The kids didn't believe me when I told them that the Bunker Hill area of downtown LA was one of the country's worst slums in the 1950s and 1960s. It is hard believe because today, all the dilapidated buildings have been torn down and replaced with tall office buildings, a stunning public library, luxury condos, public art and the new Walt Disney Concert Hall. My first real job was working for the Central City Association of Los Angeles in 1980-1983, a group that worked hard to help launch this kind of downtown revitalization. It's great to see so much has happened in the past two decades. As for the Disney Concert Hall, I had seen pictures of this building, but it really takes your breath away when you see it in person.
Old - Philippe's Restaurant
Back in 1908, Philippe Mathieu was preparing one of his ordinary beef sandwiches when he accidentally dropped the French roll into the hot juices of the roasting pan. Mathieu's customer, a policeman, requested the soggy sandwich anyway, and liked it so much that he returned the next day with friends and ordered a few more sandwiches prepared the same way. Thus Philippe's became a landmark restaurant -- the birthplace of the French-dipped sandwich. They have a full menu, but you would be crazy to order anything but the French Dip
