Life in the Big City

Tempted by the urban glamour of downtown’s loft lifestyle, but concerned about the little things, like finding a carwash? Meet the new downtown gang, a group of nearly 300 hipsters, old-school residents and neighborhood activists who swap tips for survival in the concrete jungle on the online message board www.newdowntown.com. The Web site’s founders, Marie Condron, 27, and boyfriend Ian Trivers, 25, list food delivery outlets, post fliers for art events, promote volunteer efforts at the Midnight Mission and offer a sense of community. The pair are also launching a one-stop list of services and hidden gems. Below, samples from their directory.

Essentials

Carwash

>Joe’s Car Wash, 400 E. 7th St.; (213) 622-1249. Friendly, thorough service. Drop off your car and hit the Flower Market next door.

Church

>St. Francis Xavier Chapel, 222 S. Hewitt St.; (213) 626-2279. Beautiful site in the Artist District. Situated in the Maryknoll Japanese Catholic Center.

Dry Cleaner

>Bunker Hill Cleaners, 800 W. 1st St., Suite 102; (213) 680-0973. Central location and excellent service .

Drugstore

>Rite-Aid, 501 S. Broadway; (213) 623-5820.

Gym

>Los Angeles Athletic Club, 431 W. 7th St.; (213) 625-2211. Historic L.A. institution offering yoga, spa services, racquetball courts, an Olympic-size pool and a basketball court.

>Ketchum-Downtown YMCA, 401 S. Hope St.; (213) 624-2348.

Hardware

>Home Depot, 2055 N. Figueroa St.; (323) 342-9495.

Movie Rentals

>Central Library, 630 W. 5th St.; (213) 228-7000.

Check out videos, DVDs and CDs.

Newspapers

>Los Angeles Downtown News, 1264 W. 1st St.; (213) 481-1448. Free 47,000-circulation weekly covering local news, arts and culture. Caters to downtown’s business community.

>Historic Core Bugle; (213) 687-7440. Free monthly grass-roots newsletter for downtown residents.

Newsstand

>Library Tower Newsstand, 633 W. 5th St., 2nd floor; (213) 623-5616.

Post Office

>Alameda Station Post Office, 760 N. Main St.; (800) 275-8777 or (213) 617-4405.

Supermarket

>Ralphs, 2600 S. Vermont Ave.; (323) 732-3863.

Food & Drink

Tea

>Ten Ren Tea House, 727 N. Broadway, Suite 136; (213) 626-8844.

Coffee

>Acapulco Gold, 400 S. Main St.; (213) 626-2768.

Delis

>Eastside Market & Italian Deli, 1013 Alpine St.; (213) 250-2464.

>Smeraldi’s Deli, 515 S. Olive St.; (213) 612-1565.

Delivery

>Angelique Cafe, 840 S. Spring St.; (213) 623-8698.

>Pizza Hut, 1562 W. Pico Blvd.; (213) 388-6111.

>TG Express, 1906 W. 3rd St.; (213) 483-8033.

Late-Night/24-Hour Eats

>Farmer Boy’s, 726 Alameda St.; (213) 228-8999.

24-hour drive-thru offering burgers, salads, Mexican food, breakfast and more. >Weiland Brewery, 400 E. 1st St.; (213) 680-2881. Addictive garlic French fries and burgers with wasabi mayo. Pear cider and microbrews on draft. Open Monday from 11 a.m. to midnight and until 2 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

>The Original Pantry, 877 S. Figueroa St.; (213) 972-9279. Breakfasts, steaks and a bit of L.A. history served 24/7.

Shabu Shabu

>Zakuro, 356 1/2 E. 2nd St.; (213) 680-0003. Casual spot offering the Japanese hot pot with thinly sliced meats and veggies.

Taquitos

>Cielito Lindo, 23 Olvera St.; (213) 687-4391. Awesome taquitos and guacamole.

Weekend Brunch

>Soul Folks Cafe, 714 Traction Ave.; (213) 613-0381. Favorite spot for Southern fried chicken and oversized pancakes.

>Ocean Seafood, 750 N. Hill St.; (213) 687-3088. Great dim sum with a variety of dumplings, honey walnut shrimp and mango pudding.

Shopping

Kitchen Ware

>Utsuwa-No-Yakata, 333 S. Alameda; (213) 621-2071. Japanese dishes and table accessories. >Dish Factory, 310 S. Los Angeles St.; (213) 687-9500. Restaurant-supply ware at bargain prices.

Ethnic Markets

>Lax-C, 1100 N. Main St.; (323) 343-9000. Thai market featuring bulk dry goods, fresh meat, poultry, seafood and vegetables such as fresh Chinese broccoli.

>Mitsuwa Marketplace, 333. S. Alameda St.; (213) 687-6699.

Japanese market featuring mochi ice cream and other novelty snacks, a variety of sakes and specialty produce such as snow cherries.

Fabric

>Michael Levine, 919-920 S. Maple Ave.; (213) 622-6259. Stylish selection at bargain prices.

Farmers Market

>Grand Central Market, 317 S. Broadway; (213) 624-2378. Historic L.A. institution offering row upon row of fresh produce, meats, poultry and fish.

Flea Market

>Harlem Place alley flea market. Enter from 4th Street between Main and Spring streets. A neighborhood favorite that’s held on second Sunday of every month.

Flowers

>Southern California Flower Market, 742 Maple Ave., between 7th and 8th streets; (213) 627-2482.

Herbs

>Tin Bo Co., 841 N. Broadway; (213) 680-3395. Chinese herbs. House Plants

>Kobata Growers, 758 Maple Ave.; (213) 623-1857. Lush, healthy plants and indoor palms to green up your loft.

Thrift Shop

>Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 210 N. Avenue 21; (323) 221-6191. Vintage furnishings for a song.

Entertainment

DJ Night

>Traxx, 800 N. Alameda St.; (213) 625-1999. A DJ spins on Thursday nights at this restaurant/bar in Union Station

Jazz Night

>Ciudad, 445 S. Figueroa St.; (213) 486-5171. Live Latin jazz on Wednesday nights.

Karaoke

>Oiwake, 122 Japanese Village; (213) 628-2678. $8.99 all-you-can-eat sushi and Japanese food buffet until 9 p.m., rockin’ karaoke until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday

Live Music

>Mayan Theater, 1038 S. Hill St.; (213) 746-4287. Gorgeous theater with 1920s Mayan Revival bas-relief artistry by artist Francisco Cornejo. Bands that have played here include Air, Moby and Coldplay.