With half a day left to explore Los Angeles before the final night of wedding festivities, we headed for the downtown. We had been to Venice Beach, Malibu, and the Griffith Observatory, but we couldn’t say we explored the LA area without visiting LA itself.

Being that LA is 2nd most populous city in the USA, I was anticipating the downtown area to be similar to New York City or Chicago, but it wasn’t. Somehow, as we entered the downtown area, we left behind all the terrible LA traffic and crowds of tourists, and it felt like a medium sized city. It was like the downtown is a forgotten area of LA. We immediately found a parking spot and had a peaceful stroll down to the Grand Central Market for coffee and breakfast. It is supposed to be a trendy market with lots of food and drink stalls, so it sounded like the perfect way to start our day. 

First up was G and B coffee. It got good reviews on Google and had a cute wrap around counter, so why not? I was told that the Almond Macadamia Latte was a popular choice, so that is what we got. Total failure. It was so terrible that I just threw it is away and moved on to breakfast without coffee. Oh well! You win some, you lose some. 

Unlike the coffee, our breakfast did not disappoint! We found a cute taco stand hidden in the back called Tacos Tumbras a Tomas. It had a huge line, so that meant it had to be good! They loaded the tacos up with so much meat and goodies that we had to use a fork to eat them! And wow was it delicious. The meat was so tender, juicy, and flavorful. It definitely made up for the bad coffee experience. 

After stuffing ourselves, we were a little thirsty, so we picked up some freshly squeezed juice at La Fruteria and walked around the market. There were so many scrumptious food stalls. Pastries, ramen, tacos, veggies, candies, and drinks. Yum! I wish I could have sampled it all! 

One place we couldn’t resist was a food counter that had photos on the walls from the movie La La Land. The photo had the scene from when Mia & Sebastian had their first date and are sitting at a food counter under neon signs. I quickly pulled out my smartphone and sure enough…it was THE Sarita’s Popuseria from the movie! How cool is that?!? We couldn’t pass the opportunity and quickly grabbed a seat at the counter to enjoy our very own movie moment while trying out an El Salvadorian dish called a Popusa. 

After a bit more time wondering around the market, it was time to explore more of the downtown. So, we walked over to the Broad Museum. When I think of LA, I think of Instagram, and this museum must be an Instagram heaven. Every piece of art was begging to have its picture taken. There were giant, shiny, colorful tulips, oversize pieces of furniture, and dazzling rooms filled with mirrors and lights. I seriously can’t think of a more stereotypical LA experience! 

Next on our list was Little Tokyo. Well… actually… it was matcha ice cream that was on our list, and it happened to be at the Little Tokyo district. I had no idea that this area of downtown LA existed, but it was definitely worth checking out. The ice cream was great, plus we got see see a lot of neat Japanese stores selling all sorts of novelty items. 

By this point, we were quickly running out of time, but we had one last thing we needed to do. We needed to find some good coffee! Since we had tossed out our previous cup, and we had a long night ahead of us, we were in serious need of caffeine. I no longer trusted Google reviews, and we were loving the vibe along Spring Street, so we decided to just take a stroll until we found something that looked good. A ways down the street, we found a chic alley full of delicious looking restaurants and shops. And this is were we spotted Don Francisco’s. We ordered an iced cuban coffee and soaked in the last few minutes of downtown LA experience. It was the perfect ending to the LA downtown experience.. 

We then had to leave downtown LA and head to Long Beach to check into our hotel and get ready for our friend’s wedding reception. And what an incredible reception it was! They rented out the main ballroom on the Queen Mary (think Titanic’s smaller brother), had amazing food, cocktails, entertainment, and dancing. And best of all, was the company. It was so great to see so many of our friends. We all met through Nisheet’s company in Michigan, but over the years, we have all moved away to different corners of the country. But get us back in the same room, and it was like nothing had changed at all.