After suffering decades of decline, downtown Los Angeles today is home to 50,000 residents, a hot nightlife scene and trendy restaurants and bars. I was one of the "urban pioneers," moving to DTLA in 2007 and enjoying eight years in this wonderful melange of culture, commerce, art and life.
Decades of crime, blight and hardship characterized Downtown Los Angeles until the early 2000s. The area has since seen a resurgence in residential, cultural and economic activity.
Considered the last of the great American railroad stations, Union Station's classic 1939 waiting room remains, but the station is busier than ever.
Los Angeles Union Station serves 110,000 riders daily on Amtrak and commuter trains, light rail and connecting bus lines.
Commuters await their train rides home on a rare rainy evening in Los Angeles.
Reflected in a mirrored sign at the Museum of Contemporary Art, a visitor snaps a photo and becomes art himself.
The entrance of the Frank Gehry-designed Disney Concert Hall resembles a musical instrument.
The stunningly-designed magnet school for visual and performing arts opened in 2009 across the 101 freeway from the downtown LA cathedral.
The Los Angeles Times and its First Street home remain an important part of life in LA.
City Hall was completed in 1928 and, by law, remained the tallest building in downtown Los Angeles until 1964.
Entertainment from street performers and organized events is common on weekends at El Pueblo.
One of the many food vendors on Olvera Street.
Drawing locals and tourists, Olvera Street is a vibrant bazaar of food stands, restaurants, souvenir and clothing vendors.
Each spring, led by wheelchair racers, more than 20,000 competitors follow the route of the Los Angeles Marathon through downtown LA.
Chinatown was relocated when Union Station was built but remains home to cultural traditions.
A street magician entertains children in Chinatown.
Chinatown hosts a demonstration of Shaolin martial arts.
In the quiet hour before a March dawn, the iconic Griffith Observatory is framed by the still-sleepy office towers of downtown LA.