downtown l. a.

In a nondescript black building in downtown L.A.’s Arts District, rich sounds of sax and bass filled the air for hours. Inside, surrounded by the paintings and posters of iconic musicians, albums and films, dozens of people gathered for a night designed to prove a simple point: You can’t “cancel” jazz.

On Thursday night, eight jazz artists and groups performed a pop-up show, including Okay Coleman!, the Don Brown Collective, Joy Guerilla, and Genghis Don, who also organized the event. All of these artists had one thing in common: They were billed to perform on the now-canceled inaugural L.A. Jazz Festival.

The planned 17-day event was supposed to kick off on Aug. 7 and feature dozens of performances spread throughout every City Council district. Organizers hoped the shows would draw 250,000 attendees and inaugurate the city as a home for jazz events on par with New Orleans and Montreal. The festival was to include a final show headlined by Janelle Monáe, John Legend, Charlie Wilson, Parliament Funkadelic and Raphael Saadiq at Dockweiler State Beach.

“When I got booked for it, I was really excited,” Genghis Don said. “It was one of the bigger festivals I’ve done so far in my career.”

Then, the festival was abruptly canceled due to “last-minute public safety and municipal costs.”

But Don was determined for the show to go on. He partnered with Tída Norasingh of JIJI’s Jazz Club to host the “Can’t Cancel Jazz” pop-up show at Slow Jamz Gallery — a musical experience that was curated in less than 72 hours, according to Don.

“It all came together thanks to so many people who were involved in this,” Don said. “I really couldn’t have done any of this without them.”

The crowd, which leaned younger in part because the event allowed attendees 18 and older, trickled in around 7 p.m., and by 9 p.m., the party was in full swing. It was easy to see how audience members connected with the music by the way they cheered, danced and sang along through the night.

The pop-up show struck a balance between creating an accessible, music-forward environment for fans and providing support for the musicians who had been affected by the cancellation. The event’s entry fee was $20, while the nonalcoholic bar accepted additional donations. Some artists also had merch available for sale on site.

While “Can’t Cancel Jazz” may have been a response to the L.A. Jazz Festival being called off, it wasn’t aiming to replace it. Instead, the pop-up offered something more intimate. At times, the music overtook the gallery, completely captivating the attention of the room. At other moments, conversation and connection were happening right outside on the balcony between attendees, some of whom were meeting each other for the first time.

The result was something distinctly authentic with an underground quality that would have been hard to replicate at a sprawling, weeks-long festival.

“This was more so a test of L.A.’s community,” Don said. “They showed out, people came, the artists came together, and you know that’s the true definition of community.”

The San Fernando Valley has lost many of the great spots that made it a hot dog mecca over the years — among them, the Weiner Factory, Rubin’s Red Hot, Vicious Dogs, QT Chicago Dogs and the Infield, late home of the fried Twinkie dog. It was a relief, then, to find Fab Hot Dogs in Reseda still open and thriving. Best of all, the shop still makes an excellent Bald Eagle Ripper, the original owner’s homage to New Jersey’s Rutt’s Hut, “home of the ripper.” The dogs are deep fried just until the casing rips and on top, is a version of Rutt’s mustard relish, which at Fab is browner and said to include Hatch chile powder, shredded cabbage and carrots, garlic, oregano, onions, celery seeds, cider vinegar, and Düsseldorf mustard with sweet relish. Fab’s ripper dogs first got the attention of this paper’s late restaurant critic Jonathan Gold not long after it opened in 2008 and then Guy Fieri for a 2009 Food Network segment. Since then, Fab has become known not only for the ripper but for its many dog variations, including a very good Chicago dog with the right pickle, neon relish and sport peppers; several bacon-wrapped franks (with jalapeños and peppers on the L.A. Street dog; barbecue sauce and cheddar on the Kansas City dog, and Swiss cheese and baked beans on the Boston dog). A rotation of whiteboard specials includes a Santa Fe dog with Hatch green chiles and cotija cheese, and even a mac ‘n’ cheese dog. Together they make up what Gold once called a display of “the American frankfurter diaspora.”

