Downtown Los Angeles is for Book Lovers walking tour

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.

Starting 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.

This walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone.