Itinerary: Old Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles is always trying to make itself over. Right now the ultra-modern Disney Hall and Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels are sprouting up on the north end of the Civic Center. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, it was gleaming office towers on Bunker Hill replacing the 1920s buildings below on Broadway and Hill and Spring streets. But there’s a lot of the old Los Angeles left.

Today

Its owners used to claim that the Pantry (877 S. Figueroa St., downtown L.A. [213] 972-9279) had never been without a paying customer since opening in 1924. Even in 1950, when the 24-hour diner had to be relocated to make way for the Harbor Freeway, the story went that they served lunch at the old location and dinner at the new one.

Then, well ... there was that minor Health Department problem on the day before Thanksgiving in 1997 that closed the doors for less than 24 hours. But the Pantry’s biggest stakeholder--then-Mayor Richard Riordan--got that sorted out posthaste.

Despite its political connections, the Pantry is probably the most egalitarian restaurant in the city. Everyone gets the waiters’ same feisty service, the same huge half-loaf of sourdough bread and heaping plate of simple coleslaw. It’s not a stretch to imagine that the menu hasn’t changed since 1924: steaks, chops, mashed potatoes, pot pies. Until noon there are hubcap-size pancakes, eggs and endless coffee.

Friday

The Pantry wasn’t enough for Riordan. Now he’s also got his name on the Central Library (630 W. 5th St., downtown L.A. [213] 228-7168), which has stood at its current location since 1926. The building, designed by Bertram Goodhue, was restored after two fires, and reopened in 1993 along with the modern Bradley Wing, designed by famed architect Norman Pfeiffer (and named for another former mayor, Tom Bradley).

Library docents lead free walking tours at 12:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, and also Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. The library is also one of the 34 stops on the Angels Walk self-guided tour of downtown that includes cultural, architectural, historic and business sites. Tour maps are available for $4 by mail from Angels Walk LA (617 S. Olive St., Suite 720, L.A., CA 90014, [213] 683-0080), or free online at https://www.cityofla.org/ANGELSWALK/index.htm.

A nearby stop on the Angels Walk includes Grand Central Market (317 S. Broadway, downtown L.A. [213] 624-2378). Open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) The building dates to 1897, but the ground floor was remodeled into an open-air market in 1917.

Saturday

When Philippe the Original (1001 N. Alameda St., Chinatown, downtown L.A. [213] 628-3781) opened in 1908, their trademark French dip sandwiches-made of beef, lamb, turkey or roast pork-cost 10 cents. Coffee was a nickel.

Founder Philippe Mathieu claimed to have invented the French dip sandwich. He sold the restaurant in 1927 to three brothers, and it is still run by members of that family.

This isn’t a fancy place. People crowd up to the 40-foot serving counter to order sandwiches, sodas and coffee. Sawdust on the floor takes care of spills during the rushed lunch hour. Grab a stool at any of the long tables. But keep moving. They’re serving about 250 people an hour during lunch.

Philippe’s is the perfect place to refuel after a Los Angeles Conservancy Downtown Walking Tour. The weekly tours always include the Broadway Theater District and the Art Deco tour. Others available this week are Spring Street, 7th Street and Union Station. Tours cost $8 for nonmembers, and reservations are required ([213] 623-2489).