In the first half of the 20th century, an extensive public streetcar system connected Newport Beach to the San Fernando Valley and Santa Monica to San Bernardino. The system was so impressive that, in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, character Eddie Valiant says, “Who needs a car in L.A.? We got the best public transportation system in the world!” The setting for the film was 1947 when the city did in fact have a first-class system. By the early 1960s, however, the public transit network had bitten the dust, and the City of Angels devolved into the City of Traffic.
Tourists often complain that they have to drive everywhere in Los Angeles, but in the last few decades, the city made great strides to rebuild its once great transit system, and locals and visitors alike can purchase unlimited-use day passes ($7 as of August 2016) to explore sections of the city by rail. For example, urban explorers can take the newly extended Expo Line from downtown Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) with optional stops for local history, pop art, cultural enclaves, trendy restaurants, boutique shops, craft beers and rooftop bars. Interested? The following are recommended activities at 11 of the 19 Expo Line stops.
Downtown Santa Monica
Start the morning in downtown Santa Monica before the tourist hordes overtake the beachfront streets. The options seem limitless in this major commercial zone, but choose between the water and shopping. For water, head west from the station to the Santa Monica Pier and explore the many attractions on the pier-based Pacific Park, which include a 13-story, solar-powered ferris wheel. For swimming, beaches sit on both sides of the pier, with the Original Muscle Beach to the south. Established in 1933, the free outdoor workout area calls itself the “Original” to differentiate itself from the more commercial Muscle Beach in Venice. Those who prefer shopping can hit the remodeled Santa Monica Place right in front of the station and then exit on the north side to find the outdoor Third Street Promenade on a pedestrian-only stretch of Third Street.
17th Street/Santa Monica College
If you consider yourself a thrift-store enthusiast, this is your stop (all others can skip). A block north on 15th Court, the Assistance League Santa Monica is an 80-year-old shop that sells secondhand clothing, homegoods, books and other items with a special boutique area for vintage and designer women’s fashion. The proceeds benefit local Santa Monica families, and for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, the Santa Monica chapter gave $203,000 to the community. The Assistance League organization, which started in Los Angeles, first launched in the late 19th century.
26th Street/Bergamot Station
Bergamot Station is the premiere arts community in Santa Monica, and the campus-like facility contains dozens of art galleries, special events and a stage for experimental theater. For fans of pop art like Anthony Ausgang, Geoffrey Gersten and Jota Leal, head straight to CorpoGallery in the back. The space, owned by Juxtapoz co-founder Greg Escalante, is typically open Wednesday to Saturday, but check the calendar for opening parties.
Expo/Sepulveda
Photo: Neon Tommy, CC-BY
The ethnic enclave Sawtelle Japantown (or Little Osaka) is worth a stop if you don’t mind a half-mile walk. From the station, head west on Exposition Boulevard, and then turn right (north) on Sawtelle Boulevard and walk three blocks. Just past Olympic Boulevard, the street features world-class ramen joints like Tsujita, Japanese markets like Nijiya, teahouses like Volcano, dessert spots like Honeymee and pop culture shops like Giant Robot and GR2 Art Gallery. Not all the businesses are Japanese, however, as restaurants include places like Seoul Sausage Co. and Nong Lá Vietnamese Cafe.
From here, skip the next station (Westwood/Rancho Park) unless you want to purchase a fancy spirit from Wally’s Wine on Westwood Boulevard.
Palms
Sometimes a food truck needs a permanent home. Seoul-born, Los Angeles-raised Roy Choi is considered a founder of the food truck movement thanks to his insanely popular Kogi BBQ, which started rolling around town in 2008 serving Korean-style taco fusions. In early 2016, the chef opened the budget-friendly Kogi Taqueria in a Palms strip mall, and the restaurant serves both new dishes and food-truck classics like calamari tacos, kimchi quesadillas and the UFO-shaped blue moon mulita (cheese, chicken and onions sandwiched between toasted corn tortillas). From the station, head seven blocks west on Palms Boulevard to Overland Avenue, and the restaurant is on the left.
