Chinatown beckons you to take a stroll.
BOUNDARIES: US 101, Alameda St., CA 110
DISTANCE: About 2 miles
DIFFICULTY: Easy
PARKING: There are paid parking lots on Alameda and Los Angeles Sts. There is also limited metered parking on Alameda, across from Union Station, as well as on surrounding side streets, but it’s easiest to take the Metro public rail system to this walk. After all, it does begin at the hub of LA’s (admittedly limited) subway system.
NEAREST METRO STATION: Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St.
This walk is about as diverse as it gets, exploring both El Pueblo de Los Angeles, home to the area’s first settlers, and Chinatown, which is a thriving hub for the city’s Chinese American community and a standard tourist attraction. Both neighborhoods now serve as enduring tributes to the history of the settlers and immigrants who have contributed to the development of the greater Los Angeles multicultural society. Your journey begins at one of the city’s most recognizable Art Deco landmarks and its central hub for public transit, Union Station.
Begin at 
Union Station at 800 N. Alameda St. This wonderfully romantic building, opened in 1939, combines the influence of Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture to splendid effect. If you traveled here by car, walk through the colossal arched entryway and spend a few minutes taking in the gorgeous painted ceilings, intricate inlaid marble floors and walls, ornate black iron chandeliers, and historic Art Deco furnishings of America’s “last great rail station.” On the north side of the station is an enclosed patio with a colorful tiled wall fountain. Union Station’s resident upscale eatery, Traxx restaurant and bar, offers alfresco dining on this patio.
After you finish exploring the station, exit through the south doorway, and walk across the brick-paved plaza to the Metropolitan Water District building to admire the lovely circular fountain out front, which is tiled in a brilliant fish-scale design. Return to the plaza, and head west toward Alameda Street.
Follow Los Angeles Street across Alameda to enter El Pueblo de Los Angeles, the approximate site of the original town founded by settlers in 1781, back when California still belonged to Mexico. You’ll pass the grassy area known as Father Serra Park, which features a statue of the beloved Franciscan priest.
Continue straight along the pedestrian walkway Paseo de la Plaza. As you approach the gathering center of the plaza—an enormous gazebo that acts as a stage for mariachi bands and street performers—you pass the Biscailuz Building on your right. This former home of the Mexican Consulate General now houses the Mexican Cultural Institute. A vibrant mural by Leo Politi, Blessing of the Animals, graces one wall of the building.
Union Station entrance
Head south across the plaza to check out some of El Pueblo’s historic buildings. At the corner of Main Street and Arcadia Street are the Masonic Hall (established in 1858); Los Angeles’ first theatrical house, the Merced Theatre (established 1870); and the Pico House, an extravagant Italianate luxury hotel commissioned by the last governor of Mexican California, Pío Pico, in 1870. Los Angeles’ first fire station, the 
Old Plaza Firehouse (established in 1884), sits at the southeast corner of the plaza; the onetime home of Engine Company No. 1, the restored building is now a museum for late-19th-century firefighting memorabilia (free tours are available). There’s also the Chinese American Museum and, across Main Street to the northeast, La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, a museum dedicated to the Mexican American in Southern California.
Walk northeast back across the plaza and look for the entrance to Olvera Street, which is identified by a large brown cross. The rich aroma of leather emanates from the purse-and-belt-vendor stalls that crowd the entrance. This one-block pedestrian alley is a popular tourist attraction designed to re-create the type of thriving marketplace you might find in Tijuana or Ensenada, Mexico. At 10 Olvera St., you come to the 
Avila Adobe, the oldest existing house in Los Angeles, built by Don Francisco Avila in 1818 (free tours are available). As you continue through the alley, you pass an eclectic mix of stalls and shops selling souvenirs, Western clothing, jewelry, Mexican artwork, candies, pan dulce, and other treats. The 
América Tropical Interpretive Center, at 125 Paseo de la Plaza, is dedicated to the once controversial and whitewashed mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros. If you prefer to skip the snack-food stalls and sit down for a full, authentic Mexican meal, 
Casa La Golondrina, at 17 Olvera St., is not only a popular spot but also one of the oldest Mexican restaurants in the city.
You emerge from Olvera Street onto Cesar E. Chavez Avenue. Turn left here.
In less than a block, turn right on Main Street, and follow it to where Main merges with Alameda Street.
Turn left on Alameda, and then immediately turn left again onto Ord Street. 
Philippe the Original occupies the northwest corner of this intersection. Even if you don’t plan to eat at the legendary deli and French-dip emporium, you ought to step inside to check out the joint’s singular ambience. The interior appears to have changed little since it was established in 1908: sawdust covers the floors, and long communal picnic tables lined with benches occupy most of the space. The building is huge, offering private booth seating in the rear of the first floor and several private rooms upstairs. In addition to the legendary sandwich, you can purchase all manner of deli items behind the busy counter, as well as Philippe’s famous 9¢ cup of coffee. Public restrooms are also available here.
Back Story: A Tale of Two Neighborhoods
Interestingly enough, both El Pueblo de Los Angeles and Chinatown have been moved from their original sites. The actual location where Mexican settlers established their village in 1781 was closer to the Los Angeles River, just east of where Union Station stands today, but flooding in 1818 forced them to move to higher ground—the current site of El Pueblo. The original neighborhood known as Chinatown was rudely displaced to make way for construction of Union Station in the 1930s. The Chinese immigrants eventually developed the thriving community a few blocks northwest in what is now more appropriately referred to as New Chinatown.
Exit back onto Ord Street, and turn right to continue west three short blocks to Broadway. Notice the Little Jewel of New Orleans, a Big Easy–based deli and grocer.
Turn right on Broadway, staying on the east side of the street; you’re now on Chinatown’s main drag. As you head north on Broadway, you pass jewelry and clothing stores, a pungent fish market, and several tiny shops selling Chinese dried goods and spices.
Cross Alpine Street, and arrive at the 800 block of Broadway, which is home to three shopping malls: Dynasty Center, Chinatown Plaza, and 
Saigon Plaza. The plaza most worth poking your head into is Saigon, an outdoor collection of vendor stalls selling clothing, shoes, slippers, and a delectable array of deep-fried treats.
When you reach College Street, cross to the west side of Broadway, and continue north. You pass a beautiful tiled mural next door to the Plum Tree Inn restaurant, at 913 Broadway.
Pass the first gateway you come to, which leads into an alley, and continue to the East Gate, the magnificent entryway to Chinatown’s Central Plaza. The colorful wooden portal is an example of Neo-Chinese architecture, which is carried through in the gorgeous tile work and gaily painted balconies inside the plaza.
Turn left to enter through the East Gate, following Gin Ling Way into the Central Plaza. The Wonder Food Bakery is just inside the entrance on your left, and a lovely fountain trickles on your right. Gin Ling Way is hung with red and white paper lanterns and lined with touristy shops selling a variety of Chinese tchotchkes. On your left, just before Mei Ling Way, you pass a massive wishing-well sculpture that dates to 1939; toss your coins toward little signs representing Health, Money, Love, and other good fortunes. As you cross Mei Ling Way, look left to see the five-tier pagoda atop 
Hop Louie, a distinctive Chinatown landmark constructed in 1941. A restaurant and lounge from its inception, Hop Louie closed its kitchen in late 2016, but the bar—its real drawing card—remains open.
Cross Hill Street, and continue into Chinatown’s West Plaza by way of Chung King Court. Chung King Court dead-ends at Chung King Road, another pedestrian walkway that has attracted a spate of artists in recent years, making the West Plaza a destination for hot new gallery openings.
Turn left on Chung King Road to explore some of the galleries before returning to Chung King Court.
Exit West Plaza by way of Chung King Court and turn right on Hill Street to head south. If you’ve managed to hold out this long, 
Foo Chow Restaurant, on the southwest corner of Chung King Court and Hill Street, is an excellent place to stop for a generous helping of noodles, seafood, or moo-shu for not a lot of money; it was also a filming location for the hit action comedy Rush Hour.
Cross College Street and continue south on Hill Street, admiring the view of the downtown skyline straight ahead. At 825 Hill St. is the Chinese United Methodist Church; appropriately enough, this house of worship incorporates elements of both Chinese- and Western-style architecture.
Turn left on Alpine Street and continue one block back to Broadway.
Turn right on Broadway, but this time remain on the west side of the street. Cathay Bank, the first Chinese American–owned bank in Southern California, sits on the southwest corner of Alpine and Broadway. Continue south on Broadway, passing the 
Far East Plaza on your right. This shopping mall has become a hot spot for noted food in the city: Chego, Scoops ice cream, and Howlin Ray’s, to name a few.
Turn left on Ord Street, retracing your steps a few blocks back to Alameda Street.
Hop Louie, a popular bar
Turn right on Alameda. On the east side of the street, at 900 N. Alameda, look for the imposing Mission/Spanish Revival facade of the US Post Office Terminal Annex, which was designed by Gilbert S. Underwood in 1938.
Cross Cesar E. Chavez Avenue to return to your starting point at Union Station.
El Pueblo de Los Angeles and Chinatown
Points of Interest
Union Station 800 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; metro.net/about/union-station
Old Plaza Firehouse 501 N. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; 213-485-8437
Avila Adobe 10 Olvera St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; 213-628-1274
América Tropical Interpretive Center 125 Paseo De La Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012; 213-628-1274, theamericatropical.org
Casa La Golondrina 17 Olvera St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; 213-628-4349
Philippe the Original 1001 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; 213-628-3781, philippes.com
Saigon Plaza 800 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Hop Louie 950 Mei Ling Way (inside Central Plaza), Los Angeles, CA 90012; 213-628-4244
Foo Chow Restaurant 949 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; 213-485-1294
Far East Plaza 727 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012
