Los Angeles “Reverse Tourism 🏙️

Unlike most tourists, we chose to stay in Downtown LA… and I’ve never seen such extreme urban hollowing before. Glittering office buildings, luxury shops, and grand theaters now stand completely empty and abandoned 🏚️. Only a few passing cars and unhoused individuals wander the streets. It’s hauntingly beautiful — and hard to imagine how vibrant this area must have been decades ago… We took a bus 🚌 through what’s considered one of LA’s most troubled neighborhoods — an area with crime rates nearly 400% above the national average. Tents line the sidewalks, people sway like zombies under drug influence, and outbursts are common. At one point, our bus driver even skipped stops and rerouted… Most visitors see the wealth and glamour of West LA — which honestly didn’t move me as much as the raw, bleak reality of Downtown. It feels like this entire district has been… left behind. It left me wondering: 🤔 Has the city really given up on Downtown? 🤔 When did this decline begin, and why has the hollowing gotten so extreme? 🤔 How can such beautiful architecture just be… abandoned? I’ve rarely seen anything like this back in China. It’s a ghost town wrapped in fading glamour. #Los Angeles #OffTheBeatenPath #UrbanExploration #DowntownLA