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:20220313T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20221106T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20230312T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20231105T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20240310T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20241103T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20250309T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20251102T090000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240831T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240831T133000 DTSTAMP:20240415T193722Z CREATED:20240415T193559Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240415T193722Z UID:10000616-1725100200-1725111000@esotouric.com SUMMARY:RAYMOND CHANDLER’S NOIR DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip in the footsteps of master detective novelist Raymond Chandler and his cynical alter ego Philip Marlowe\, in the historic heart of Downtown Los Angeles. \nChicago-born and educated in a fine English boarding school\, Chandler found his literary voice during long boozy lunches as a 1920s oil company executive\, quietly observing the criminal origins of great Los Angeles fortunes. Although he left Downtown in the 1930s and found success with fiction and screenwriting\, the old neighborhood cast an abiding spell and he returned to it throughout his career. \nThis tour explores some of the time capsule sites where the young Chandler worked and played\, and where the mature writer set some of his most memorable and murderous scenes. From Angels Flight Railway and old Bunker Hill to the Oviatt Building\, Clifton’s Cafeteria to seedy hotels on the edge of Skid Row\, we’ll bring Chandler’s real and invented worlds alive on a stroll among beautiful\, fascinating landmarks. \nAlong the way\, you’ll get to know the real Raymond Chandler\, with intimate details sleuthed out by the tour guides who over many years of noir exploration have discovered Chandler’s previously unknown comic operetta and penned a Chandler map and nonfiction novel The Kept Girl about the real life cult of angel worshippers who fleeced his oil executive colleague and were front page news in a crime crazed city. \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 \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting approximately 3 hours\, 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\, middle 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 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/chandler-noir-summer-2024/ 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/2023/04/chandler-tour-collage-300x169-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240825T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240825T133000 DTSTAMP:20240506T022533Z CREATED:20240504T222621Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240506T022533Z UID:10000621-1724581800-1724592600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:BROADWAY: DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES’ BEAUTIFUL\, MAGICAL MESS WALKING TOUR DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric on a stroll through the National Register Broadway Theatre District\, the largest collection of historic motion picture palaces in the country\, on an architectural\, cultural and public policy history tour of a great street that needs a lot of help. How did Broadway take shape in the early 20th Century\, why did the entertainment and retail district decline\, and who are the personalities who have sought to preserve\, reactivate and profit from it—not always successfully? \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, we’ll honor the visionary developer Ira Yellin\, who believed that there was a second life possible for empty early 20th century office buildings\, and changed city law so that Angelenos could live in them. \nAcross Broadway at the Bradbury Building\, Terry McKelvey turned his dad’s dull commercial real estate business into an incubator for creativity\, and dreamed of a Victorian-themed Downtown Los Angeles Gaslight District\, until his personal demons pulled that dream out from under him. \nDown at the United Artists\, obtained through a sweetheart deal involving suitcases full of cash and convenient earthquakes\, offbeat preacher Dr. Gene Scott raised millions through bizarre televised sermons\, for theater restoration\, rare books and preservation of the iconic Jesus Saves neon sign. \nAnd up in City Hall\, ambitious councilman Jose Huizar saw Broadway as a political branding opportunity\, expending civic resources to organize massive street parties with his name on every marquee\, while pushing policies that encouraged speculation at the expense of Broadway’s small businesses—until the FBI came calling. \nSpecial on this edition of the Broadway tour: we’re joined by Miriam and Victoria Caldwell\, sharing insights from the 1950s diaries of their mother Vilma\, whose adventures as a hard-boiled Clifton’s Cafeteria camera girl bring a lost world to life. \nAlong the way\, we’ll talk about what it means to be National Register District\, how the Jewelry District used old buildings in fresh new ways and how the lessons of Wilshire’s Wiltern Theatre could be used to reactivate downtown’s dark venues\, while pointing out the sites of lost landmarks\, hidden details\, ghost signs and magic carpets of terrazzo that make up this beautiful\, magical mess at the heart of the city. \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   \nTOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting approximately 3 hours\, over level ground and 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\, middle 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 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/broadway-magical-mess-summer-2024/ 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/2022/07/Broadway-magic-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240817T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240817T133000 DTSTAMP:20240716T002442Z CREATED:20240712T001807Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240716T002442Z UID:10000632-1723890600-1723901400@esotouric.com SUMMARY:KNOW YOUR DOWNTOWN LA: TUNNELS TO TOWERS TO THE DUTCH CHOCOLATE SHOP WALKING TOUR 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. \nJoin Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip that aims to give you the tools you need to actually understand how Downtown got this way and anticipate where it might go next\, as you explore Victorian time capsule interiors\, Prohibition-era speakeasy tunnels\, and modernist redevelopment towers\, ride a funicular and explore the ruins of an elevated people mover system that never was\, 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 the original Jewelry District\, seek out remnants of the streetcar system\, admire prominent Broadway Theater District and fashion industry landmarks\, make a rare interior visit to Arts & Crafts tile master Ernest Batchelder’s Dutch Chocolate Shop and pay tribute to architect John Parkinson in his namesake square and at the hardscape Pershing Square where his beloved 1910 park design is still all anyone wants to talk about. \nThen we’ll ascend to the new Bunker Hill to hunt for the ghosts of the lost Victorian neighborhood hiding among the shining modern towers\, where historian Nathan Marsak\, author of Bunker Hill Los Angeles\, Bunker Noir!