Los Angeles/Wilshire

Greater Wilshire is an area of Los Angeles. Its boundaries are Melrose Avenue/Hollywood to the north, La Cienega Blvd/West Hollywood to the west, the 10 Freeway to the south, and Hoover Street/Westlake to the east. The area encompasses the neighborhoods of Mid-City, Mid-Wilshire, Fairfax, Hancock Park, Windsor Square, Koreatown, and Pico-Union.

Koreatown is a major attraction and extends along Olympic Blvd from about Alvarado west to Western Ave. The majority of residents in this area are actually Hispanic, however practically all businesses are Korean. K-town is known for its excellent array of restaurants and for its lively nightlife.

Get in
Apart from the easy to understand but crowded road system, use a Metro train or one of the many bus routes to get in and around this pedestrian-friendly region of Los Angeles.

By train
Metro Line trains (marked for Wilshire/Western) run from Downtown Union Station through the area with stops at Wilshire/Vermont, Wilshire/Normandie and terminate at Western Avenue (Koreatown).

Metro Line trains (marked for North Hollywood) share the same tracks from Union Station to Wilshire/Vermont, where they turn north to Hollywood, stopping at Vermont/Beverly.

By bus
Of the many routes that cover the region, the Metro Rapid 720 is good for east-west coverage along Wilshire Boulevard. The 720 starts in Santa Monica and runs down Wilshire through Downtown to East Los Angeles and Commerce, stopping only at major intersections. For local service along Wilshire, consider the less-frequent Metro Local 20. Other frequent east-west Metro routes serving the area are the 14 along Beverly Blvd, the 16 on 3rd St, the Local 28/Rapid 728 on Olympic Blvd, the 30 along Pico Blvd, and the Local 33/Rapid 733 on Venice Blvd, while frequent north-south routes include the Local 204/Rapid 754 on Vermont Ave, the Local 207/Rapid 757 along Western Ave, and the Local 217/Rapid 780 on Fairfax Ave.

See
Head over to Hancock Park for a peek at LA's wealthiest (but least-well known) neighborhood. Once there, walk along Larchmont Blvd and look into the overpriced but homey boutiques along Hancock Park's main street. For local Oaxacan & Salvadoran culture, walk along Pico Blvd between Vermont & Normandie (the "Byzantine Latino District") and investigate Latino Catholic imagery & icons at one of the numerous local markets before heading over to Papa Cristo's for Greek. If you're over on La Brea between 1st and 2nd, walk a block over to Sycamore to see gorgeous Art Deco homes and apartment buildings. Walk along the busy, multicultural Wilshire Blvd, the Champs Elysees of Los Angeles, between Hoover and Wilton before checking out Korean nightlife on 6th Street and Oaxacan nightlife on 8th.



Photo galleries
La Brea Ave has a string of great photo galleries with changing exhibitions - a great place to see excellent photography, and if you can afford it, to buy some. Wilshire and Beverly Blvd also have several dotted around.



Buy
Shop along La Brea between 1st & 2nd for a good selection of vintage as well as expensive jeans.

Eat
Eating one's way through Koreatown is an adventure that could take years. Korean restaurants tend to specialize in one thing or another and are pleasantly surprised when outsiders show up and take an interest. Koreans in Los Angeles and in the mother country are now affluent enough to explore their own specialty foods and regional cuisines. This evolving scene seems less formal and more accessible to outsiders than Japanese or Chinese counterparts. Local Channel 18 (KCSI) runs foodie shows that are often captioned in English.

Apart from the ubiquitous Korean frozen yogurt shops (most famously, Pinkberry) and the numerous soju & norebang(karaoke bars), try one of the Korean BBQ places at Chapman Market along 6th a few blocks west of Vermont Ave for delectable Korean meat.

Go next

 * West Hollywood - This neighborhood borders the Wilshire district to the north and is home to the famous Sunset Strip, with its nightlife and its rock-music history, and to the largest gay nightlife district in the Los Angeles area.
 * Hollywood - Bordering Wilshire to the northeast, the epicenter of the motion picture industry is a must-see for almost every visitor to LA.
 * Beverly Hills - West of Wilshire and home of 90210, fabled shopping, and the upper crust of Hollywood's elite.
 * West LA - The west side of the sprawling city of LA is home to UCLA and the Getty Museum, and is west of Wilshire.
 * Northwest LA - East of Wilshire (and Northwest of downtown), this area is home to Dodger Stadium and the massive Griffith Park and its world-famous observatory.
 * Downtown LA - Southeast of Wilshire, LA's downtown is where the Lakers and Clippers make their home.
 * South Central LA - Despite its rough reputation, this neighborhood south of Wilshire is worth a visit for its museums, the University of Southern California, and the space shuttle Endeavour.