Just before heading out of town, Dillard and I headed to Olvera Street, the oldest part of downtown LA. First, we stopped in Our Lady Queen of Angels (really it's Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles). The church was hopping--we walked in in the middle of adoration. And, when we stepped to the back to look at one very interesting sculpture of Jesus laying down (after He came down from the cross--there is skin missing from the back of His shoulders and from His knees), one elderly woman thought we were in line for confession and told us in Spanish exactly how the line worked.
(Dillard promptly informed her that she isn't even Catholic and was just looking around.)
Outside the church is a lively plaza with a mixture of tourist shops, historical buildings, and cultural events--one woman was playing a flute with a cute elderly couple dancing. Just behind this gazebo (which held a large nativity) was what Dillard and I guessed was a traditional Central American Indian dance. In the streets around the plaza you can visit the oldest existing house in LA and the old fire station, among other things.
After some delicious Mexican food, I boarded a convenient little train and continued my trip.
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