Originally Posted by
FlyinHawaiian
There's a map in the wikipost of this thread showing where Downtown LA is; it's where transit lines converge, many people work in large office buildings, and sporting events, conventions, and concerts are held. It's also a place with large pockets of homeless people; I try and spend my evenings elsewhere.
There are also many new high end residential developments, lofts, apartments and condominiums, and lots of new restaurants. That being said, I would not recommend a first time visitor to Los Angeles to be based there. If mass transit access is paramount, I'd probably recommend a location close to the Red Line in Hollywood.