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Lisa Cam

Los Angeles is a shimmering dream factory of Hollywood boulevards and palm trees silhouetted against powder-pink sunsets. The American city is also famous for its wonderfully wacky culture that has given the planet everything from space-age architecture to US$21 smoothies at organic supermarket Erewhon.
But for the slew of sports fans who will descend upon the city for the Fifa World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics, the question remains: is Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) safe?
For decades, DTLA carried baggage. To many travellers, it conjured images of the devastating 1992 riots and Skid Row, long the United States’ epicentre of homelessness. For international visitors accustomed to Hollywood’s gloss, DTLA felt like a place you avoided.
But a remarkable transformation is under way. And according to Steve Choe, the dual general manager of the Moxy Downtown Los Angeles and the AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles hotels, the narrative has flipped. It is now one of the most walkable parts of Los Angeles.

He argues that beneath the cliches, the real LA has quietly built a side that most tourists never see. And for the growing wave of international sports fans arriving for the World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics, they say this hidden Downtown is one of the city’s great charms.
“Downtown Los Angeles offers travellers a version of the city that feels far more layered, international, and culturally alive than the familiar postcard image of Hollywood or the beaches,” Choe says. “While those destinations are iconic, DTLA reveals a different side of LA, shaped by architecture, history, and a dense concentration of cultural, culinary and entertainment institutions all within a tight urban core.”
Skid Row remains home to thousands of unsheltered individuals, and the area has experienced the highest overdose mortality rate in Los Angeles County. But here, too, transformation is accelerating.
In 2023, a US$60 million state grant helped move 1,975 people into interim housing and 990 into permanent housing in just one year. The 2025 Homeless Count recorded an almost 10 per cent drop in unsheltered homelessness citywide over two years.
The revival took time to unfold, but its ripple effects are now evident. In 1999, Los Angeles City Council passed an adaptive reuse ordinance that made it easier for developers to rehabilitate DTLA’s historic buildings, many of which had fallen into disrepair, and attracted private investment, which resulted in the Staples Centre, now called the Crypto.com Arena.
It was made possible by a coalition of more than 30 community organisations that negotiated one of the nation’s most comprehensive community benefits agreements. The developer agreed to living wages for 70 per cent of new jobs, local hiring programmes, and that 20 per cent of new housing units would be designated affordable. Between 1999 and 2014, the number of apartments in DTLA jumped from 11,626 to 33,776, and the population nearly tripled.
Apart from the Crypto.com Arena, visitors to DTLA will find themselves close to the Los Angeles Convention Centre, the Flower District, the Arts District, and cultural institutions such as The Broad and Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Instead of spending hours navigating freeways, visitors encounter a Los Angeles that feels immediate, walkable in key pockets and continuously active.
“It reframes Los Angeles as a global urban centre rather than a collection of distant neighbourhoods linked primarily by freeways,” Choe says.
And for international sport fans? DTLA, Choe argues, already operates with the energy of a major international sports district. On any given night, fans move between the Crypto.com Arena, BMO Stadium, the LA Memorial Coliseum, and nightlife destinations such as Level 8, all within a few walkable blocks.
Level 8 is a 2,800 square metre (30,000 sq ft) entertainment complex on a shared floor spanning the Moxy and AC Hotel buildings that houses eight outlets: a South American grill, a French-Japanese teppanyaki spot with magicians, a rooftop carousel bar and even a cathedral-inspired nightclub where a wrestling ring descends at midnight.
“For soccer fans, the experience is amplified by proximity and access,” Choe says. “You are close to major viewing parties, stadium-scale energy at SoFi Stadium or BMO Stadium, and large public gathering spaces around L.A. Live [entertainment complex].
“At the same time, nightlife, late-night dining and entertainment are all within walking distance, which keeps the momentum going long after the match ends. It feels immersive and communal, with the city itself acting like part of the fan experience.”

In a city notorious for traffic and lacking a comprehensive public transport system, DTLA has evolved into a primary mobility hub. With Union Station nearby, expanding Metro rail access including the D Line extension in preparation for the LA28 Olympics, dedicated bus routes and ride-share availability, a rental car becomes genuinely optional.
“For international travellers, this means they can move between events, neighbourhoods and attractions with far less friction,” Choe says. “A guest can go from a conference at the Convention Centre to dinner in the Arts District, or from Little Tokyo to a game at Crypto.com Arena, all without dealing with parking or freeway navigation. It creates a more intuitive and accessible version of Los Angeles, especially for visitors who are used to dense, transit-connected global cities.”
None of this would have been conceivable a decade ago. DTLA historically carried a tough reputation regarding safety and urban decay, but the past 10 years have brought a remarkable transformation.
Major entertainment anchors including the Crypto.com Arena and BMO Stadium arrived, alongside new hotels, residential towers, cultural institutions and a thriving food and nightlife scene. Nearly 100,000 people now call DTLA home, and active business improvement districts have helped create an environment that feels cleaner, safer and more welcoming.
“Downtown has undergone a significant transformation,” Choe says. “Today, it feels more connected, more populated and more layered, with a steady flow of locals, students, professionals and international visitors.
“While it still retains its historic edge and creative character, it now functions as a world-class hub that feels both authentic and globally connected.”


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Tourism

How Downtown LA went from best avoided to accessible sports hub as World Cup fans descend

An area of Downtown Los Angeles at sunset with the Crypto.com Arena in the foreground. DTLA has transformed in recent years from a place to be avoided to a walkable entertainment hub perfect for sports fans. Photo: Moxy + AC Hotels DTLA

Steve Choe, the dual general manager of the Moxy Downtown Los Angeles and the AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, says DTLA has been transforming in recent years.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall is one of the landmarks in Downtown Los Angeles. Photo: Getty Images

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Visitors tie paper tags bearing wishes onto Yoko Ono’s Wish Trees in the courtyard of The Broad. Photo: TNS

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Visitors write wishes on paper tags for Yoko Ono’s installation. Photo: TNS

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Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

As World Cup visitors arrive, Downtown Los Angeles has shed its rough reputation, becoming a walkable sports and cultural centre


As World Cup visitors arrive, Downtown Los Angeles has shed its rough reputation, becoming a walkable sports and cultural centre.


US travel

Los Angeles

Travel

How Downtown LA went from best avoided to accessible sports hub as World Cup fans descend

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}As World Cup visitors arrive, Downtown Los Angeles has shed its rough reputation, becoming a walkable sports and cultural centre

As World Cup visitors arrive, Downtown Los Angeles has shed its rough reputation, becoming a walkable sports and cultural centre