\, and Marsak’s Guide to Bunker Hill will help us track the ragged path of the Bunker Hill Redevelopment Plan\, see hidden gardens\, art installations and landscaped public plazas\, and learn about the Angelenos who were displaced and the planners and builders who sealed their doom. And we’ll wrap up with a trip on Angels Flight Railway. \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 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-aug-2024/ 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:20240728T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240728T133000 DTSTAMP:20240721T035212Z CREATED:20240701T181646Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240721T035212Z UID:10000631-1722162600-1722173400@esotouric.com SUMMARY:SOLD OUT! KNOW YOUR DOWNTOWN LA: TUNNELS TO TOWERS TO THE DUTCH CHOCOLATE SHOP WALKING TOUR 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. \nJoin Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip that aims to give you the tools you need to actually understand how Downtown got this way and anticipate where it might go next\, as you explore Victorian time capsule interiors\, Prohibition-era speakeasy tunnels\, and modernist redevelopment towers\, ride a funicular and explore the ruins of an elevated people mover system that never was\, 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 the original Jewelry District\, seek out remnants of the streetcar system\, admire prominent Broadway Theater District and fashion industry landmarks\, make a rare interior visit to Arts & Crafts tile master Ernest Batchelder’s Dutch Chocolate Shop and pay tribute to architect John Parkinson in his namesake square and at the hardscape Pershing Square where his beloved 1910 park design is still all anyone wants to talk about. \nThen it’s all aboard Angels Flight Railway to ascend to the new Bunker Hill\, where native son Gordon Pattison will be our guide hunting for the ghosts of the lost Victorian neighborhood hiding among the shining modern towers. You’ll track the ragged path of the Bunker Hill Redevelopment Plan\, see hidden gardens\, art installations and landscaped public plazas\, and learn about the Angelenos who were displaced and the planners and builders who sealed their doom. \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 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-summer-redux/ 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:20240727T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240727T133000 DTSTAMP:20240705T185146Z CREATED:20240220T023512Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240705T185146Z UID:10000615-1722076200-1722087000@esotouric.com SUMMARY:SOLD OUT - KNOW YOUR DOWNTOWN LA: TUNNELS TO TOWERS TO THE DUTCH CHOCOLATE SHOP WALKING TOUR 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. \nJoin Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip that aims to give you the tools you need to actually understand how Downtown got this way and anticipate where it might go next\, as you explore Victorian time capsule interiors\, Prohibition-era speakeasy tunnels\, and modernist redevelopment towers\, ride a funicular and explore the ruins of an elevated people mover system that never was\, 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 the original Jewelry District\, seek out remnants of the streetcar system\, admire prominent Broadway Theater District and fashion industry landmarks\, make a rare interior visit to Arts & Crafts tile master Ernest Batchelder’s Dutch Chocolate Shop and pay tribute to architect John Parkinson in his namesake square and at the hardscape Pershing Square where his beloved 1910 park design is still all anyone wants to talk about. \nThen it’s all aboard Angels Flight Railway to ascend to the new Bunker Hill\, where Bunker Hill native son Gordon Pattison will be our guide hunting for the ghosts of the lost Victorian neighborhood hiding among the shining modern towers. You’ll track the ragged path of the Bunker Hill Redevelopment Plan\, see hidden gardens\, art installations and landscaped public plazas\, and learn about the Angelenos who were displaced and the planners and builders who sealed their doom. \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 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-summer-2024/ 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/2023/11/know-your-downtown-collage-2024-WP-.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240706T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240706T133000 DTSTAMP:20240506T022020Z CREATED:20240424T020810Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240506T022020Z UID:10000618-1720261800-1720272600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:THE REAL BLACK DAHLIA DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES 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-walk-summer-2024/ 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:20240629T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240629T133000 DTSTAMP:20240224T005819Z CREATED:20240220T021049Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240224T005819Z UID:10000613-1719657000-1719667800@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-walk-summer-2024/ 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/2024/02/film-noir-featured.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240601T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240601T133000 DTSTAMP:20240529T184402Z CREATED:20240125T194143Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240529T184402Z UID:10000608-1717237800-1717248600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:POP – PRESERVING OUR PAST DOWNTOWN LA WALKING TOUR FEATURING THE DUTCH CHOCOLATE SHOP DESCRIPTION:If you love Downtown Los Angeles\, thank a preservationist. That’s because the Historic Core is a living museum of generations of activist advocacy and hard won landmarks—along with some grievous losses. \nJoin Esotouric’s Kim Cooper and Richard Schave\, Bunker Hill historian Nathan Marsak and Bunker Hill native son Gordon Pattison\, for an immersive then-and-now walking tour\, scheduled to coincide with the 2024 California Preservation Conference at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. \nThe tour celebrates the policy makers who gave Los Angeles one of the nation’s first preservation ordinances\, and Downtown its National Register districts and standalone monuments\, and hisses the misguided redevelopment agents who displaced 9000 souls and bulldozed the Victorian mixed-use Bunker Hill neighborhood—leaving a dusty mesa that sat empty for years. \nStops include the legendary Dutch Chocolate Shop\, the first major commission for Arts & Crafts tile master Ernest Batchelder\, and a space that tells a compelling story of how successive generations of Angelenos have made use of one unforgettable space: from 1910s elegant ladies lunchroom to mid-century healthy conscious cafeteria to discount flea market—with a rich future yet to reveal itself. \nStops include the Barclay Hotel on the edge of Skid Row\, a 19th century gem that narrowly escaped a TikTok influencer remodel and is returning to its former use as very affordable housing. Its mellow lobby\, with sculpted plaster\, comic stained glass and checkerboard tile\, remains much as it was when Raymond Chandler set a murder there. \nIn Pershing Square just across from the Biltmore\, you’ll learn how English immigrant John Parkinson gave back to the city that made his fortune with a lovely pro bono urban park design—one that functioned so well that City Hall schemed to get rid of everything Angelenos loved about it. \nWe’ll stroll along Broadway\, a neglected National Register theater district ripe to be reimagined. \nAnd we’ll hop a ride on the Angels Flight Railway funicular\, a rare survivor from Edwardian Bunker Hill\, and trace the winding path that brought the little train back from oblivion repeatedly\, most recently with the help of your tour guides. \nWe’ll trek across modern Bunker Hill in search of hints of the old neighborhood\, including the exquisite polychrome and mural hung lobby of the CalEdison building\, and to the Art Deco Central Library\, itself nearly lost to redevelopment frenzy\, where we’ll see Leo Politi’s lyrical Bunker Hill paintings. \nAnd we’ll hear from Gordon Pattison\, who grew up in his grandmother’s rooming house\, about what Bunker Hill was really like\, and how his family’s refusal to accept the redevelopment agency’s buyout offers led to two Pattison owned Victorians being landmarked\, moved… and tragically lost. \nAlong the way\, you’ll see some of L.A.’s finest buildings\, and get to know the fascinating preservation people who have fought to protect\, restore and reactivate them. \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 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 at the 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\, with the exception of when we visit the unventilated 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: 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 \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/preserving-our-past-dtla/ 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:20240518T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240518T133000 DTSTAMP:20240419T225446Z CREATED:20240120T023736Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240419T225446Z UID:10000607-1716028200-1716039000@esotouric.com SUMMARY:HOTEL HORRORS & MAIN STREET VICE WALKING TOUR DESCRIPTION:From the founding of the city through the mid-20th century\, downtown was the true center of Los Angeles\, a lively\, densely populated\, exciting and sometimes dangerous place. After many quiet decades\, downtown again became a destination. But while the historic buildings remain\, their stories got lost. \nBlending true crime\, architecture\, theatrical\, documentary and social history\, this tour aims to revive the ghosts that cling to the bricks and alleyways and inside some time capsule buildings where the past is present. \nThis is a tour of the ribald\, racy\, raunchy old promenade where the better people simply did not travel\, but kicks were had by all who did. Burlesque babes and tattoo artists\, weird wax museums\, sword swallowers\, fake and real freaks\, taxi dancers and B-girl hustlers\, elegant hotels and dirty magazine stands\, sophisticated steak houses and nickel donut dives\, even Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones — these were the pleasures and the people to be found along Main Street during the 20th century. \nWe’ll visit the scenes of some more unforgettable debaucheries and share stories of bloodshed\, smut\, passion and commerce that bring a lost world to life. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos 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 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 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 \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 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/hotel-horrors-spring-2024/ 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/2024/01/Hotel-Horrors-Main-St-Featured.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240427T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240427T133000 DTSTAMP:20240126T013044Z CREATED:20231213T025700Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240126T013044Z UID:10000603-1714213800-1714224600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES IS FOR BOOK LOVERS WALKING TOUR DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric on a tour revealing the bookish cultural history in the heart of the city\, packed with tales of colorful Los Angeles writers\, readers and booksellers. \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, where the young John Fante hustled cheap fruit from the Japanese vendors to fuel his dreams of becoming Bunker Hill’s great novelist\, we’ll blaze a time traveler’s trail along Hill\, Grand and Broadway\, visiting Central Library with its street corner monuments to Fante and Ray Bradbury\, to former locations of legendary book sellers Jake Zeitlin\, Caravan\, Dawson’s and Fowler’s\, explore Pershing Square’s rich literary history and symbolism\, and so much more. Featured players include Jack Kerouac\, Charles Bukowski\, Hart Crane\, John Rechy\, Aldous Huxley\, Carey McWilliams and legendary early city librarians Mary Foy and Tessa Kelso. And because it’s an Esotouric tour\, you’ll enjoy lesser known\, offbeat tales about L.A. books and the oddballs who love them. \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 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 \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. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/book-lovers-spring-2024/ 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/Booklovers-downtown-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240420T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240420T133000 DTSTAMP:20240126T012938Z CREATED:20231213T023757Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240126T012938Z UID:10000600-1713609000-1713619800@esotouric.com SUMMARY:HUMAN SACRIFICE: THE BLACK DAHLIA\, ELISA LAM\, HEIDI PLANCK & SKID ROW SLASHER CASES WALKING TOUR 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 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 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 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 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 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/human-sacrifice-spring-2024/ 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:20240413T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240413T133000 DTSTAMP:20240126T012802Z CREATED:20231213T023240Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240126T012802Z UID:10000599-1713004200-1713015000@esotouric.com SUMMARY:RAYMOND CHANDLER’S NOIR DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES WALKING TOUR DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip in the footsteps of master detective novelist Raymond Chandler and his cynical alter ego Philip Marlowe\, in the historic heart of Downtown Los Angeles. \nChicago-born and educated in a fine English boarding school\, Chandler found his literary voice during long boozy lunches as a 1920s oil company executive\, quietly observing the criminal origins of great Los Angeles fortunes. Although he left Downtown in the 1930s and found success with fiction and screenwriting\, the old neighborhood cast an abiding spell and he returned to it throughout his career. \nThis tour explores some of the time capsule sites where the young Chandler worked and played\, and where the mature writer set some of his most memorable and murderous scenes. From Angels Flight Railway and old Bunker Hill to the Oviatt Building\, Clifton’s Cafeteria to seedy hotels on the edge of Skid Row\, we’ll bring Chandler’s real and invented worlds alive on a stroll among beautiful\, fascinating landmarks. \nAlong the way\, you’ll get to know the real Raymond Chandler\, with intimate details sleuthed out by the tour guides who over many years of noir exploration have discovered Chandler’s previously unknown comic operetta and penned a Chandler map and nonfiction novel The Kept Girl about the real life cult of angel worshippers who fleeced his oil executive colleague and were front page news in a crime crazed city. \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 \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting approximately 3 hours\, 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\, middle 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 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/raymond-chandler-spring-2024/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:bus tour,walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chandler-tour-collage-300x169-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240406T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240406T133000 DTSTAMP:20231123T183500Z CREATED:20231122T015841Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231123T183500Z UID:10000598-1712399400-1712410200@esotouric.com SUMMARY:JOHN FANTE’S DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES TOUR & BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip in the footsteps of novelist and screenwriter John Fante (1909-1983) through Downtown Los Angeles and Bunker Hill\, On this special edition of the tour hosted on John Fante’s birthday\, we’ll be joined by Fante’s family and Bunker Hill native son Gordon Pattison\, and end the walk with birthday cake. \nBefore Jack Kerouac\, before Charles Bukowski\, there was John Fante\, author of the classic comic novel Ask the Dust (1939) and four more books featuring his alter-ego Arturo Bandini\, an outspoken\, down-and-out Mr. Hyde to Fante’s Dr. Jekyll. As Bunker Hill’s prodigal son\, Fante chronicles a colorful Los Angeles neighborhood teeming with immigrants\, criminals and dreamers like himself\, until redevelopment forces swept the people\, the buildings and much of Bunker Hill itself away. But Arturo Bandini’s voice remains as strong and relevant today as it was in 1939. So please join us as we follow in his footsteps\, to the hidden speakeasy beneath the King Eddy Saloon\, Central Library and John Fante Square\, for a ride on his beloved Angels Flight Railway and across the new\, corporate Bunker Hill in search of echoes of the lost neighborhood. This 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 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 COVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours\, with the exception of when we visit the cramped and unventilated basement speakeasy beneath the King Edward Hotel. Please bring a mask to wear for this portion of the tour. If you forget your mask\, we can provide one on check in. \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/john-fante-spring-2024/ 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/2022/12/fante-tour-collage-fixed.