So I had jury duty last week and got to spend some time downtown during the day instead of a more typical dinner and bar crawl pattern around South park or the arts district. I made a point of walking from the courthouse to the seventh st metro station each day to explore the ongoing changes.
While the area has come a long way, much needs to be done still. A few observations-
-I walked thru Pershing Square for the first time ever and can see why people avoid it at all costs. It's truly awful. The planned redo can't happen fast enough.
-The pedestrian experience from block to block continues to be a total crap shoot. Where new development has taken place the sidewalks and landscaping are in good shape, but most everywhere else show decades of neglect. The incredible amount of filth, the stench, the lack of any shade, etc is staggering. the mayor and city council should be ashamed.
-All that said, I was pleasantly surprised to see a decent number of tourists walking and exploring. All the new hotels and the energy of places like Grand Central Market and Little Tokyo are clearly drawing people from far and wide.
The good news is there's much changing for the better thanks to the incredible amount private investment in the area. And there's lots of upside potential, especially if the city would make a big push focusing on obvious basic stuff that's been neglected for so long.