Discovering downtown L.A - spending a leisurely weekend at Los Angeles, California

We peer into the Bradbury Building, the 1893 masterpiece, then walk across the street to the Grand Central Market. Squeezing through the crowds of weekend shoppers, we scan the stands for the best produce and pause to watch the workers at a fish stand battle a new shipment of live blue crabs.

I tell Allison about previous trips to the market, when no matter how much I bought, I always seemed to get change back from a dollar. The market doesn't disappoint: we get four bananas and a basket of strawberries for 85 cents at one stand, a cantaloupe and a few limes for 90 at another.

We walk through the market to Angels Flight and board one of the cars. For 27 years, the shortest railway in the world had been in storage. Now it's again creaking and rumbling up the incline. As generations of Angelenos did before us, we ride with our groceries from Grand Central Market up Bunker Hill.

DOING DOWNTOWN

Getting around

Downtown is actually one of the most walkable parts of L.A. For a helpful map, stop in at the Visitor Information Center (685 S. Figueroa St.; 213/689-8822). The center is closed on Sundays. If you'd rather ride the rails, catch the Red Line at Union Station, Civic Center, Pershing Square, Seventh Street and Figueroa, or MacArthur Park. Tickets cost a quarter. Also a quarter is Angels Flight, which runs between Hill Street (the back entrance to the Grand Central Market) and California Plaza.

Sights

Los Angeles Conservancy Tours. Saturday morning architectural tours cost $5 and last about 2 hours. The Pershing Square Tour offers an overall look at downtown; others focus on art deco buildings or Broadway theaters. 623-2489.

Central Library. Free hour-long tours at 12:30 Mon-Fri, 11 and 2 Sat, 2 Sun. Public-art highlights include the historic murals in the rotunda and Therman Statom's chandeliers in the new wing. 630 W. Fifth St.; 228-7000.

Grand Central Market. One of the great attractions in Los Angeles, the market is the centerpiece of Grand Central Square, developer Ira E. Yellin's attempt to revive downtown's historic core. With fresh produce and fish tacos, it's heaven for grazers. While you're here, be sure to stop in the lobby of the Bradbury Building across the street (it's closed Sundays). 317 S. Broadway; 624-2378.

Museum of Contemporary Art. Okay, so not everything on Bunker Hill is horrible. Arata Isozaki's architecture is striking, and the current exhibition of Frank Gehry's models for the Disney Concert Hall is a clue to the hill's future. Admission $6. 250 S. Grand Ave.; 626-6222.

The Music Center of Los Angeles County. A revival of the musical Showboat runs at the Ahmanson Theatre November 17-April 3, and Brian Friel's Molly Sweeney at the Mark Taper Forum November 14-December 22. For Music Center information, call 972-7211. 135 N. Grand.

Dinner

Rex Il Ristorante. The menu changes regularly, but the food is always a treat. The raw marinated tuna with fava beans makes a great first course. For an entree, try the sea bass in thyme olive oil or scallops with asparagus sauce. Since dinner for two with a bottle of wine costs about $200, Rex is a place for special occasions. 617 S. Olive St.; 213/627-2300.