My friend Sue, her daughter and I had a fun girls’ day out in downtown Los Angeles on a hot summer’s day. We had lunch at Grand Central Market then walked the few blocks, and up a hill, to the historic library. They’re celebrating their 100th anniversary so there were signs everywhere about that and they were offering a special edition library card. Sue’s daughter got one of those library cards. I elected to not get one because your card number would change and I have books saved on my fairly new library card’s account. I downloaded Sue’s photo of her daughter’s card and it’s displayed in a gallery here.
On our way, we went through at least one tunnel and I took this photo as we all thought it was so cool. Probably not the best photo since we were moving but I captured the moment.
Grand Central Market is full of all kinds of places to eat. It seemed you could get anything your heart desired for lunch. Thai, Mexican, Japanese and Italian food. Donuts, juices and egg dishes, wow! Sue and I chose bento boxes and her daughter had Italian food. Click on any photo to see a larger version as well as read the captions. I have learned, however, that you can’t see the captions when you view them on your phone.
After lunch we walked up, and I mean up, to the library. Nobody told me I’d have to climb a hill. Ha! But it was fine and before we knew it we were there! On the way we passed a tribute to Kobe Bryant which echoed for me the many tributes to Prince in Minneapolis after he died. And similar to the Prince tributes, I learned there are many such tributes to Kobe Bryant around Los Angeles. There is a photo of this tribute in one of the galleries below. I took one photo on the way up to the library as well as on the way back. There was a much better view of it on the way back and that’s the one I’m sharing here.
There were murals, tile-work, and oh so much history on every floor. We started on the first floor then headed up to the third floor. On the escalator to the third floor I spied a painting of a rendering of the library before it was built so got off the escalator to capture that and out of the corner of my eye saw some murals. So, after we were done checking out the third floor, we headed to the second floor where I saw the murals.
So much history on the second floor. The rotunda with that beautiful chandelier and the murals that cover all the walls towards the top. The original card catalog cabinets but they were all locked. Sue and I both checked. At the top of these cabinets are plaques of names on many boxes from what we assumed are people that have donated to the library. The bottom contains the original placards showing the section of the alphabet of those particular cards in the box. I am showing my age by saying that I remember these. I remember searching for books in these sorts of cabinets. There were other artifacts as well. All are contained in the next gallery.
At one point Sue’s daughter wanted to look for a book to check out and I’m so glad she did. In this way we were able to experience the actual library and not just the artwork and history contained within. She headed off to find her book while Sue and I wandered around checking out this and that. At one point we looked out a window and there was the Biltmore Hotel. My senior year prom was held there and I had a flash of a memory of that prom. We both took photos of it and then we saw it on our way back to the car. So fun!
We headed back down to the first floor and explored a little further and, of course, visited the gift shop. There was an exhibit of letters from an essay contest mostly from youth around the city after the devastating fire in 1986. Placards in both English and Spanish explain the Save the Books contest. I saw the Spanish version first so that one is displayed first in the next gallery. There were truly awe-inspiring letters and poems displayed here. Well worth a look.
We took the escalators all the way to the bottom to view the chandeliers from the there. Then back up to the first floor where we saw a sign to the gardens so out we went to check that out. The fountains were turned off to save water and we wandered over to what we thought was the cafe noted on the signs inside the library. We found out that this restaurant, Settecento, is a separate entity which has a lovely patio as well as a bar inside. We asked the server, a nice young man, if we could see a menu as we were curious what they offered. Then we noticed there are stacks of books surrounding the bar inside. So interesting! I provided a link below the next gallery of the restaurant that shows more scenes. I might have to come back and check out that restaurant. The cafe noted on the signs in the library were for a cafeteria that is no longer operational.
There was too much to see in one day so I’m planning to go back. Hubby expressed interest in seeing it so we’ll head back together at some point.
I felt so proud of this heritage of the city I grew up in. I had no idea this library was there in my teens and 20s so I’m glad I discovered it now. It’s a work of art and contains many pieces of art inside. It is simply fabulous. I hope you’ve enjoyed my favorite photos from our day downtown. If you’re in the area, or live here, do check it out. It is well worth your time.
travels with toby 