Itinerary: Reclaim Downtown

Finally. The Democrats have taken their show back on the road, and the helmeted phalanxes of cops have gone back to the beat. Angelenos can have their downtown back.

Tonight

Summer Nights at MOCA (MOCA at the Geffen Contemporary, 152 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo, downtown Los Angeles, [213] 626-6222) are often enough to convince the most cynical East Coaster that yes, life in L.A. is good.

This summer-long series combines warm weather, groovy jazz, art and cocktails. This week, the Barry Harris Trio will play from 5 to 8 p.m., and during the same hours, admission to the “At the End of the Century: 100 Years of Architecture” exhibition in the Geffen Contemporary is free. Add to that sushi right across the street in Little Tokyo--and it’s a perfect evening in downtown.

Friday

California Plaza is another place for relaxing outdoors--and the place where Grand Performances stages dozens of free concerts during the summer. Friday at noon, Romanian Gypsy panflute virtuoso Damian Draghici leads his ensemble in a fusion of Gypsy music and jazz at the Watercourt (350 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A., [213] 687-2159).

Before or after, have lunch at one of the eateries in the plaza or across the street in the Wells Fargo Center. Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse (330 S. Hope St., downtown Los Angeles, [213] 680-0330) serves lunch Monday through Friday and dinner nightly. Or, the California Pizza Kitchen (330 S. Hope St., [213] 626-2616) can provide something more casual.

Saturday

Don’t know much about downtown? Take a tour.

Docents from the Los Angeles Conservancy ([213] 623-CITY) lead historically informative tours each Saturday of the Broadway movie palaces, Art Deco buildings and Pershing Square. Also scheduled for this weekend: Little Tokyo and architectural terra cotta. Tours leave from various locations, cost $8 for nonmembers and require reservations.

Want to see more of downtown? At the Los Angeles Central Library (630 W. 5th St., downtown L.A., [213] 228-7000)--a building the conservancy helped save--is “Inside/Out: Downtown Los Angeles,” a show of 60 photographs by Marissa Roth. It’s up in the first-floor galleries through Sept. 24.

Experience part of downtown’s cultural life at the Los Angeles Theatre Center (514 S. Spring St., L.A. Reservations required. [213] 501-7082), where the playwriting group Wordsmiths presents free staged readings of new works by Johnnie Morello, Ray Cervantes and Roberto Acosta.

Sunday

While some downtown businesses are closed on Sunday, the Fashion District (bounded by Spring and Wall streets, between 7th and 12th) is still hopping. In fact, it’s practically a carnival on weekends.

It almost doesn’t matter if you’re shopping for anything. The people-watching alone is worth the price of parking (which there is plenty of--just look for the guys with orange flags). Along Los Angeles Street are dozens of fabric stores, each with its own niche. Farther south is Santee Alley, where discounted garments--from lingerie to baseball hats--are sold from booths.

Say a final goodbye to the Democratic takeover of L.A. at the Museum of Neon Art (501 W. Olympic Blvd., downtown L.A. $3.50 to $5. [213] 489-9918), open Sundays, noon-5 p.m. Stick around to the end and maybe you’ll see the “Politically Lit” exhibit symbolically get turned off.