BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Esotouric - ECPv6.17.5//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Esotouric X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://esotouric.com X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Esotouric REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20250309T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20251102T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20260308T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20261101T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20270314T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20271107T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20280312T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20281105T090000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260919T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260919T133000 DTSTAMP:20260903T010233Z CREATED:20260420T232811Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T010233Z UID:10000727-1789813800-1789824600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:SOLD OUT - KNOW YOUR DOWNTOWN LA: BRADBURY BUILDING\, BASEMENTS OF YORE AND THE DUTCH CHOCOLATE SHOP DESCRIPTION:Sorry\, this date is now sold out. The tour will repeat on Saturday Dec 19th.  \n \n \n \n \n \n As the historic heart of Los Angeles\, Downtown is a complex and confusing ecosystem\, where the old town and the new city collide and the past is always present. Join Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip as you explore Victorian time capsule interiors\, Prohibition-era speakeasy tunnels\, early public spaces and the richly layered streetscape\, all on a three hour tour like no other. \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, a culinary destination for more than a century\, we’ll set out to explore prominent Broadway Theater District and Main Street landmarks\, learn the lesser known history of the astonishing Bradbury Building\, explore the sprawling basement of the Van Nuys / Barclay Hotel (Morgan\, Walls and Morgan\, 1896) with its\, bookie stand\, sidewalk prisms and freight elevators and pay tribute to architect John Parkinson in his own King Edward Hotel\, including the basement King Edward Saloon speakeasy tunnels. Also on this tour\, we’ll make a rare interior visit to Arts & Crafts tile master Ernest Batchelder’s Dutch Chocolate Shop\, a remarkable 1914 time capsule that’s been in the news with recent efforts by Altadena’s Save the Tiles volunteers to rescue his work from fire damaged properties. \nThis walking tour draws on original research to tell the real stories of Downtown Los Angeles and is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n  \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start\, the middle\, and at the end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nMASK POLICY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours\, with the exception of when we visit cramped and unventilated basement tunnels and the Dutch Chocolate Shop space. Please bring a mask to wear for this portion of the tour. If you forget your mask\, we can provide one on check in. \nCAMERA POLICY: If you’d like to share about the tour on social media\, please tag Esotouric in your posts. We ask you don’t record long portions of your hosts’ tour presentations. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/know-your-downtown-fall-2026/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/DCS-4.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261003T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261003T133000 DTSTAMP:20260608T231632Z CREATED:20260420T233946Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260608T231632Z UID:10000728-1791023400-1791034200@esotouric.com SUMMARY:BUNKER NOIR! TRUE CRIME ON LOS ANGELES’ BUNKER HILL TOUR DESCRIPTION:Until the redevelopment agency bulldozed it all\, Los Angeles had a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood in the heart of the city\, with Victorian mansions converted to boarding houses\, meandering stairways and lush gardens. The buildings were old\, but full of character. Bunker Hill’s residents included retirees and workers\, artists and writers\, families and loners… crime victims and perps. \nJoin Esotouric and Nathan Marsak for a time travel trip through a lost neighborhood viewed through the bloodstained lens of its true crime history. Long before Nathan was the esteemed author of Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Essence of Sunshine and Noir\, he was a collaborator on our 1947project blog\, an experiment in understanding Los Angeles by exploring its forgotten crimes and crime scenes\, with one full year dedicated to an archeological exploration of old Bunker Hill.  Nathan is so committed to preserving Bunker Hill that he’s recently become an Angels Flight operator\, to help keep an eye on the tiny funicular that once served the community’s mass transit needs. \nThis immersive time travel trip is the ghoulish companion to the Bunker Hill\, Dead and Alive\, tour\, shifting the focus from architecture\, history and redevelopment to some of the strange and awful things that happened on Bunker Hill\, which when combined with its use as a film location\, helped to shape the neighborhood’s abiding reputation as the noir stain on the land of sunshine. \nOn this tour\, you’ll get to know the darker side of Bunker Hill\, but the astonishing beauty of its buildings\, culture and community will also shine through. It is recommended for mature audiences.  Bunker Noir! is also the name of Nathan’s true crime zine\, a collection of terrible tales and rare photos that will be available for purchase and signing after the tour. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting about 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. We will be making frequent use of the pedestrian bridges\, and there will be one or two flights of stairs to ascend or descend at a time for the first half of the walk. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start\, roughly halfway through at the Bonaventure\, and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nMASK POLICY: Masks are welcome\, but not required\, with the exception of on tours that visit unventilated historic spaces\, when we will provide masks for your safety. \nCAMERA POLICY: If you’d like to share about the tour on social media\, please tag Esotouric in your posts. We ask you don’t record long portions of your hosts’ tour presentations. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/bunker-noir/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bunker-hill-noir-featured-raw-2.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261024T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261024T133000 DTSTAMP:20260608T231822Z CREATED:20260420T235500Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260608T231822Z UID:10000730-1792837800-1792848600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:FILM NOIR / REAL NOIR DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES WALKING TOUR DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric on a walk that celebrates Film Noir and its abiding influence through visits to select filming locations\, sites connected to artists who shaped the genre\, and places where real life noir narratives were captured by dogged crime reporters\, bringing inspiration to Hollywood screenwriters in their daily newspaper. \nStarting from Grand Central Market in the Historic Core\, we’ll visit the Bradbury Building and some iconic locations in the Historic Core\, Civic Center and of course Bunker Hill\, the sprawling Victorian neighborhood of aging boarding houses and shadowy back alleys that was Hollywood’s favorite back lot when the screenplay called for a gritty mixed use set—until the redevelopment agency evicted 9000 people and tore it all down. \nYou’ll stand just where the camera did on immersive then-and-now film location stops\, and see how light\, shadow and landmarks feature in iconic noir cinema scenes. \nWe’ll end the tour with a ride on Angels Flight Railway\, a short track with a long filmography. Up on the hill\, historian Nathan Marsak\, author of Bunker Hill Los Angeles\, Bunker Noir!\, and Marsak’s Guide to Bunker Hill brings the lost neighborhood to life. And Bunker Hill native son Gordon Pattison explains how by playing up its sinister appearance\, Hollywood helped feed the urban renewal PR engine that sealed his beloved neighborhood’s fate. \nIf you’re interested in movies\, urban history\, true crime and the creative process\, you won’t want to miss it. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare images you can view on your smartphone. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting approximately 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start\, and at the end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nMASK POLICY: Masks are welcome\, but not required\, with the exception of on tours that visit unventilated historic spaces\, when we will provide masks for your safety. \nCAMERA POLICY: If you’d like to share about the tour on social media\, please tag Esotouric in your posts. We ask you don’t record long portions of your hosts’ tour presentations. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine.\n  \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/film-noir-fall-2026/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/film-noir-featured-2025-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261107T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261107T133000 DTSTAMP:20260608T232010Z CREATED:20260603T202051Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260608T232010Z UID:10000737-1794047400-1794058200@esotouric.com SUMMARY:THE REAL BLACK DAHLIA DOWNTOWN WALKING TOUR DESCRIPTION:The Black Dahlia murder in 1947 is the most compelling unsolved crime Los Angeles has ever known. What Jack the Ripper is to London\, the Torso Killer to Cleveland\, the Black Dahlia is to L.A. And yet unlike those other cases\, the name Black Dahlia refers not to the killer\, but to the victim. What was it about Elizabeth Short that keeps her the object of obsessive fascination by writers\, musicians\, artists\, filmmakers\, cops and readers\, decades after she was slain? \nThe Real Black Dahlia tour seeks to answer this question by intimately exploring the last weeks of Elizabeth Short’s life\, asking not “who killed her?” but “who was she?”