FINALLY! (& an impromptu art festival)

Success!

Upon the advice of a security guard I spoke with on the phone Friday, I headed back to Downtown LA yesterday afternoon to finally get in to see the Bradbury Building. Though smaller in scale than I expected, the windowed ceiling, wrought iron staircases and open elevators were just as cool in person as they are in photos.

Unfortunately for you, dear reader, this (amateur) photographer was not able to truly do the building justice, so I kept only a couple token photos to prove that I had in fact been there. Thanks to the guard on duty (who took pity on me as I snapped away from the bottom floor), we were able to go up in the elevator to see from the top floor, normally an area off-limits to visitors.

Charlie Chaplin sits guard at one of the building's entrances.

While there, my friend Brandi was willing to pose for me, and was very patient as I tried to get my camera to work properly under the unique lighting conditions.

Following our brief trip downtown, Brandi, Sara P & I headed to Paseo Colorado for dinner, only to find the annual Chalk Art Festival in full swing. This was something all of us had meant to see for years, but never made it by for a visit. Mixed among the cartoon-like drawings were some very skilled artists whose chalk paintings-in-progress were amazing to see.

So, in summary, I recommend a visit to see the Bradbury Building in person (just call first to be sure they aren't closed for filming!), as well as a walk-around at the annual Chalk Art Festival. You won't be disappointed with either activity.

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(More from our afternoon here and and of Brandi here)