One day in Los Angeles: a route from Westlake

Westlake/MacArthur Park station gives you a transit starting point for a downtown day. For practical details on transit and getting around, use this guide to getting around Los Angeles from Westlake.

Keep the day focused on the downtown stops in this route rather than treating Los Angeles as one walkable district. Grand Central Market, The Broad and Little Tokyo are distinct stops, so plan your sequence around the market and museum hours, then leave the final part of the day flexible.

Grand Central Market makes a practical first stop for food, with more than 40 vendors in a market that opened in 1917.

It is at 317 South Broadway, and its daily hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; individual vendor hours vary, so check with a vendor if you have a particular one in mind. For a closer look at the food hall, see this Grand Central Market guide.

From The Broad, the market is about a 10-minute walk, mostly downhill along Grand Avenue and Hill Street. You can ride Angels Flight for part of the route: the funicular connects Hill Street with Grand Avenue, and its lower entrance is across from the market. Its top station is at California Plaza.

Grand Central Market says the A and E Metro lines serve Historic Broadway station, while the B and D lines serve Pershing Square station, approximately one block from the market. If you are deciding how to connect stops, this gives you a transit option as well as the walk to The Broad.

The Broad is a contemporary art museum at 221 S. Grand Avenue, with free general admission and separate charges for some special exhibitions and events. Reserve timed-entry tickets in advance if you can; walk-up entry is available through a standby line, subject to capacity.

Timed-entry tickets begin every 15 minutes, and early entry is not allowed. General-admission and paid special-exhibition ticket holders can enter up to one hour after the printed time, but admission stops 30 minutes before closing. The Infinity Mirrored Room requires a separate reservation, with entry guaranteed only within 10 minutes of its ticketed time.

The Broad's regular schedule varies by day: it is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

It is closed Monday, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Check The Broad's official site before you go, since hours and admission arrangements can change.

Metro A and E lines serve Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill station, the closest Metro stop to the museum; nearby bus stops include 1st & Grand and Grand/3rd. The Broad also holds a free public tour every day at 3 p.m. in its third-floor galleries, with Spanish-language tours on Sundays at 3 p.m.

Little Tokyo can be the next neighborhood on your itinerary, but the key is to leave enough room in the day for the stops you have already planned. The route's downtown sequence includes the market and The Broad; use your remaining time to explore Little Tokyo at your own pace. This Little Tokyo Los Angeles guide covers the neighborhood.

If you take Angels Flight between the market and Grand Avenue, note that it is a short connector between its Hill Street and Grand Avenue stations, rather than a replacement for planning your onward trip. It originally opened in 1901, and passenger service recommenced on August 31, 2017.

Use the remaining time to choose between another downtown stop and a more relaxed return toward Westlake. If the museum is a priority, make it the fixed point in your schedule and fit the market around its opening hours; if you want to spend longer at the market, check the museum's schedule before setting out.

Angels Flight operates daily from 6:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fares are $1.50 each way, $3 for a souvenir round-trip ticket, or $0.75 one way for Metro TAP card users with Stored Value.

Grand Central Market closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, with reduced hours on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Check the relevant official site before you go for current operating details.

For a compact day, keep the order simple: market first, The Broad next, then Little Tokyo if time remains. That sequence gives you a food stop and a central landmark before you decide how much farther to go.

Is general admission to The Broad free?

Yes. General admission is free, although some special exhibitions and events have a separate charge.

Can you visit Grand Central Market and The Broad in one day?

Yes. The Broad describes the market as about a 10-minute walk away, mostly downhill along Grand Avenue and Hill Street.

How much does Angels Flight cost?

Fares are $1.50 each way, $3 for a souvenir round-trip ticket, or $0.75 one way for Metro TAP card users with Stored Value.