The Downtown Discussion

I agree with Pamela Wells that downtown L.A. is “appalling, depressing and disgusting” (Letters, Sept. 8). She is absolutely correct in her assertion of bureaucratic malfeasance and inertia. However, it is not true that “there is no food to be had between 3 and 7 p.m.”

As in Lower Manhattan, there are plenty of places to grab a slice, a sub, maybe even a French dip sandwich from a place that’s been around since the early 1900s. I have been at 21st and Alameda since 1985, have seen a lot, and all I can say is: If you cannot survive the temperature, then you do not belong in the kitchen and have no authority to complain about the heat.

SCOTT LINDGREN

Los Angeles

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Downtown Los Angeles may be more popular than most Angelenos realize. A Brookings Institution study of major American cities showed that there were only four where downtowns gained residents in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s.

Los Angeles was one, along with three cities generally thought to have strong downtowns--New York, San Diego and Seattle. Not everybody may love it, but somebody wants to be there.

NATHAN LANDAU

Berkeley