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Originally Posted by Muji
Here's another view from this afternoon of the projects going on around 2nd and Los Angeles
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that's a nice capper to the pics started by blackcat & eclipse.
I haven't seen the intersection of 2nd st & san pedro since the new apt proj finally broke ground several wks ago, & your pic shows just how large the open space has been around there til the former parking lots were shutdown & replaced by new construction.
I'm old enough to vaguely recall when that entire block...before it was cleared out for parking lots... was mostly very old industrial bldgs....very dreary.....& the higgins bldg seen in the distance...to the right of the cupola of st vibiana's, was still nothing but a sooty, abandoned eyesore.
Younger ppl may not realize just how sad dt had become going back not all that long ago. So the ongoing transformation really needs to be placed in the full context of then & now, & even more greatly appreciated. That's why when certain ppl complain that a new proj like Ava or the sares regis proj at 2nd & san Pedro doesn't fit their requirements, I can't help but go
this vid of flower st, starting from south of pico, captures what has always most stood out to me. And that's not whether bldgs are taller or shorter, or have stores or not, but whether there's a continuity of something that's nice or at least acceptable to walk or drive by.
The southern part of flower still has noticeable gaps here & there, while the street starting around 9th St northward finally shows a rather consistent amt of infill. however, the area around the bonaventure hotel can be rather intimidating to ppl walking around due to all the ramps or streets that seem like mini freeways. But there is at least a sense of completeness.
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The vid also catches glimpses of the new apt tower at 8th & Hope st, & the signage on the walls of macys plaza for the new bloc proj. It covers parts of flower st where gaps are now being filled in, or were filled in not too long ago, such as the watermarke tower or concerto/apex bldgs. That's why I don't have a nagging sense of emptiness of portions of flower st towards bunker hill compared with the sections further south, around the palm restaurant & staples ctr.
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Also, your sense of despair and isolation when venturing around the Bonadventure is normal. That crap was the product of 1960's to 1970's planning theory (at least in Los Angeles) when the automobile took priority. The concept was designed to speed the occupant from freeway to work without pedestrian interference. It was functional, efficient, sterile, and a complete failure, as evidenced 40 years later. 
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