Culver City
Near downtown Culver City, this station comes with multiple options. Head up Venice Boulevard for furniture shopping in the historic Helms Bakery complex, and maybe grab a craft beer at Father’s Office. Those needing high-end kitchen goods can visit the nearby Surfas Culinary District, an oversized shop loved by professional chefs ever since it opened (in a different location) 80 years ago. Or head to Washington Boulevard to find the Platform, a collection of forward-thinking restaurants, designers, boutiques and even a greenhouse. For those who skipped Father’s Office, the Platform has The Cannibal, a meat-centric restaurant and butcher famous for boutique craft beers and an exceptional happy hour (5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.).
La Cienega/Jefferson
This is another stop for art lovers. From the station, head north on La Cienega to Washington Boulevard to find dozens of galleries in all directions. Top picks include Thinkspace Gallery, Fabien Castanier Gallery, Bruce Lurie Gallery, Roberts + Tilton, Prohibition Gallery, Zevitas Marcus and Kopeikin Gallery, among many others.
From La Cienega/Jefferson, skip the next five stations (Expo/La Brea through Expo/Vermont), which are in predominantly residential areas.
Expo Park/USC
Did you know 10th Street was renamed Olympic Boulevard in honor of the 10th Olympic Games in Los Angeles? Most people don’t. This is one of many interesting facts you learn on a tour of the Los Angeles Coliseum. Sure, the 93-year-old behemoth is primarily a place to see concerts and sporting events, but the historic tours (typically offered Wednesday to Sunday) are surprisingly enjoyable. To date, the Coliseum has hosted two Olympic Games, two Super Bowls (including the very first one in 1967), a World Series, a Papal Mass by Pope John Paul II and speeches by three U.S. Presidents. The newly relocated Los Angeles Rams returned to the Coliseum this season (until a new stadium is built), and their return recalls an important bit of sports history. One month after winning the 1945 NFL Championship Game, the then-Cleveland Rams announced a move to Los Angeles, but the Coliseum would only agree to let the team play here on one condition: The Rams had to break the color barrier and sign African-American players. One year before LA-raised Jackie Robinson became the first African-American in Major League Baseball, the Rams reintegrated pro football.
Unless you want to explore the University of Southern California campus, go ahead and skip the next stop, Jefferson/USC.
LATTC/Ortho Institute
Locals are familiar with Doheny Drive—a major street that cuts through West Hollywood and Beverly Hills—but most probably don’t realize Doheny was an important Angeleno. Edward L. Doheny drilled the first successful oil well in City Oil Field in 1892, and Upton Sinclair (The Jungle) loosely based the character J. Arnold Ross on Doheny in his 1927 novel Oil!, which inspired the 2007 film There Will Be Blood. All this to say the oil baron purchased a 19th century mansion in 1901 where his family lived for nearly six decades. The home is an eclectic mix of Romantic Revival, Gothic, Chateauesque and other architectural styles, and the Doheny Mansion hosts private and public tours as well as chamber music concerts in its Pompeian Room. The home is an eight-minute walk west of the station.
Pico
Photo: Courtesy of Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
Boston Celtics fans will surely want to swing by the Staples Center to pay respects to the Magic Johnson statue outside, but everyone else should see what’s on the schedule at the nearby Convention Center, L.A. Live and Microsoft Theater. Ray Garcia’s Broken Spanish, currently one of the hottest downtown restaurants, is only a few blocks from the station, while the poolside bar at the 90-year-old Hotel Figueroa (closed for renovations until fall 2016) offers a gorgeous setting for sipping cocktails.
7th Street/Metro Center
This is the final stop on the Metro Line between Santa Monica and DTLA. Restaurants and shopping (including a Macy’s) surround this station in the heart of downtown, but why not celebrate the last stop at one of the many beloved watering holes within walking distance. For trendy vibes and cool views, head to the rooftop bar at the Standard Hotel, or make like a boozy wordsmith at the Library Bar sipping creatively named cocktails like Lolita, On the Road, Mint Condition and The Last Word. Or do you want a seriously old school vibe? Then make like a Rough Rider and hit the Golden Gopher, which claims a still-valid liquor license issued in 1905. That’s the year President Theodore Roosevelt purchased the bar under its original name, the Golden Sun Saloon. You can even sit in Teddy’s old chair!
Top image: Pacheco, CC-BY
David Jenison is a Los Angeles native and the Content Editor of PROHBTD. He has covered entertainment, restaurants and travel for more than 20 years.