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240323T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240323T133000 DTSTAMP:20231123T183640Z CREATED:20231122T010721Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231123T183640Z UID:10000596-1711189800-1711200600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:THE RUN: GAY DOWNTOWN HISTORY WALKING TOUR DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric on a walking tour of 20th century LGBTQ landmarks in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles\, for a time travel trip along The Run\, the circuit of queer friendly spaces that provided community\, culture and connection at a time when homosexuality was still criminalized\, and in the early years of gay liberation. Drawing on original archival research and featuring unpublished images\, this tour will bring a lost world to life. \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, we’ll take you where the action was\, from Pershing Square to the Main Street fun zone\, private assignations to bold political organizing\, groundbreaking legal cases to discrete bars\, and even into the shuttered 1920s-era speakeasy beneath the King Eddy Saloon to see scrawled hook up messages in the only cruisy bathroom that’s a designated National Register landmark! Plus\, we’ll put the nail in the coffin of the urban legend that there was a gay uprising at Cooper’s Do-Nuts that predates the Stonewall Rebellion. \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 \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. \nMASK POLICY: Guests are welcome to wear masks\, but they are not required except when we visit historic interiors that don’t have ventilation. When we go into the basement speakeasy under the King Edward Hotel\, we ask that all guests wear a mask. Please bring your own\, or ask for one on check in. \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 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/the-run-spring-2024/ 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/2023/04/gay-downtown-feature-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240316T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240316T133000 DTSTAMP:20231215T001117Z CREATED:20231122T004713Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231215T001117Z UID:10000595-1710585000-1710595800@esotouric.com SUMMARY:KNOW YOUR DOWNTOWN LA: TUNNELS TO TOWERS TO THE DUTCH CHOCOLATE SHOP WALKING TOUR 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. \nJoin Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip that aims to give you the tools you need to actually understand how Downtown got this way and anticipate where it might go next\, as you explore Victorian time capsule interiors\, Prohibition-era speakeasy tunnels\, and modernist redevelopment towers\, ride a funicular and explore the ruins of an elevated people mover system that never was\, 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 the original Jewelry District\, seek out remnants of the streetcar system\, admire prominent Broadway Theater District and fashion industry landmarks\, make a rare interior visit to Arts & Crafts tile master Ernest Batchelder’s Dutch Chocolate Shop and pay tribute to architect John Parkinson in his namesake square and at the hardscape Pershing Square where his beloved 1910 park design is still all anyone wants to talk about. \nThen it’s all aboard Angels Flight Railway to ascend to the new Bunker Hill\, where Bunker Hill native son Gordon Pattison will be our guide hunting for the ghosts of the lost Victorian neighborhood hiding among the shining modern towers. You’ll track the ragged path of the Bunker Hill Redevelopment Plan\, see hidden gardens\, art installations and landscaped public plazas\, and learn about the Angelenos who were displaced and the planners and builders who sealed their doom. \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 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. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/know-your-downtown-spring-2024/ 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/2023/11/know-your-downtown-collage-2024-WP-.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240224T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240224T150000 DTSTAMP:20240122T231546Z CREATED:20231105T222611Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240122T231546Z UID:10000592-1708772400-1708786800@esotouric.com SUMMARY:THE REAL BLACK DAHLIA CRIME BUS TOUR DESCRIPTION:“This tour… has established itself as an L.A. classic.” — The Los Angeles Times \n\nThe 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\, more than sixty years after she was slain? \nThe Real Black Dahlia Crime 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?” \nThe tour takes us from the human hustle of Main Street to the serene lobby of the Biltmore (the second-to-last place she was seen alive)\, to the newspaper offices and the Greyhound station where she checked her bags\, and concludes at the site where her bisected body was found in Leimert Park and with a little known suspect who lived nearby. \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. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 11am sharp\, with check-in time 10.30am at the patio outside Grand Central Market at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check-in table to get signed in\, logged in to the smartphone slideshow\, and select a seat on the bus. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a bus tour lasting approximately 4 hours\, which will be split fairly evenly between time on and off a 56-seat coach class bus. The bus has A/C\, video monitors (the tour has a slideshow)\, and a restroom. There will be a complimentary coffee and snack break during the tour\, and you’re welcome to bring a packed lunch to enjoy at this time\, as well as any non-alcoholic beverages. \nCOVID SAFETY: Guests are required to wear a mask while boarding and traveling on the bus. Please bring your own mask\, or ask for one on check in. The charter company that we work with cleans the bus cabin before each trip\, and also requires passengers to wear a mask when on board. Thank you for working with us to help keep each other healthy so we can enjoy exploring today and in the future. \nIf you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \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 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 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-winter-2024/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:bus tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/black-dahlia-featured-better-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240203T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240203T133000 DTSTAMP:20231113T032145Z CREATED:20231105T220539Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231113T032145Z UID:10000589-1706956200-1706967000@esotouric.com SUMMARY:BUNKER HILL\, DEAD AND ALIVE WALKING TOUR DESCRIPTION:In the late 1960s\, after the Community Redevelopment Agency bought up all the boarding houses\, hotels\, shops and taverns\, displaced 9000 people and brought in the bulldozers\, it seemed like the end for Bunker Hill\, the Victorian neighborhood above Downtown. But a funny thing happened\, as the proposed redevelopment stalled and new ideas about adaptive reuse\, historic preservation\, environmentalism and tenants rights took root: people who never visited old Bunker Hill began to study\, celebrate and explore it–virtually–through the thousands of photos\, film clips\, stories and paintings that survive. Bunker Hill might be dead\, but its ghosts are active and eager to meet you. \nJoin Esotouric and Bunker Hill historian Nathan Marsak for an immersive time travel trip onto modern Bunker Hill\, to explore the lost neighborhood and how it grew\, with stops to memorialize iconic landmarks and fascinating personalities\, and its double life as a favorite film noir location. Then once you’ve fallen in love with the lively and lovely old neighborhood\, we’ll break your heart with how local and Federal officials conspired to knock it all down\, and the lessons this failed redevelopment scheme can teach Angelenos of today. Plus\, we’ll explore the new Bunker Hill’s best buildings and public spaces\, an open-air Museum of Modernism\, featuring remarkable examples of Late Moderne\, New Formalist\, Postmodernism and more\, and revisit some notorious crime scenes from the past. \nIf that sounds like an unusually rich and layered walking tour\, that’s because it is! Our guest hosts Nathan Marsak is the author of three very different books about Bunker Hill–Bunker Hill Los Angeles\, Bunker Noir! and Marsak’s Guide to Bunker Hill–and this tour includes elements of all of them. You’ll have a chance to buy copies and get them autographed after the tour. \nAlso joining us is native son Gordon Pattison who will be our guide hunting for the ghosts of the lost Victorian neighborhood hiding among the shining modern towers. \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: Guests are welcome to wear masks\, but they are not required except when we visit historic interiors that don’t have ventilation. When we go into the basement speakeasy under the King Edward Hotel\, we ask that all guests wear a mask. Please bring your own\, or ask for one on check in. \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 \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-hill-winter-2024/ 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/2022/06/Bunker-Hill-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240127T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240127T133000 DTSTAMP:20231113T031734Z CREATED:20231110T181330Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231113T031734Z UID:10000593-1706351400-1706362200@esotouric.com SUMMARY:BROADWAY: DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES’ BEAUTIFUL\, MAGICAL MESS WALKING TOUR DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric on a stroll through the National Register Broadway Theatre District\, the largest collection of historic motion picture palaces in the country\, on an architectural\, cultural and public policy history tour of a great street that needs a lot of help. How did Broadway take shape in the early 20th Century\, why did the entertainment and retail district decline\, and who are the personalities who have sought to preserve\, reactivate and profit from it—not always successfully? \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, we’ll honor the visionary developer Ira Yellin\, who believed that there was a second life possible for empty early 20th century office buildings\, and changed city law so that Angelenos could live in them. \nAcross Broadway at the Bradbury Building\, Terry McKelvey turned his dad’s dull commercial real estate business into an incubator for creativity\, and dreamed of a Victorian-themed Downtown Los Angeles Gaslight District\, until his personal demons pulled that dream out from under him. \nDown at the United Artists\, obtained through a sweetheart deal involving suitcases full of cash and convenient earthquakes\, offbeat preacher Dr. Gene Scott raised millions through bizarre televised sermons\, for theater restoration\, rare books and preservation of the iconic Jesus Saves neon sign. \nAnd up in City Hall\, ambitious councilman Jose Huizar saw Broadway as a political branding opportunity\, expending civic resources to organize massive street parties with his name on every marquee\, while pushing policies that encouraged speculation at the expense of Broadway’s small businesses—until the FBI came calling. \nSpecial on this edition of the Broadway tour: we’re joined by Miriam and Victoria Caldwell\, sharing insights from the 1950s diaries of their mother Vilma\, whose adventures as a hard-boiled Clifton’s Cafeteria camera girl bring a lost world to life. \nAlong the way\, we’ll talk about what it means to be National Register District\, how the Jewelry District used old buildings in fresh new ways and how the lessons of Wilshire’s Wiltern Theatre could be used to reactivate downtown’s dark venues\, while pointing out the sites of lost landmarks\, hidden details\, ghost signs and magic carpets of terrazzo that make up this beautiful\, magical mess at the heart of the city. \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 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\, with the exception of when we visit the cramped and unventilated basement speakeasy beneath the King Edward Hotel or the Dutch Chocolate Shop. 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: 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 \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/broadway-magic-winter-2024/ 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/2022/07/Broadway-magic-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231226T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231226T133000 DTSTAMP:20230920T044601Z CREATED:20230919T231431Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230920T044601Z UID:10000587-1703586600-1703597400@esotouric.com SUMMARY:HUMAN SACRIFICE: THE BLACK DAHLIA\, ELISA LAM\, HEIDI PLANCK & SKID ROW SLASHER CASES WALKING TOUR 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 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\, with the exception of when we visit the cramped and unventilated basement speakeasy beneath the King Edward Hotel or the Dutch Chocolate Shop. 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: 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/human-sacrifice-winter/ 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:20231202T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231202T133000 DTSTAMP:20231128T175755Z CREATED:20230905T004317Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231128T175755Z UID:10000583-1701513000-1701523800@esotouric.com SUMMARY:KNOW YOUR DOWNTOWN LA: TUNNELS TO TOWERS TO THE DUTCH CHOCOLATE SHOP WALKING TOUR 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. \nJoin Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip that aims to give you the tools you need to actually understand how Downtown got this way and anticipate where it might go next\, as you explore Victorian time capsule interiors\, Prohibition-era speakeasy tunnels\, and modernist redevelopment towers\, ride a funicular and explore the ruins of an elevated people mover system that never was\, 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 the original Jewelry District\, seek out remnants of the streetcar system\, admire prominent Broadway Theater District and fashion industry landmarks\, make a rare interior visit to Arts & Crafts tile master Ernest Batchelder’s Dutch Chocolate Shop and pay tribute to architect John Parkinson in his namesake square and at the hardscape Pershing Square where his beloved 1910 park design is still all anyone wants to talk about. \nThen it’s all aboard Angels Flight Railway to ascend to the new Bunker Hill\, where Bunker Hill native son Gordon Pattison will be our guide hunting for the ghosts of the lost Victorian neighborhood hiding among the shining modern towers. You’ll track the ragged path of the Bunker Hill Redevelopment Plan\, see hidden gardens\, art installations and landscaped public plazas\, and learn about the Angelenos who were displaced and the planners and builders who sealed their doom. \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 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. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/know-your-downtown-2023/ 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/2023/11/know-your-downtown-collage-2024-WP-.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231118T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231118T170000 DTSTAMP:20231117T025719Z CREATED:20230825T011320Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231117T025719Z UID:10000581-1700303400-1700326800@esotouric.com SUMMARY:Special Event: Leo Politi Loves Los Angeles Bus Tour DESCRIPTION:Esotouric invites you to attend a special all-day tour that celebrates the life\, work and passions of acclaimed author and illustrator Leo Politi (1908-1996) through visits to time capsule locations that figure in his remarkable Los Angeles story. This tour is also a rolling birthday celebration for Esotouric’s Richard Schave\, which means we’re pulling out all the stops to make it an experience that will blow your mind. \nLeo Politi was born in Fresno and raised in Italy and London. Demonstrating exceptional artistic talent as a small child\, he received the benefit of a traditional Italian art apprenticeship. Politi returned to California in 1931\, and soon established himself as Olvera Street’s public artist\, drawing and painting the historic buildings\, colorful characters\, and festive events that honored his adopted city’s multi-cultural history and selling portraits to tourists and locals. \nDocumenting the people\, the past\, the faiths\, the landscape and the built environment of Southern California\, and advocating for the preservation of landmarks\, would be his life’s work\, manifested through more than a dozen illustrated books for children and adults\, hundreds of paintings and drawings\, and select murals and sculptures installed in public spaces. \nThe tour will begin at Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles\, across the street from Politi’s beloved Angels Flight Railway funicular and the redeveloped Bunker Hill that replaced his lost Victorian neighborhood. We’ll visit Olvera Street and the Plaza\, to see the place where he found inspiration and gained fame\, returning years later to paint a mural of the Blessing of the Animals. We’ll visit the colorful plazas of New Chinatown\, see the Victorian mansions that survive atop Angeleno Heights—including Politi’s own residence—and swing out to South Pasadena’s library\, where an original Politi mural and a very personal sculpture welcome children to lose themselves in books. Back Downtown\, Central Library’s special collections department is graciously bringing out some of the paintings that Politi donated to the people of Los Angeles after completing his book “Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Reminiscences of Bygone Days.” Join us as we get to know his beloved city through vintage photos and the drawings\, paintings and writings of our guiding star\, Leo Politi. \nOur guests include Gordon Pattison\, native son of old Bunker Hill\, Bunker Hill historian Nathan Marsak\, and Leo Politi’s daughter Suzanne Bischof\, and attendees will have the opportunity to buy copies of Politi’s books. Coffee\, cookies and lunch (choice of turkey\, tuna or vegetarian sandwich from Arto’s Broadway Deli is included in the ticket price\, plus Richard’s birthday cake. \nThis tour is a special event\, and gift certificates for regularly scheduled tours are not accepted. \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 bus tour lasting approximately 5½ hours\, which will be split fairly evenly between time on and off a 56-seat coach class bus. The bus has A/C\, video monitors (the tour has a slideshow)\, and a restroom. There will be a scheduled lunch break (sandwich included in the ticket price)\, complimentary coffee and cookies. You’re welcome to bring other snacks to to enjoy at this time or during our off-the-bus stops\, as well as any non-alcoholic beverages. We will have an ample supply of cold water available. Plus there will be birthday cake! \nCOVID SAFETY: Guests are required to wear a mask while boarding and traveling on the bus. Please bring your own mask\, or ask for one on check in. The charter company that we work with cleans the bus cabin before each trip\, and also requires passengers to wear a mask when on board. Thank you for working with us to help keep each other healthy so we can enjoy exploring today and in the future. \nIf you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \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 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 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/leo-politi-tour-2023/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:bus tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/leo-politi-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231111T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231111T133000 DTSTAMP:20230920T044526Z CREATED:20230825T005503Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230920T044526Z UID:10000580-1699698600-1699709400@esotouric.com SUMMARY:DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES IS FOR BOOK LOVERS DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric on a tour revealing the bookish cultural history in the heart of the city\, packed with tales of colorful Los Angeles writers\, readers and booksellers. \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, where the young John Fante hustled cheap fruit from the Japanese vendors to fuel his dreams of becoming Bunker Hill’s great novelist\, we’ll blaze a time traveler’s trail along Hill\, Grand and Broadway\, visiting Central Library with its street corner monuments to Fante and Ray Bradbury\, to former locations of legendary book sellers Jake Zeitlin\, Caravan\, Dawson’s and Fowler’s\, explore Pershing Square’s rich literary history and symbolism\, and so much more. Featured players include Jack Kerouac\, Charles Bukowski\, Hart Crane\, John Rechy\, Aldous Huxley\, Carey McWilliams and legendary early city librarians Mary Foy and Tessa Kelso. And because it’s an Esotouric tour\, you’ll enjoy lesser known\, offbeat tales about L.A. books and the oddballs who love them. \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 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\, with the exception of when we visit the cramped and unventilated basement speakeasy beneath the King Edward Hotel or the Dutch Chocolate Shop. 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: 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 \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/book-lovers-downtown-fall-2023/ 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/Booklovers-downtown-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231104T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231104T133000 DTSTAMP:20230810T215230Z CREATED:20230809T222250Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230810T215230Z UID:10000579-1699093800-1699104600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:THE RUN: GAY DOWNTOWN HISTORY WALKING TOUR DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric on a walking tour of 20th century LGBTQ landmarks in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles\, for a time travel trip along The Run\, the circuit of queer friendly spaces that provided community\, culture and connection at a time when homosexuality was still criminalized\, and in the early years of gay liberation. Drawing on original archival research and featuring unpublished images\, this tour will bring a lost world to life. \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, we’ll take you where the action was\, from Pershing Square to the Main Street fun zone\, private assignations to bold political organizing\, groundbreaking legal cases to discrete bars\, and even into the shuttered 1920s-era speakeasy beneath the King Eddy Saloon to see scrawled hook up messages in the only cruisy bathroom that’s a designated National Register landmark! Plus\, we’ll put the nail in the coffin of the urban legend that there was a gay uprising at Cooper’s Do-Nuts that predates the Stonewall Rebellion. \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 \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. \nMASK POLICY: Guests are welcome to wear masks\, but they are not required except when we visit historic interiors that don’t have ventilation. When we go into the basement speakeasy under the King Edward Hotel\, we ask that all guests wear a mask. Please bring your own\, or ask for one on check in. \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 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/the-run-fall-2023/ 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/2023/04/gay-downtown-WP-featured.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231028T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231028T150000 DTSTAMP:20230714T191127Z CREATED:20230714T162436Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230714T191127Z UID:10000578-1698490800-1698505200@esotouric.com SUMMARY:THE REAL BLACK DAHLIA CRIME BUS TOUR DESCRIPTION:“This tour… has established itself as an L.A. classic.” — The Los Angeles Times \n\nThe 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\, more than sixty years after she was slain? \nThe Real Black Dahlia Crime 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?” \nThe tour takes us from the human hustle of Main Street to the serene lobby of the Biltmore (the second-to-last place she was seen alive)\, to the newspaper offices and the Greyhound station where she checked her bags\, and concludes at the site where her bisected body was found in Leimert Park and with a little known suspect who lived nearby. \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. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 11am sharp\, with check-in time 10.30am at the patio outside Grand Central Market at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check-in table to get signed in\, logged in to the smartphone slideshow\, and select a seat on the bus. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a bus tour lasting approximately 4 hours\, which will be split fairly evenly between time on and off a 56-seat coach class bus. The bus has A/C\, video monitors (the tour has a slideshow)\, and a restroom. There will be a complimentary coffee and snack break during the tour\, and you’re welcome to bring a packed lunch to enjoy at this time\, as well as any non-alcoholic beverages. \nCOVID SAFETY: Guests are required to wear a mask while boarding and traveling on the bus. Please bring your own mask\, or ask for one on check in. The charter company that we work with cleans the bus cabin before each trip\, and also requires passengers to wear a mask when on board. Thank you for working with us to help keep each other healthy so we can enjoy exploring today and in the future. \nIf you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \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 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 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-2023/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:bus tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/black-dahlia-featured-better-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231021T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231021T150000 DTSTAMP:20230714T191725Z CREATED:20230709T194942Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230714T191725Z UID:10000576-1697886000-1697900400@esotouric.com SUMMARY:The Birth of Noir: James