildings embrace the culture and bright orange lanterns prevail in the shopping squares.
There are plenty of high caliber restaurants with what is known as the best authentic Chinese food in town, a fact that packs in the locals as well as tourists.
One of many restaurants
Also, just like Olvera, there are plenty of gift shops and stores. There are also art galleries, museums, and historical buildings to visit.
Our two quarters didn’t buy us much time but we did check out one of the busiest shopping squares on the main street. It was enough time to poke our heads through a few stores, try on a hat, pose for photos, and throw our money into a wishing well filled with sections on prosperity, love, health, and relationships.
I saw a section that said,”Lottery Win” so my penny went flying in that direction. Boom, perfect landing! I bought a ticket the very next day and I won!! Never mind that it was only a $1.00 win. I guess I have to add a few zeros when trying to manifest a lottery victory.
Chinatown deserves more time and I made a mental note to come back again. If I go again, I will go hungry and ready to shop! However, what I saw was pretty cool and I am glad we took a few moments to see what we could.
Chinatown Los Angeles can be found:
LA Chinatown Central Plaza
943-951 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Story and photos: Debbie Colwell
Staycations California 