Downtown spent decades being somewhere people left at six. That changed, and it now holds more in twenty walkable blocks than anywhere else in the county.
Architecture
The Bradbury Building interior — wrought iron and light, and the most filmed lobby in America. Union Station, which is a genuinely beautiful building. Walt Disney Concert Hall from the outside, and the free garden on top of it.
Art
The Broad (free, timed tickets, book ahead) and MOCA, two streets apart. The Last Bookstore nearby, which is a bookshop and also a labyrinth.
Eating
Grand Central Market for lunch — thirty stalls, all good. Little Tokyo for dinner. The Arts District for drinks.
Getting in and out
Downtown parking is expensive and the one-way system is punishing. It is the easiest part of LA to be dropped into and collected from, and the easiest to spend an hour circling.