Los Angeles’ Downtown is back!

The second Thursday of every month  there is a self guided tour of the galleries and you can even get there by public transportation. Enjoy sipping cheap wine and strolling through the venues with many open until nine at night.

You can museum hop to the Japanese American National Museum at 369 East First Street, Los Angeles, California 90012 (213) 625.0414. They are free on Thursday evenings from five to eight PM. Afterwards enjoy one of the many great casual places in the Little Tokyo Historic District. Not only is the food great, there are fun shops for gift buying and home furnishings.

On another Thursday you might like to try MOCA. Not only are they free that evening, during the summer they encourage visitors on Thursdays with festivities and music. Meet other art lovers and enjoy the exhibits.

No one can go downtown without going to Phillipes. This is a Los Angeles institution that serves fantastic beef, lamb, pork, and ham double dip sandwiches for less then $6. Do not be afraid of the line, the servers are so adept that you will be paying and digging in before you know it. And they have free parking across the street.

While there you can tour the renovated railroad station, feel transported back to the days when train travel was the way to go. Particularly while traveling through out California, this is a great option. Think about it – no security, no endless lines, no limit on shampoo, read a book, listen to music while the beautiful scenery goes by.

You may start out in Downtown and end up in Monterrey.