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In their setup and size they to me feel more similar. The biggest difference to me is that Philly has much more in the concentrated area (it is the core of the of the whole region) and while LA has a lot it doesnt quite have as much and especially at night seems less vibrant. It seems LA's DT gets better all the time as has Philly's DT so personally am happy to see both improving.
I am very anxious to visit Philly, considering the last time I was there was in the late 80's
I've heard great things about downtown Philly, and you are correct, to the extent both downtown L.A. and Philly are improving quite rapidly, it's a great thing for both cities.
I think you might be looking at the Phoenix comparisons wrong. Nobody is comparing the sheer size and scale of the two downtowns. That is completely absurd. LA is light years ahead and it should be due to it's size and being an older city. I think you can make the case that in some ways Phoenix is a more scaled down version. Same type of layout albeit with much less density, street traffic, activity, etc. I know LA has made great strides with Staples, LA Live and many other projects but I have been in DTLA on many occasions after dark and it had that same deserted feeling Phoenix has after dark. Like I said LA has definitely changed that perception and Phoenix is working on it to a much smaller degree. I do think DTLA pics from the '50s resemble DTPHX today.
I respect your opinion, but I have to disagree. I'm curious about when / where you were in downtown LA.
The thing is, physically a lot hasn't changed downtown (other than razing bunker hill and adding modern towers) in the last 50 years. The theaters, office buildings and department stores lining Spring, Broadway and Main have been there since the 20s. I'm sure there's a block or two here and there that look like LA but I just don't see the comparison.
It hasn't actually started construction yet (they are demo-ing the current hotel this Spring), but that doesn't mean it hasn't been approved.
The hotel hosted its last guest a few weeks ago in anticipation of the demolition.
One cool thing about the new hotel is that (I am pretty sure) they have ensured the employees of the original hotel that they can have a job at the new one if they desire.
I respect your opinion, but I have to disagree. I'm curious about when / where you were in downtown LA.
The thing is, physically a lot hasn't changed downtown (other than razing bunker hill and adding modern towers) in the last 50 years. The theaters, office buildings and department stores lining Spring, Broadway and Main have been there since the 20s. I'm sure there's a block or two here and there that look like LA but I just don't see the comparison.
I've been to DTLA more times than I can remember. Haven't been in about 3 years which is a long stretch for me. I haven't been back since LA Live was finished. I guess you do bring up some good points about density differences but as you know until I think the early 60's there were height restrictions on buildings and LA didn't really grow until the 70's. It was kind of late to the party the same way Phoenix is. Again I'm saying on a smaller scale. I've heard Phoenix called LA's mini-me usually not in a complimentary way. Both cities grew out before they grew up.
I've been to DTLA more times than I can remember. Haven't been in about 3 years which is a long stretch for me. I haven't been back since LA Live was finished. I guess you do bring up some good points about density differences but as you know until I think the early 60's there were height restrictions on buildings and LA didn't really grow until the 70's. It was kind of late to the party the same way Phoenix is. Again I'm saying on a smaller scale. I've heard Phoenix called LA's mini-me usually not in a complimentary way. Both cities grew out before they grew up.
Yeah, I just don't really see the comparison, but we can agree to disagree.
Yeah, I just don't really see the comparison, but we can agree to disagree.
Fair enough. I can see why some people would think the two cities are night and day and believe me there are differences. However I have spent time in both cities and I can see some similarities. I know when I've been in DT San Francisco, Seattle, or Chicago, even San Diego it feels completely different than Phoenix. In LA it's weird because it doesn't feel as different. It honestly reminds me of Phoenix on steroids in some areas. It is different than Phoenix but not as different than most cities. Maybe it's just because Phoenix and LA are the two cities I am most familiar with and that accounts for it. I don't know. Just my two cents.
Fair enough. I can see why some people would think the two cities are night and day and believe me there are differences. However I have spent time in both cities and I can see some similarities. I know when I've been in DT San Francisco, Seattle, or Chicago, even San Diego it feels completely different than Phoenix. In LA it's weird because it doesn't feel as different. It honestly reminds me of Phoenix on steroids in some areas. It is different than Phoenix but not as different than most cities. Maybe it's just because Phoenix and LA are the two cities I am most familiar with and that accounts for it. I don't know. Just my two cents.
You're absolutely right, maybe I did jump the gun when I said esthetically Phoenix looked similar to DTLA, because honestly nothing in Phoenix even comes close to the central core of LA but aside from that there are many similarities especially in the inland empire, lancaster, palmdale, high desert etc. that's a different discussion though, but like you said its LA back in the 60's and as far as the Philly comparisons I just don't see it, Philly is much older, it has loads of rowhouses, has many bridges, a river, the only similarities is that they both get a bad rep for being ghetto around the core, though I would guess Philly is much more upscale than DTLA
You're absolutely right, maybe I did jump the gun when I said esthetically Phoenix looked similar to DTLA, because honestly nothing in Phoenix even comes close to the central core of LA but aside from that there are many similarities especially in the inland empire, lancaster, palmdale, high desert etc. that's a different discussion though, but like you said its LA back in the 60's and as far as the Philly comparisons I just don't see it, Philly is much older, it has loads of rowhouses, has many bridges, a river, the only similarities is that they both get a bad rep for being ghetto around the core, though I would guess Philly is much more upscale than DTLA
Good points. That's kind of where I was coming from too. I didn't want to make it sound like I was comparing the size and density of the two downtowns. I just think there are similarites such as the grid layout and freeway car culture plus I really do think Phoenix for better or worse has followed LA's growth model as has Vegas.
As was already stated by Munchitup, the Wilshire Grand redevelopment has definitely been APPROVED by the city. The demolition of the existing 13-story hotel is set to begin spring of 2012.
Phase I: 45-story hotel/condo tower (completion in 2015)
Phase II: 65-story hotel (completion in 2017)
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