L.A.'s Chinatown tries to draw more nighttime visitors

By the light from a Chinatown bakery, Steve and Isela Gibbs snacked on cake at an outdoor table as the last few of the day's tourists wandered through nearby Central Plaza, under hanging red paper lanterns.

At night, the shuttered buildings adorned with Chinese symbols and crowned with graceful upward-arching roofs gave off a ghost-town feel.

"It's Saturday night, and it's dead," said Steve Gibbs, a visitor from San Diego.

Once the hub of Chinese American life in Los Angeles, the 24-block neighborhood northeast of downtown has lost much of its luster since its heyday in the 1940s.

During daylight hours, the Chinese-themed shops and restaurants clustered around three main plazas still draw visitors hunting for cheap souvenirs and authentic Asian cuisine. A slew of new art galleries also draw daytime visitors.

But critics say Chinatown has become a virtual dead zone after dark, despite efforts by city officials and business leaders to attract more crowds.

Read the full story here.

--Hugo Martin in Chinatown

Pedestrians make their way through Central Plaza on Broadway in Chinatown. Chinese themed-shops and restaurants are clustered around the plaza, but few stay open after dark. (Mel Melcon, Los Angeles Times / February 25, 2010)

Comments

[Eva]

Chinatown is a complete joke. Why even pretend that this cultural Disneyland is relevant? Monterey Park, Alhambra, San Marino are heavily Chinese, and yet don't need to don any costumes and do some tourist poodle dance.

[Natalie]

It's been forever since I've been down to Chinatown. Last time I went I saw some really cute shoes and asked if they carried a size 9. They laughed in my face.