Begin your day in the heart of Downtown LA at Biddy Mason Park on Spring Street at the site of her long-gone home. This memorial honors a former slave who became one of LA’s major Downtown property owners. She bought her first house in 1866. She also helped found the First A.M.E. Church in LA.
Next, drive south to the African American Firefighter Museum, at 14th Street and Central Avenue. This is the accurately restored 1913 Fire Station 330, one of LA’s two segregated fire stations in the 1920s and1950s. The museum has some of the original apparatus and equipment as well as old photos. The stations are open limited hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.
Continue down Central Avenue to the historic core of LA’s African-American community. From 41st Street to Vernon Avenue, this was Main Street for LA’s African Americans during the 1920s to 1950s. Jazz stars who played these clubs include Duke Ellington, Dexter Gordon, Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson and Charles Mingus. Have your Ellington play list ready for maximum effect.
For lunch, drive west on Vernon Avenue to Leimert Park, a picturesque neighborhood where you’ll find cafes and shops with an Afro-centric bent. This area has followed Central Avenue as a haven for artists, poets and musicians.
Be sure to stop by Eso Won Bookstore on Degnan Boulevard, which has what is considered to be the largest collection of African American literature in the U.S.
After lunch return to Vernon Avenue and turn north on Crenshaw Boulevard. You’ll pass the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. This is the home of the first Magic Johnson Theatres.
Continue north to Exposition Boulevard then east to Exposition Park. The California African American Museum is on the east side of the park, on Figueroa Street. The museum focuses on the African-American journey from the west coast of Africa to the West Coast of the U.S. Permanent and temporary exhibits include arts, crafts and culture. Closed Mondays.
If you’ve got some time before dinner, drive out to Santa Monica via the 10 Freeway to check out the original works and limited editions at the M. Hanks Gallery on Main Street. The gallery specializes in African and African American artists, such as Palmer Hayden, Elizabeth Catlett, William Pajaud and Phoebe Beasley.
For dinner, it’s back on the 10 Freeway east to Fairfax Avenue and Little Ethiopia where the street is lined with Ethiopian cafes and shops. LA is home to more than 50,000 Ethiopians and this area is the first officially designated African area in the U.S.
One old favorite here is Rosalind's Ethiopian Restaurant. At Rosalind’s, the menu also has dishes from Ghana, Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Don’t ask for a fork. The tables are fully set without utensils. The bread — injera — does everything a fork can and it’s edible.
At Nyala's Ethiopian Cuisine, Ethiopian specialties include a spicy chicken stew, lamb stew and many vegetarian dishes.