M. Cain's Southern California Nightmare Bus Tour DESCRIPTION:Southern California 1931: Amongst the burgeoning urban sprawl built atop bulldozed orange groves and the bitter realization that you can’t eat the sunshine\, recent emigre James M. Cain found a kernel of truth and his voice\, which would eventually distill through his Los Angeles novels\, The Postman Always Rings Twice\, Mildred Pierce and Double Indemnity and subsequent film adaptations into the unique American genre: Film Noir. \nHow did this East Coast sophisticate go from managing editor of The New Yorker to populist novelist accused of writing dirty books? The tour explores Cain’s Los Angeles from Hollywood to Glendale and along old Route 66\, and includes illuminating visits to Forest Lawn Memorial Park (site of the funeral of Mildred Pierce’s “other” daughter\, Ray)\, the Glendale Train Station where the Double Indemnity murder plot played out\, and the punch line to a Billy Wilder joke so subtle\, it took six decades for anyone to get. The tour includes cameo appearances by the artisans who transformed Cain’s fictions into Film Noir classics\, including Billy Wilder\, Raymond Chandler\, Joan Crawford and Lana Turner. \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 bus tour lasting approximately 4 hours\, which will be split fairly evenly between time on and off a 56-seat coach class bus. The bus has A/C\, video monitors (the tour has a slideshow)\, and a restroom. There will be a complimentary coffee and snack break during the tour\, and you’re welcome to bring a packed lunch to enjoy at this time\, as well as any non-alcoholic beverages. \nCOVID SAFETY: Guests are required to wear a mask while boarding and traveling on the bus. Please bring your own mask\, or ask for one on check in. The charter company that we work with cleans the bus cabin before each trip\, and also requires passengers to wear a mask when on board. Thank you for working with us to help keep each other healthy so we can enjoy exploring today and in the future. \nIf you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \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 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 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/birth-noir-fall-2023/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:bus tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/birth-noir-featured-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231014T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231014T150000 DTSTAMP:20230714T190758Z CREATED:20230627T172754Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230714T190758Z UID:10000575-1697281200-1697295600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:EASTSIDE BABYLON CRIME BUS TOUR DESCRIPTION:Go East\, Young Crime Fiend! And let Esotouric guide you through a century’s weird history on the east side of the Los Angeles River. On this true crime tour\, you’ll discover fascinating\, little-known neighborhoods and the grim memories they hold. Come visit Boyle Heights\, where the Night Stalker was captured. Roam the hallowed lawns of Evergreen\, L.A.’s oldest cemetery and home of some most unusual burials. Visit East Los Angeles\, where a deranged radio shop employee made mincemeat of his boss and bride–also home to the world’s biggest tamale. Explore the ghastly streets of Commerce\, where one small neighborhood’s myriad crimes will shock and surprise. Visit Montebello\, to get your heart broken by a horrifying case of mother love gone haywire. All this\, and so much more on Esotouric’s exploration of the Eastside’s most horrifying forgotten crimes. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 11am sharp\, with check-in time 10.30am at the patio outside Grand Central Market at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check-in table to get signed in\, logged in to the smartphone slideshow\, and select a seat on the bus. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a bus tour lasting approximately 4 hours\, which will be split fairly evenly between time on and off a 56-seat coach class bus. The bus has A/C\, video monitors (the tour has a slideshow)\, and a restroom. There will be a complimentary coffee and snack break during the tour\, and you’re welcome to bring a packed lunch to enjoy at this time\, as well as any non-alcoholic beverages. \nCOVID SAFETY: Guests are required to wear a mask while boarding and traveling on the bus. Please bring your own mask\, or ask for one on check in. The charter company that we work with cleans the bus cabin before each trip\, and also requires passengers to wear a mask when on board. Thank you for working with us to help keep each other healthy so we can enjoy exploring today and in the future. \nIf you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \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 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 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/eastside-babylon-fall-2023/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:bus tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/eastside-babylon-featured.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230826T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230826T150000 DTSTAMP:20230714T190148Z CREATED:20230621T010119Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230714T190148Z UID:10000570-1693047600-1693062000@esotouric.com SUMMARY:Hotel Horrors & Main Street Vice Crime Bus Tour DESCRIPTION:From the founding of the city through the 1940s\, downtown was the true center of Los Angeles\, a lively\, densely populated\, exciting and sometimes dangerous place. After many quiet decades\, downtown is making an incredible return. But while many of the historic buildings remain\, their human context has been lost. This tour aims to revive the ghosts that cling to the bricks and alleyways. \nThe Hotel Horrors section is a true crime and oddities tour featuring some of the wildest\, weirdest\, goriest and most memorable happenings in historic hotels like the St. George\, Barclay and Cecil. Join us to see inside some of these legendary locales and find out where Night Stalker Richard Ramirez dumped his blood-soaked clothing and where Canadian tourist Elisa Lam fell off the map\, see the hotel that saw a visit from the Skid Row Slasher and the one where two traveling chocolate salesmen laughed so hard they fell backwards out a window to their deaths. You’ll also explore the fiery curse that repeatedly leveled one building. Included are some light hearted stories to help the blood and gore go down. \nThe Main Street Vice section celebrates the social history of the ribald\, racy\, raunchy old promenade where the better people simply did not travel\, but kicks were had by all who did. Burlesque babes and dirty picture parlors\, mummified western outlaws and old time tattoo parlors\, wax museums and pawn brokers\, “professors” offering sex lectures and magazine peddlers with nudie Marilyn Monroe calendars under the counter\, sophisticated steak houses and nickel donut dives — these were the pleasures and the people to be found along Main during the first half of the 20th century. We’ll visit the scenes of some more unforgettable debaucheries and share stories of crime\, smut\, passion and commerce. \nThis “downtown double feature” tour is especially recommended for residents curious about their neighborhood’s neglected history\, and anyone fascinated by grim crimes and gorgeous architecture. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 11am sharp\, with check-in time 10.30am at the patio outside Grand Central Market at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check-in table to get signed in\, logged in to the smartphone slideshow\, and select a seat on the bus. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a bus tour lasting approximately 4 hours\, which will be split fairly evenly between time on and off a 56-seat coach class bus. The bus has A/C\, video monitors (the tour has a slideshow)\, and a restroom. There will be a complimentary coffee and snack break during the tour\, and you’re welcome to bring a packed lunch to enjoy at this time\, as well as any non-alcoholic beverages. \nCOVID SAFETY: Guests are required to wear a mask while boarding and traveling on the bus. Please bring your own mask\, or ask for one on check in. The charter company that we work with cleans the bus cabin before each trip\, and also requires passengers to wear a mask when on board. Thank you for working with us to help keep each other healthy so we can enjoy exploring today and in the future. \nIf you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \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 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 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/hotel-horrors-2023/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:bus tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/hotel-horrors-featured.