As part of my five-day “Hometown Tourist” agenda, I took the Downtown LA Walking Tour’s Architecture Tour. It was led by the founder of the tour company, Neel; who is a personable, knowledgable guide with an infectious love for Los Angeles.

The tour encompassed many parts of Los Angeles, but for this post, I’m going to focus on the library portion of the tour

It was a small group tour, only five other people and we met in the mid- morning in the libraries’ Maguire Gardens. The Central Library is located right across from the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, where we were staying, so this tour’s meeting place couldn’t have been more convenient.

I have to confess that I had never visited the library. The closest I came was back in 2000, when I dined at Cafe Pinot, an upscale restaurant located adjacent to the library. It’s a real shame that I didn’t discover the library earlier in my life, especially when it was so close to my childhood home. It’s a truly gorgeous library.

I was thirty-minutes early for the tour and the Maguire Garden was practically empty. I enjoyed the many unusual art installations and sat down on a park bench to read a book. It’s a peaceful place in the middle of the city. Shortly after returning home from this trip, I tutored an ESL student who called me on his phone from the Maguire Gardens. He had an English lesson while on his lunch break. It made me homesick for Los Angeles.

The original Los Angeles Central Library was built in 1926 in an Art Deco style that was popular for the era. In 1986, the library was devastated by a fire, but part of the original structure, named the Goodhue Building still stands. The Goodhue Building was restored and an addition named after mayor Tom Bradley, was added, making this the second largest public library in the United States.

Los Angeles history is shared through large ceiling murals in the rotunda. The “Zodiac Chandelier” is a stunning Art Deco showstopper.

This sculpture, called the “Torch of Knowledge” was on top of the original library building.

Librarian Everett Robbins was responsible for the original look of the library, including the placement of the circulation desks.

The Tom Bradley wing.

Old card catalogues ( remember those?) are used as markers for library patrons. I love this idea!

Although not part of my walking tour, I went back to the library a few days later to view the temporary exhibit: 21 Collections: Every Object has a Story.

This intriguing exhibit explored the idea of people and their quirky collections. It included Tom Hank’s collection of vintage type writers. One of the more memorable collections was a woman who collected photographs of murals that are in prison visitor’s rooms. Apparently, it is common for prisoners to paint colorful murals depicting things like beach holidays, so that they can have a nice backdrop for family pictures. There was an enormous, life-size elephant made of walnut shells, that was created for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.

The library gift shop is a must-visit for bibliophiles. It is well-curated with bookish items and I could have blown my budget here. I left with a tee-shirt and a few postcards, but was tempted by much more.

The Central Library is a true treasure for locals, but it should not be missed by tourists.

I will end with this curious statement found on the exterior of the library.

In October 2018, I was able to join Dan on his work trip to Los Angeles. This was a bit strange thing, since for thirty-nine years, I lived just ten minutes from downtown. It was bittersweet to visit my hometown and to know that I’m just a tourist.

We stayed at the iconic Westin Bonaventure hotel.

Built in the late 70’s, the Westin Bonaventure is a Los Angeles landmark. It has been featured in dozens of movies, such as True Lies and Logan’s Run. Also used as a location for television series, music videos, and even video games.

The first time I visited the Westin Bonaventure, was in the early 90’s, when I begged my mom to take me to a John Robert Powers talent scouting event. I wasn’t particularly interested in being scouted, although I did wear my very trendy “Hyper-Color” tee-shirt. I was more interested in the celebrities in attendance, including up-and-coming actor, Brian Austin Green from Beverly Hills 90210.

The atrium style lobby was packed and a cat walk had been erected in the middle of the room. Here are pictures of how it looks today…imagine hundreds of screaming pre-teens and the smell of Aquanet.

Flash-forward to my early twenties, when the height of sophistication was going out for drinks at the Bonavista Revolving Cocktail Lounge with my impossibly handsome friend, Luke. The Bonavista offers stunning views of downtown Los Angeles as it slowly turns. We were always the youngest people in the lounge, which was decorated in 1980’s chic. To be fair, this was usually our first stop, prior to hitting more age-appropriate night spots on the sunset strip, always ending with a 4am, drunken breakfast at The Standard.

I insisted that Dan experience the Bonavista. Sometimes, it is better to leave the past in the past. The lounge was absolutely dead, the decor dated, and not in a cool, retro way. We had overpriced drinks, took a few pictures, and got out. The views are still breathtaking, but the lounge is in desperate need of a refresh.

Our rooms at the Westin Bonaventure were small, but comfortable. The had a lot of the amenities that Westin is know for, including a lavender sleep spray. We even had the option of borrowing a set of gym clothes, in case we hadn’t thought to pack our own, and wanted a work-out. We had a view of the downtown library.

The Westin Bonaventure isn’t a beautiful building. It’s concrete and cold, certainly a vision of the future circa the 1970’s. It’s also huge, with three towers and a mall inside of the hotel. The mall, mostly small stores and food court style restaurants, was actually great for quick, inexpensive meals, especially since we stayed at the hotel for five nights. I appreciated having close options that were more affordable than the typical hotel restaurants.

I loved the hotel maps. These clearly were the inspiration for the Dharma Initiative on Lost.

The pool is located on a large patio, on a high floor; not a rooftop pool, but high enough that you feel like you’re floating in the middle of the skyscrapers. The view is quite spectacular. Unfortunately, the pool itself was too cold to enjoy, but we did spend time soaking in the downtown ambiance. It’s magical at night.

The Westin Bonaventure is an icon that should be considered for your next trip to Los Angeles. It’s located in the heart of downtown, just a short walk to many tourist attractions. I spent five days in the city and walked everywhere, while Dan attended a conference. I always felt safe and never lacked for entertainment. Although I lived so close to downtown for decades, this was my first time experiencing many of its famous sites. I would encourage locals to book a staycation and check out all of the wonderful things that downtown Los Angeles has to offer.

Los Angeles Central Library Tour: October 2018

Bonaventure Hotel- October 2018