Olvera Street: Discover the Soul of Los Angeles

Welcome to Los Angeles, Americas second-largest city and home to 3.8 million people. But L.A. didnt start out that way. Olvera Street: Discovering the Soul of Los Angeles is a travel guide that leads you past todays glitzy bars and eateries, the big sports centers and high-rises, to trace the citys roots. Travel back more than two centuries to when forty-four settlers walked from Mexico to start a new life near what would become todays downtown Los Angeles.

While decades of neglect and the developers bulldozer have claimed many of the original buildings, at Olvera Street, part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, you can still see and touch the citys beginnings. Join Mike Harris as he guides you along Olvera Street with its unique museums, artwork, multi-generation Mexican family shops, and restaurants.

Starting at the plazas kiosk, located just across the street from historic Union Station, journey with Mike on an easy walking tour detailing the struggles and triumphs of creating an international city. Learn how each new culture that came to Los Angeles, from Native American, Spanish, and Mexican to African American, Chinese, French, and Italian, impacted its destiny. See more