Downtown Shutting Down at Night? (San Diego, Long Beach: apartments, leasing, lofts)

[samich1984]

Anybody know if the downtown LA area shuts down early (relative to other areas of LA and other urban downtown areas?) I heard nightlife is dead in downtown LA. Has anybody heard this as well?

[Rats]

yeah. downtown LA is a business/financial area. if you want nightlife, go to hollywood, west hollywood, and santa monica

[DontH8Me]

Isn't The Standard downtown? I would think that attracts a lot of night activity. I went to The Mayan for a concert a few years ago and I believe that is considered downtown as well. If I'm ever in the mood for nightlife I usually head to West Hollywood (Hyde Lounge, HOB, Miyagi's, Dublin's, The Mondrian, Chateau Marmont, you name it) or Hermosa (Sangrias, Hennessy's Tavern, etc.) - it's been a few years since I have a small child at home now. I don't really miss it but as far as downtown and nighlife I believe The Standard is still "happening" with their rooftop bar and the pool. According to their website the bar closes at 1:30 AM - how late were you looking to be out?

[samich1984]

So say I was living downtown in the financial district and I wanted to head to one of the places you mentioned for the late night scene. What is a typical mode of transportation for this? What do others do - train, bus, cab, car? Or is this all crazy talk moving around that much? Talk to me, I'm curious....

[Sorcerer68]

Most of downtown shuts down after 6pm. There are a few spots here and there but no "buzz" so to speak, not yet. For that, go to Hollywood and there are still throngs of people out at 3am.

[hgclyde]

Unfortunately, yes it does shuts down at 6:00 PM. Until recently [before 2000] Downtown LA was and Is the smallest Downtown for a city of its size about 6,000 people living there (not counting the homeless), most were either Low-income/Low skilled people, Government workers, a few financiers who work at the Pacific Stock Exchange(before the exchange moved to Beverly Hills in 1998) and some Lawyers who practice in the various courthouses in area and artisans who bought lofts back in the very late 1970's through the mid 1990's. Many people who fled downtown LA after the Department and Groceries stores closed because of crime, white flight and poverty (between the late 1960's and early 1990's) killed off the area; Downtown LA residents felt unsafe and rarely went out in downtown except concerts and plays at the Music Center( Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, The Amdmonson [sorry for the bad spelling] and Mark Taper Forum theaters) and Boxing matches at the Grand Olympic Auditorium and Patriotic Hall.

In the late 1990's the city began to allow developers to buy older building some (known as the Old Bank District on Main Street) That opened to doors to other development;[the other building owners were leasing their buildings to internet data companies for their mainframe computers and servers.]

Now, Thanks to the Developer Tom Gilmore Old Bank District was a hit; other developers have built apartments,lofts and condos proving to business Downtown LA is a viable place to work, rest, and play. Bars, restaurants, nightclubs, art galleries and the opening of Staples Center in 2001 or 2002 has put Downtown LA back into play.[example Soon Downtown LA will have its first grocery store since the 1970 when Ralphs' Fresh Fares store opens this summer or fall(although there is Food 4 Less grocery store about 10 mins away in the Pico-Union area just west of Downtown with a Home Depot in the center.)

Will downtown ever be like New York, Las Vegas or even Chicago [which isn't 24 hour city but 22 hours city]? No downtown is still too small (now the population estimate about 35,000 including areas around USC and growing.) In 2 years LA Live complex will be built which will bring more condos, lofts and apartments and Luxury condo hotels that will increase the night life and residents to downtown; and massive and ambitious project Grand Ave which will reconfigure and widen the thorough fare and build Luxury homes(condos, hotels et al) along its length and maybe just maybe downtown will close about 2 AM.(That when most bars in here in California close as most of you know). Until then there Hollywood, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Long Beach

hgclyde

PS Anaheim and Irvine are racing to catch up to Hollywood, Santa Monica and San Diego with night life.

[LALady]

Originally Posted by samich1984

Anybody know if the downtown LA area shuts down early (relative to other areas of LA and other urban downtown areas?) I heard nightlife is dead in downtown LA. Has anybody heard this as well?

You don't want to be in downtown LA at night.

Nightlife: Hollywood, Santa Monica (and other parts of West LA), Restaurants along Ventura Blvd in the Valley.

Safe, fake urban nightlife - Universal Studios streetwalk.

If you deadset on going downtown at night, the redline subway takes you right to the center of it. But I think the subway stop running about midnight.

[waverlyroot]

There are some noteworthy spots - try the Redwood Grill or Trifecta on 2nd and Hill. Little Tokyo has some great ramen joints open late. In the Toy District, which is a little more gritty, funky, there's Royal Claytons, which is said to be a slice of NY.

[abstrak_tokatl]

yeap, i live right next to downtown on the east side. It closes early. Kinda annoys me when i want to do something at 12am. But no way do i want it to become like NY, or even hollywood. I enjoy the lack of people here. it's calm and quiet at night.

The subway shuts down somewhat after midnight but closer to 1am. unless they've changed the schedule again.