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230812T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230812T150000 DTSTAMP:20230503T042826Z CREATED:20230426T024959Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230503T042826Z UID:10000565-1691838000-1691852400@esotouric.com SUMMARY:HAUNTS OF A DIRTY OLD MAN: CHARLES BUKOWSKI'S LOS ANGELES BUS TOUR DESCRIPTION:This page is for the Charles Bukowski bus tour which debuted in 2007. In 2024\, we launched a walking tour of Charles Bukowski’s Westlake. Check the website calendar for upcoming dates. \n[This tour is] a poetic journey full of rare insight into the life of a man who’s come to represent the ghettoized contingency of the City of Angels.” – Tanja M. Laden\, Flavorpill \n“Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski’s LA” focuses on Bukowski’s great passions: writing\, screwing and Los Angeles. We’ll take in the canonical locations of his life and myth: the Postal Annex Terminal where he gathered the material for “Post Office\,” the De Longpre apartment where he briefly experimented with marriage and fatherhood (and which your tour guides helped save)\, the cathedral-like Central Library\, an iconic SRO apartment residence and many other spots. Along the way\, we’ll explore the people and ideas that made up the warp and weft of Buk’s rich inner life. This Esotouric tour is hosted by Richard Schave and spans Bukowski’s personal city\, from Skid Row to once-genteel Crown Hill\, to Bukowski’s favorite East Hollywood liquor store\, the Pink Elephant. \nIn honor of this tour and Bukowski’s poem Bluebird\, cartoonist Tony Millionaire has created The Bukbird\, a pale blue version of his beloved alcoholic crow character. The Bukbird is available on T-shirts\, mugs\, coasters and fine art prints by plasticmuse. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 11am sharp\, with check-in time 10.30am at the patio outside Grand Central Market at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check-in table to get signed in\, logged in to the smartphone slideshow\, and select a seat on the bus. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a bus tour lasting approximately 4 hours\, which will be split fairly evenly between time on and off a 56-seat coach class bus. The bus has A/C\, video monitors (the tour has a slideshow)\, and a restroom. There will be a complimentary coffee and snack break during the tour\, and you’re welcome to bring a packed lunch to enjoy at this time\, as well as any non-alcoholic beverages. \nCOVID SAFETY: Guests are required to wear a mask while boarding and traveling on the bus. Please bring your own mask\, or ask for one on check in. The charter company that we work with cleans the bus cabin before each trip\, and also requires passengers to wear a mask when on board. Thank you for working with us to help keep each other healthy so we can enjoy exploring today and in the future. \nIf you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \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 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 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/bukowski-tour-2023/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:bus tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Bukowski-WesternAve-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230722T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230722T150000 DTSTAMP:20230501T164724Z CREATED:20230426T015041Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230501T164724Z UID:10000562-1690023600-1690038000@esotouric.com SUMMARY:IN A LONELY PLACE: RAYMOND CHANDLER’S LOS ANGELES BUS TOUR DESCRIPTION:Bungalows. Crime. Hollywood. Blondes. Vets. Smog. Death. \nThis was Raymond Chandler’s Los Angeles\, which resonated under deft and melancholy fits from his writer’s bow. \nJoin us as we go down the mean streets that shaped his fiction\, and that in turn shaped his hard-boiled times\, in a four hour tour of downtown\, Hollywood and surrounding environs: The Los Angeles Athletic Club\, the Larry Edmunds Bookshop\, the Hotel Van Nuys\, Paramount Studio’s gates\, and much\, much more. \nThrough published work\, private correspondence\, screenplays and film adaptations\, we trace Chandler’s search for meaning and his anti-hero Philip Marlowe’s struggle to not be pigeonholed or give anything less than all he has\, which lead them both down the rabbit hole of isolation\, depression\, and drink. \nExclusive on this tour: the fascinating story of Raymond Chandler’s lost comic operetta The Princess and the Pedlar\, a bombshell in Chandler studies\, discovered by our own Kim Cooper in 2014. \nTour passengers will have the opportunity to purchase an autographed copy of co-host Kim Cooper’s mystery novel The Kept Girl\, inspired by this tour and starring the young Chandler and the real-life Philip Marlowe on the trail of a cult of murderous angel worshippers\, as well as the new Raymond Chandler Map of Los Angeles. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 11am sharp\, with check-in time 10.30am at the patio outside Grand Central Market at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check-in table to get signed in\, logged in to the smartphone slideshow\, and select a seat on the bus. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a bus tour lasting approximately 4 hours\, which will be split fairly evenly between time on and off a 56-seat coach class bus. The bus has A/C\, video monitors (the tour has a slideshow)\, and a restroom. There will be a complimentary coffee and snack break during the tour\, and you’re welcome to bring a packed lunch to enjoy at this time\, as well as any non-alcoholic beverages. \nCOVID SAFETY: Guests are required to wear a mask while boarding and traveling on the bus. Please bring your own mask\, or ask for one on check in. The charter company that we work with cleans the bus cabin before each trip\, and also requires passengers to wear a mask when on board. Thank you for working with us to help keep each other healthy so we can enjoy exploring today and in the future. \nIf you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \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 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 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/chandler-bus-tour-summer-2023/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:bus tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chandler-bus-featured-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230708T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230708T133000 DTSTAMP:20230530T154651Z CREATED:20230426T221948Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230530T154651Z UID:10000566-1688812200-1688823000@esotouric.com SUMMARY:THE RUN: GAY DOWNTOWN HISTORY WALKING TOUR DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric on a walking tour of 20th century LGBTQ landmarks in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles\, for a time travel trip along The Run\, the circuit of queer friendly spaces that provided community\, culture and connection at a time when homosexuality was still criminalized\, and in the early years of gay liberation. Drawing on original archival research and featuring unpublished images\, this tour will bring a lost world to life. \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, we’ll take you where the action was\, from Pershing Square to the Main Street fun zone\, private assignations to bold political organizing\, groundbreaking legal cases to discrete bars\, and even into the shuttered 1920s-era speakeasy beneath the King Eddy Saloon to see scrawled hook up messages in the only cruisy bathroom that’s a designated National Register landmark! Plus\, we’ll put the nail in the coffin of the urban legend that there was a gay uprising at Cooper’s Do-Nuts that predates the Stonewall Rebellion. \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 \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. \nMASK POLICY: Guests are welcome to wear masks\, but they are not required except when we visit historic interiors that don’t have ventilation. When we go into the basement speakeasy under the King Edward Hotel\, we ask that all guests wear a mask. Please bring your own\, or ask for one on check in. \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 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/gay-downtown-walk-summer-2023/ 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/2023/04/gay-downtown-feature-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR