Is chinatown a nice place to stay?

Hello there. i%26#39;m a single traveler who is going to L.A in Sept. I%26#39;ve seen the Best Western Dragon Gate Inn, and just wanted to know is chinatown an ok neigbourhood??

Thanks

Is chinatown a nice place to stay?

I guess it depends entirely upon you.

PRO

1) Chinese food - Lots of good restaurants to choose from. If you like Chinese, a definite plus.

2) Convenient to public transit - There is a Gold Line station in Chinatown. The Gold Line heads northeast to Pasadena. It is a single stop to Union Station and the Red and Purple Lines. The Red Line goes to Hollywood. The Blue Line to Long Beach is only a few stops along the Red/Purple Lines. From Union Station, the #10 Big Blue bus takes you directly to Santa Monica and the ocean. Numerous Dash buses connect to downtown, too.

3) Union Station is right there with Amtrak and Metrolink trains. Gorgeous building, too.

4) Downtown with all of its attractions is right next door. (Insert very long list here.)

5) Dodger Stadium is right next door, too.

6) The Cornfields and Elysian Parks are both adjacent to Chinatown. Although the Cornfields is still a work in progress.

7) Art galleries -- There%26#39;s a bunch of contemporary art galleries on Chung King Road.

8) The hotel is fine. I%26#39;ve had relatives stay there and they thought it was fine. Nothing fancy. A good value they felt. And they said this as visitors without a car and during a transit strike(!).

9) Philippe%26#39;s Restaurant -- Serves old-fashioned American sandwiches with saw dust on the floor. it is located on Alameda %26amp; Ord in Chinatown.

10) Olvera Street is adjacent. This is the historic heart of the city. There%26#39;s a Mexican street market here and various shops with Mexican curios. The oldest church in the city is located here, too. They are definitely sprucing up the place. I quite like this place. Skip the Mexican food, except for the churros.

CON

1) The neighborhood is definitely scruffy. The last heyday of Chinatown was in the 70s. Since then new immigrants with wealth have settled further east in Monterey Park. However, the neighborhoods fortunes are clearly changing with new development happening. The new Gold Line station heralded this.

2) Not much nightlife. There are some restaurants which are open into the evening. But, street-life tends to shut down. It is not unsafe. Simply, there is not much happening. There are a couple of worthy bars/nightclubs with a diverse clientel (Mountain? and another place I can%26#39;t recall).

3) Location is not necessarily convenient to some of the more touristy places like Beverly Hills or the Sunset Strip (although Hollywood is easily reached via the Red Line).

I live in downtown and I%26#39;ve never spent a lot of time in Chinatown. However, I%26#39;m not big on Chinese food. I think many Angelenos would think it an odd place to stay because they are not familiar with the neighborhood. But, if the price is right and the location is convenient and the setting agreeable, I%26#39;d say why not?

HTH. Let us know what you decide.

Is chinatown a nice place to stay?

Thanks for your comments! I%26#39;m actually coming into and departing L.A on Amtrak, as its a stop on my pan-american train journey. So as Union Station isn%26#39;t far, that would help with my late arrival on the Coast Starlight!

If public transport is near by, then that%26#39;s good enough for me too. I%26#39;ve been told day passes are reasonable for the underground and buses, so that would help!

I hope to book something this weekend, so i%26#39;ll let you know the outcome!

Thanks very much!

Well, given your plans, yes, I think it would work just fine for you. Depending on your luggage, you could get to the hotel by taxi, jump on the Gold Line one stop over to Chinatown, or even walk if you have a backpack. I%26#39;d take a taxi.

Yes, day passes are an excellent value. If you%26#39;re staying a week, there are also weekly passes available.