TRAVEL BY NIC…….The
Perpetual Tourist!
Chinese New
Year / Chinatown-LA / Between West College St & Bernard St
How fun to take this special day and celebrate it right in
the heart of Chinatown! We have
experienced the Chinese new Years celebrations twice and both times have left
me with a smile. I just feel like
I experienced a part of the world that I don’t normally get to enjoy the culture
of! Feb 1 2014 was the Chinese New Year.....the year of the horse!
To avoid crowded streets and parking lots we usually drive to
Union Station (Train Station in LA) and park there. You will have to pay for parking pretty much
anytime your in Los Angeles. Then we
pick up the Gold Line which was about $4 round trip. From Union Station to Chinatown which is just the
next stop up.
Prior to the parade you will find entertainment at different
ends of the parade route. We were
sitting near bands providing music.
Farther down the road, in a blocked off parking lot where you can enjoy the
Lions dance where I appreciate the gymnastic the men & women are
doing underneath their costumes.
Everywhere you walk you hear different sounds and smell different
foods. It just feels like I’m stepping into
a different world!
I just have to say….Chinatown knows how to make confetti
poppers! We picked up these HUGE tubes
that you just twist and colorful confetti shoots and ripples down the street in
the wind! The streets are littered with
color even before the parade begins! The
parade lasts for about one hour and the cultural costumes are so
beautiful. You’ll see the traditional
dragons float by you and the colorful lions that will gladly take a waving
dollar into their mouths. The parade has
several marching bands, several floats and several horses. We were thoroughly entertained!
Original Chinatown was established in 1871 and was demolished
to make room for Union Station. Several
business were destroyed during this time and left with no place to go. By 1938 New Chinatown had been constructed. We found the parade running in the heart of
the area between West College Street & Bernard Street. Central Plaza was designed by a Hollywood
film set and definitely gets the attention of tourists in the area.
In this area you will find authentic Chinese food everywhere
you turn! We ate at a great bakery
inside Central Plaza that had awesome almond cookies!
I have got to be honest…..I need to go back and soak up so
more culture! That area is rich in
history and can teach me even more about the Chinese lifestyle. I want to go back and visit museums, take a walking
tour, eat at a local restaurant! So I
promise I will get back to you on my next adventure to Chinatown. However……my advice is go! Take it all in!
