South Grand Ave, New Downtown

I recommend this street for the business professional. It has the Walt Disney Concert Hall, a Guggenheim design, so even if you don't go in check out the buiding. It has some great event places as my boss at VR special events was saying and it has the Standard Hotel, which if you can afford the topsy turvy hotel you should stay. It's a place not for the beggars or actors, but for the ones looking for class and it really is the only "Clean" street in downtown LA.

Come on Down!
This is a pretty good place to start for anybody new, and a little hesitant to explore downtown Los Angeles. Obvious visits are the Disney Symphony Hall, or the tri-theatres: Dorothy Chandler, Ahmadson and Mark Taper. A couple blocks west you have MOCA, (Museum of Contemporary Art) which has concerts and nighttime summer fair which is another great excuse to come on down and check out the granite corporate wonderness of fountains and sparce cleanliness. Across from there is California Pizza Kitchen and adjacent is a pretty decent handful of eateries, which mainly cater to the lunch crowd. You can find parking but you have to be vigilant and willing to walk a few blocks but if you're feeling free with cash there are TONS of lots including underground parking at Disney and the Forum. However, if an underground lot says they "validate" make sure you ask "how much?!" I parked at one closest to CPK and "validated" still meant I had to pay $7!! Outrageous.

Now that you have your bearings from Temple Blvd to 5th street you're ready to venture out. Feeling brave: take the DASH system to the MOCA extension warehouse in Little Tokyo and there's plenty more to explore from there.