I live in Santa Barbara and I’m interested in photography. Where are some historical places to take pictures in Los Angeles? I’m interested in old movie palaces, movie and TV show locations, historic homes and buildings, World War II–related sites and airplane museums. — William Lemons

Here’s what we suggest:

It’s cool to hear that you’re interested in capturing the beauty and history of Los Angeles through your camera lens, William. Given that you’ll be traveling from out of town, I am recommending spots that you can visit in a single day, if you’d like. They’re mostly in and around Downtown L.A.

First off, if you don’t feel like driving and paying for parking all over town, I’d suggest taking Amtrak from Santa Barbara to L.A. You can take take photos of the gorgeous view along the way and once you step off the train, you’ll already be at the first historic site on the list: the true stunner that is Union Station.

Open since 1939, it’s one of the country’s last great train stations and considered to be the largest railroad passenger terminal on the West Coast. Designed by father-and-son architect team John and Donald Parkinson, it blends Art Deco, Spanish Colonial and Streamline Moderne styles. Travel writer Christopher Reynolds, a.k.a. the person in the newsroom that everyone goes to for trip advice, tells me, “With its clock tower, big arches and high ceilings, Union Station feels like a secular church.” He notes that security guards will often shoo you off if you use a tripod without advance approval, so it’s best to bring a handheld camera instead.

Next, walk across the road to Olvera Street, one of the oldest streets in L.A. It’s part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument that’s been fighting to stay open since the pandemic. As you stroll through the area and take pictures, check out the Mexican marketplace, capturing the pottery, clothing and art along the way, and grab some authentic cuisine. Times food editor Daniel Hernandez swears by Cielito Lindo, a taquería that’s been around since the 1934, and still makes the most “perfectly rolled taquitos.” (The family-owned restaurant is currently raising funds to stay open due to economic hardship.)

Next, hop on an e-scooter or take a quick bus ride to the Historic Broadway Theater District, which has 12 stunning movie theaters — all of which were built between 1910 and 1931. The Los Angeles Conservancy even hosts walking tours of the famous district. You can register online for the next ones on June 6, 13, 20 and 27.

You’ll probably be hungry after the tour, so you might as well visit Grand Central Market, the city’s largest and oldest public market. Open since 1917, the market has more than 40 food stalls including China Cafe (open since 1959), Villa’s Tacos, Egg Slut and more. Afterward, take a brisk walk to L.A.’s most beautiful library, the L.A. Central Library, which turns 100 this year. Grab your camera and marvel at the exterior of the Art Deco-style building, which draws inspiration from Egyptian and Mediterranean Revival architecture. Then head inside on the second floor rotunda to see the marvelous California history mural and the breathtaking globe chandelier.

Now for some rapid-fire suggestions across L.A.: There’s Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1920s-era Hollyhock House at Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood. (If you go here, I suggest stopping by nearby Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice for a delicious sweet treat.) Or check out any one of L.A.’s most iconic TV houses including “The Brady Bunch” home in Studio City, “The Golden Girls” residence in Brentwood and the “Seinfield” Koreatown apartment building. (These are private residencies, so you won’t be able to go inside but you can snap a photo of the exterior.) If it’s architecture you’re into, peruse this guide to L.A.’s iconic homes that you can tour IRL, including the Adamson House in Malibu, the Eames House in Pacific Palisades and the Lummis Home (El Alisal) near Mount Washington. Finally, if you’re open to joining a group of fellow photographers, I suggest following Instagram pages for collectives like L.A. Photo Club and the 85 Mil Photo Walk Series, which host meetups and walking tours regularly.

L.A. is filled with so many beautiful historical sites, so I hope that these suggestions help get you started, and most importantly, that you continue taking awesome pictures. Have a great time!

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