—and how do we know so much about a person who was a stranger in town\, with no fixed address\, no means of support and no real confidantes? The answer takes us deep into the twin shadow worlds of mid-century investigative reporting and detective work\, and a high stakes race to turn trauma into gold. \nThis walking tour around the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles takes us from the human hustle of Main Street to the serene lobby of the Biltmore Hotel (the second-to-last place she was seen alive)\, the discreet gay bar that was her final intended destination to the Greyhound station where she checked her bags\, and to the newspaper offices that sensationalized and humanized her. \nFrom the few personal possessions she left behind to the friends who scarcely knew her\, from the mass hysteria of the investigation with its fruitless leads\, wacko suspects and false confessions\, the tour reveals all that’s known about this enigmatic black-haired girl who reinvented herself at whim\, and shows how she came to be the unfortunate symbol of her time and place. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare images you can view on your smartphone. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 3 hours\, over level ground moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nMASK POLICY: Masks are welcome\, but not required\, with the exception of on tours that visit unventilated historic spaces\, when we will provide masks for your safety. \nCAMERA POLICY: If you’d like to share about the tour on social media\, please tag Esotouric in your posts. We ask you don’t record long portions of your hosts’ tour presentations. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/black-dahlia-fall-2026/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/black-dahlia-walk-featured-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261219T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261219T133000 DTSTAMP:20260903T001054Z CREATED:20260902T222049Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T001054Z UID:10000741-1797676200-1797687000@esotouric.com SUMMARY:KNOW YOUR DOWNTOWN LA: BRADBURY BUILDING\, BASEMENTS OF YORE AND THE DUTCH CHOCOLATE SHOP DESCRIPTION:As the historic heart of Los Angeles\, Downtown is a complex and confusing ecosystem\, where the old town and the new city collide and the past is always present. Join Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip as you explore Victorian time capsule interiors\, Prohibition-era speakeasy tunnels\, early public spaces and the richly layered streetscape\, all on a three hour tour like no other. \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, a culinary destination for more than a century\, we’ll set out to explore prominent Broadway Theater District and Main Street landmarks\, learn the lesser known history of the astonishing Bradbury Building\, explore the sprawling basement of the Van Nuys / Barclay Hotel (Morgan\, Walls and Morgan\, 1896) with its\, bookie stand\, sidewalk prisms and freight elevators and pay tribute to architect John Parkinson in his own King Edward Hotel\, including the basement King Edward Saloon speakeasy tunnels. Also on this tour\, we’ll make a rare interior visit to Arts & Crafts tile master Ernest Batchelder’s Dutch Chocolate Shop\, a remarkable 1914 time capsule that’s been in the news with recent efforts by Altadena’s Save the Tiles volunteers to rescue his work from fire damaged properties. \nThis walking tour draws on original research to tell the real stories of Downtown Los Angeles and is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n  \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start\, the middle\, and at the end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nMASK POLICY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours\, with the exception of when we visit cramped and unventilated basement tunnels and the Dutch Chocolate Shop space. Please bring a mask to wear for this portion of the tour. If you forget your mask\, we can provide one on check in. \nCAMERA POLICY: If you’d like to share about the tour on social media\, please tag Esotouric in your posts. We ask you don’t record long portions of your hosts’ tour presentations. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/know-your-dtla-winter-2026/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/DCS-4.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261226T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261226T133000 DTSTAMP:20260903T010600Z CREATED:20260902T205623Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T010600Z UID:10000739-1798281000-1798291800@esotouric.com SUMMARY:HUMAN SACRIFICE: THE BLACK DAHLIA\, ELISA LAM\, HEIDI PLANCK & SKID ROW SLASHER CASES DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric’s Kim Cooper and Richard Schave\, the Skid Row historians featured in “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel\,” and their special guest Joan Renner\, on a true crime and cultural history walking tour that explores the terrifying intersection of real estate speculation\, housing insecurity and death in Downtown Los Angeles from the 1940s to the present. \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, we’ll fan out over the historic core to visit significant sites in the investigations of three notorious and heartbreaking cases: the kidnapping and murder of Beth Short in 1947\, the serial killing of seven poor or homeless men by Vaughn Greenwood between December 1974 and January 1975\, and Elisa Lam’s disappearance and drowning while staying at the Stay on Main hostel inside the single room occupancy Hotel Cecil in 2013. We’ll also talk about the October 2021 disappearance of Heidi Planck\, although we won’t trek as far as the Hope + Flower apartments where she was last seen. \nYou’ll learn about the importance of newspaper reporting to 20th century crime investigations\, and the role of internet communities today\, hear about how previous generations slept rough in all-night movie theaters\, alleys and under bushes\, how the high cost or lack of housing options make victims more vulnerable\, and about property developers who bend the rules to transform low-income residency hotels and market rate apartments into profitable blind spots where people can vanish. \nAlong the way\, you’ll get to know the victims as sympathetic and relatable people who serve as fascinating windows into real life and death in Los Angeles over the decades and learn how public policy choices can set the stage for avoidable tragedy. \nCan understanding why true crimes happened help Los Angeles finally solve its housing crisis? We think it can! \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n About Our Guest Host\nJoan Renner is a true crime author and commentator. Her blog\, Deranged L.A. Crimes\, covers 20th century crimes and scandals. The L.A. Weekly called her book The First with the latest: Aggie Underwood\, the Los Angeles Herald\, and the Sordid Crimes of a City\, “A great introduction to some long-forgotten L.A. crimes.” Over the past decade\, she has appeared in over sixty TV shows and podcasts such as City of Angels\, City of Death; Deadly Women; Buried in the Backyard; and Hollywood & Crime. She is currently working on a book for University Press Kentucky about Los Angeles during the Prohibition era. When she’s not writing about or researching crime\, Joan volunteers as an archivist at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Museum. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/sacrifice-winter-2026/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Hotel-Cecil-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270116T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270116T133000 DTSTAMP:20260903T023409Z CREATED:20260902T233507Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T023409Z UID:10000743-1800095400-1800106200@esotouric.com SUMMARY:THE REAL BLACK DAHLIA DOWNTOWN WALKING TOUR DESCRIPTION:The Black Dahlia murder in 1947 is the most compelling unsolved crime Los Angeles has ever known. What Jack the Ripper is to London\, the Torso Killer to Cleveland\, the Black Dahlia is to L.A. And yet unlike those other cases\, the name Black Dahlia refers not to the killer\, but to the victim. What was it about Elizabeth Short that keeps her the object of obsessive fascination by writers\, musicians\, artists\, filmmakers\, cops and readers\, decades after she was slain? \nThe Real Black Dahlia tour seeks to answer this question by intimately exploring the last weeks of Elizabeth Short’s life\, asking not “who killed her?” but “who was she?”—and how do we know so much about a person who was a stranger in town\, with no fixed address\, no means of support and no real confidantes? The answer takes us deep into the twin shadow worlds of mid-century investigative reporting and detective work\, and a high stakes race to turn trauma into gold. \nThis walking tour around the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles takes us from the human hustle of Main Street to the serene lobby of the Biltmore Hotel (the second-to-last place she was seen alive)\, the discreet gay bar that was her final intended destination to the Greyhound station where she checked her bags\, and to the newspaper offices that sensationalized and humanized her. \nFrom the few personal possessions she left behind to the friends who scarcely knew her\, from the mass hysteria of the investigation with its fruitless leads\, wacko suspects and false confessions\, the tour reveals all that’s known about this enigmatic black-haired girl who reinvented herself at whim\, and shows how she came to be the unfortunate symbol of her time and place. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare images you can view on your smartphone. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 3 hours\, over level ground moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nMASK POLICY: Masks are welcome\, but not required\, with the exception of on tours that visit unventilated historic spaces\, when we will provide masks for your safety. \nCAMERA POLICY: If you’d like to share about the tour on social media\, please tag Esotouric in your posts. We ask you don’t record long portions of your hosts’ tour presentations. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/black-dahlia-jan-2027/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/black-dahlia-walk-featured-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR