Grand Central Circuit

Urban Hike With Art and Food Highlights in Los Angeles

Urban art and food hike in Los Angeles

If ever there was a time to take up meditation, it’s now. At the very least, try a few deep breaths under a beautiful fig tree next to a Buddhist Temple as part of this 2.5-mile city walk that transcends the urban jungle of downtown LA. 

Park near the Little Tokyo Village Plaza (street parking or paid lot available). 1st Street is home to many Japanese eateries and boutique shops too (Daikokuya for ramen or Fugetsu-do for mochi). Walk to the north end of the Japanese American National Museum. You’ll pass the Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple before reaching the Aoyama Tree, a 60 foot by 70 foot massive Moreton Bay fig. 

The tree now sits next to a beautiful mural, the Geffen at MOCA, and a humbling WWII Memorial for Japanese-American soldiers. It was first planted in 1920 at the former site of Koyasan Temple, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in the city. 

MOCA Los Angeles

After finding your zen, head northwest on 1st street for 4 blocks, reaching LA City Hall. Here, at Circle Park, find more Moreton Bay figs to marvel at. Continue to Hill Street and turn right to reach Grand Park, a 12-acre park that features drought-tolerant plants, an interpretive tree walk, a fountain, and a court of flags. Next, walk south on Hill Street for 3 blocks to 3rd Street.

Angels Flight funicular railway in Los Angeles

Angels Flight is a historic funicular railway that’s been operating since 1901. It’s a short $1 trip to hop on it and make a detour, and you should: The views at the top of this Los Angeles Historical-Cultural Monument are amazing. After returning down, walk across the street to Grand Central Market’s food arcade, operating since 1917! Arrive hungry! There’s something for everyone here, including established eateries like Donut Man and Golden Road Brewery, and everything from pasta to pupusas to PB&J.

Grand Central Market Los Angeles

Afterward, walk it off southeast on 3rd Street, passing the famous Bradbury Building, the city’s oldest designated landmark building.

When you reach San Pedro Street, head north and stop at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center Plaza to see another famous tree—Sunny the Grapefruit Tree (read about both trees on this hike in a new Sustainable Little Tokyo Art Initiative, including the Little Tokyo Regional Forest). Turn right at 2nd Street and then left at Little Tokyo Village Plaza to end your adventure. 

To get to the Aoyama Tree and Little Tokyo Village Plaza, take the US-101 to the Los Angeles St. exit and head south. After two blocks, you reach 1st St. Find street parking or turn left and enter the pay-to-park lot on your immediate right. Dog-friendly (except for Grand Central Market and Angels Flight)!

Story and photos by Matt Pawlik, @mattitudehikes

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

    View
  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View
  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View