Mami's & Me in Bunker Hill

Every year since my oldest daughter, Jessica, graduated from high school, we celebrate her birthday by spending a day together, a Mami' & Me Day.  This year, we decided to ride the train up to Los Angeles and do a self-guided walking tour LA's historic district (Bunker Hill).

The Solana Beach train station for Amtrak and the Coaster. The Coaster is the train line for San Diego which travels from Oceanside to San Ysidro.

Union Station is the Los Angeles train station. It's in downtown Los Angeles and is the last of the great stations to be built in the Unites States. It opened on May 3, 1939.

 We had breakfast at Las Anitas restaurant in Olvera Street.

 Olivera Street was rebuilt in 1930 as a marketplace that now consists of Mexican themed shops, restaurants and kiosks. It is the centerpiece of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, the founding site of the city.

 Pío Pico, a successful businessman who was the last Mexican Governor of Alta California, ordered construction of a luxury hotel in the growing town of Los Angeles. The architect was Ezra F. Kysor, and it was constructed between 1869 and 1870. The resulting 33-room hotel, dubbed Pico House (or Casa de Pico) was the most extravagant and lavish hotel in Southern California.

Nuestra Senora Reina de Los Angeles - La Placita. The official name for Los Angeles, when it started, was El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula. Some have called the new settlement a second Asistencia of the San Gabriel Mission and the Plaza Church there even calls itself "Mission" Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles. The reality, however, is that it's unlikely that Los Angeles began as a Mission or even an Asistencia; instead, just a simple settlement.

 

 The altar inside the Church where the Blessed Sacrament was on display.

 Los Angeles City Hall

 What we thought was the Ronald Reagan Building, but was really the Los Angeles Police Department.

 This is the Ronald Reagan Building.  It is home to many Los Angeles government offices.

 The 1990 mural by the husband and wife artists, Carlos Almaraz and Elsa Flores, is entitled "California Dreamscape". The vision of Los Angeles as a dream-like city sketched in Technicolor is celebrated in the central panels of this mural located in the main atrium of the Ronald Reagan Building.

 In front of a wall photograph at Biddy Mason Park that is part of the commemoration of the life of Biddy Mason and her contributions to the settlement of Los Angeles.

 Enhanced by gleaming yellow brick walls and Belgian marble staircases, accented by exquisite foliate iron grillwork, polished wood, and two Victorian-styled bird cage elevators,the Bradbury Building is certainly one of the more magical spaces in Los Angeles.

Louis Bradbury commissioned the construction of this building designed by famed architect Sumner Hung. Completed in 1893, the actual cost of the building rose from the initial estimate of $125,000 to $500,000.  Imagine how much it would cost to construct in these days and times.

 A 100-foot tall mural depicting Anthony Quinn in his Oscar winning role as Zorba the Greek by mural artist Eloy Torrez, adorns the Victor Clothing Company, a prominent establishment specializing in wedding outfits.  The star-struck owner felt that the accomplished actor, thought portraying a Greek, exuded his Latin presence.

 The Million Dollar Theater Building is one of America's first motion picture palaces. Built in 1918 at a cost of $1 million by showman Sid Grauman. The 2,200 seat auditorium resembles a Spanish Colonial cathedral.

 As we were walking past the theater, I walked up to the doors to peak inside and realized that they were unlocked.  So I opened the door, walked in and found a gentleman (one of my peeps) in the lobby working with the signage letters.  I asked him if we could take a look inside and he said, "Si."!  So we took advantage of the opportunity.

Grand Central Market with many stalls and counters offering a variety of foods and beverages.

 Angels Flight Railway is the shortest railway in the world and it originally opened on December 31, 1901.  It only costs a quarter to ride!

 As soon as you step off the Angels Flight Railway, you are greeted by this view of the Watercourt at the California Plaza.

Our next stop was the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), but were not able to take pictures of it since it is underground, and they do not allow photographs to be taken once inside.  These are some of the beautiful skyscrapers along our way after leaving the MOCA.

 As a little girl, Clifton's Cafeteria was where my Aunt Juven would take me for lunch as a special treat.  My Aunt Juven is a Master Seamstress who worked for many top designers in the Los Angeles Garment District during the 1970's.

 Clifton's is a self serve cafeteria with a variety of foods from which to choose.

 The best part about Clifton's, when I was little, was how they decorated for the holidays.  There are four levels of seating areas in the redwood forest themed main room which also has a waterfall.

 After a light lunch at Clifton's, we caught a ride on the Dart bus (purple route) to Chinatown.

 At the East Gate which is a traditional pailou and one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city.

 Another recognizable building in Chinatown is the Hop Louie Restaurant pagoda which was built in 1941.

The sun was setting as we made our way back from Chinatown to Union Station.  With some time to spare, we stopped at Olvera street at La Luz del Dia restaurant which hadn't changed one bit since I was little.   I ordered some chompurado to warm us up before heading to the station for our 5:45pm train.

It was a great day spent with my daughter exploring a portion of Los Angeles, sharing some childhood memories and creating new ones.