DT is LA - The past, present, and future of Downtown Los Angeles - DTLA

This episode features a fascinating conversation with Mathieu Giraud, owner of Garçons de Café wine bar in DTLA. He talks about his background, the French art of hospitality, the decision to buy the business, and its recent expansion with L'Appart restaurant. We discuss some of the opportunities that a neighborhood like Downtown LA offers as well as some of the challenges.

Links:

Garçons de Café and L’Appart

⁠https://www.instagram.com/air_food_lappart/⁠

(Inside the Spring Street Arcade)

 House of Cocotte

https://houseofcocotte.com/

Dine LA

https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/dinela

Rio Reels at the Rio Room

https://www.instagram.com/therioroomdtla/

Come along with "DT is LA" hosts Danielle Wolff and Eloi Gerard as we visit Caña Rum Bar to experience one of DTLA's hidden hangouts firsthand in this special mini episode.

https://www.canarumbarla.com/

Underground bars and speakeasies have been part of the fabric of DTLA for decades. In this episode, we talk about the history of speakeasies, the culture of underground and “secret” bars, what the current scene looks like, and about some of the challenges that these establishments face.

Links to things mentioned in the episode:

 “The Hope Theory”

https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/shows/the-hope-theory/

Kippered

https://www.instagram.com/get_kippered/

McConnells

https://mcconnells.com/

The closing of The Varnish

https://la.eater.com/2024/6/20/24182612/the-varnish-bar-speakeasy-closing-los-angeles-cocktail-bar

Crocker Club

https://www.crockerclub.com/

Continental Club & The Private Room

https://www.circa93.com/the-continental-club/

The Stowaway & The Rio Room

https://stowawaydtla.com/

Death & Co.

https://www.deathandcompany.com/location/dtla/

The Slipper Clutch

https://www.theslipperclutch.com/

The Queensberry

https://www.circa93.com/the-queensberry/     

Bar Jackalope

http://sevengrandbars.com/

Bar CDMX

https://www.barcdmx.la/

Rhythm Room

https://www.rhythmroomla.com/

Cana Rhum Bar

https://www.canarumbarla.com/            

Crane’s

https://www.instagram.com/cranesbardtla/           

The Reserve

https://thelareserve.com/

This week, we welcomed our first guest into the studio! Scott Moe is a USC project manager, an EMT and a DTLA resident. We talked about why he and his wife Kristine moved back downtown after their kids finished high school. How is the DTLA residential life different now than it was 20 years ago, what community activities do they love, and what excites Scott about the future of Downtown LA?

We also spring a pop quiz on Scott and talk about the latest DTLA news. Check out links below to Scott’s weekly Substack newsletter, Thoroughly Thursday, and everything else.

Thoroughly Thursday

https://thoroughlythursday.substack.com/

Historic Core Farmers Market

https://historiccore.com/farmers-market-begins/

Base Caffe

https://www.instagram.com/basecaffe.la/

The Music Center’s Dance DTLA

https://archive.grandparkla.org/event/dancedowntown/

https://www.instagram.com/musiccenterla/

Broad Museum

https://www.thebroad.org/

https://www.instagram.com/thebroadmuseum/

The Continental Club

https://www.circa93.com/the-continental-club/

https://www.instagram.com/continentalclub/

KCRW Summer Nights at the California African American Museum

https://www.kcrw.com/summer-nights-2024

https://www.instagram.com/kcrw

https://www.instagram.com/caaminla/

DT is LA Podcast hosts Danielle and Eloi participated in a DTLA trivia night at Cole's French Dip, hosted by the Historic Core Business Improvement District.

How did our DTLA knowledge stack up? Give this quick mini ep a listen and find out!

Links:

Cole's French Dip

https://www.colesfrenchdip.com/

https://www.instagram.com/colesfrenchdip/

Historic Core BID

https://historiccore.com/

https://www.instagram.com/historiccore/

On this episode we go back in time to the founding of Los Angeles in the exact location that would later become DTLA. Then we take a quick trip through the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries and discover some statistics about the current downtown population. Spoiler: When it comes to higher education, we’ve got the rest of LA beat!

We also talk about what’s happening in DTLA this week, including a DTLA trivia night and a new, big green neighbor at the Natural History Museum.

DTLA Trivia Night @ Cole’s

Hosted by the Historic Core BID

https://www.colesfrenchdip.com/

https://www.instagram.com/colesfrenchdip/

https://www.instagram.com/historiccore

Nonna’s Empanadas at Grand Central Market

https://nonnasempanadas.com/

https://www.instagram.com/nonnasempanadas/

Euro Cup specials at GDC

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8DI0yYyzFz/

Name the new green dinosaur at the Natural History Museum

https://nhm.org/

https://www.instagram.com/nhmla

In our second episode, we take a deep dive into one of the most iconic spots in DTLA—the Biltmore Hotel. But we DON’T take a deep dive into the historic pool, because you have to be a hotel guest to use it! We talk about the Biltmore’s luxurious origins, former guests, both presidential and gangster, and the places in the 100-year-old building where you can still experience the glamour of old LA.

 We also talk about several events happening in DTLA this week. The episode covers lots of stuff this week—links below!

Millennium Biltmore Hotel

https://www.millenniumhotels.com/en/los-angeles/millennium-biltmore-hotel-los-angeles/#home

https://www.instagram.com/thebiltmorela/

Groundlings

https://groundlings.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thegroundlings/

Los Angeles Athletic Club

https://www.laac.com/

https://www.instagram.com/losangelesathleticclub/

Television Academy

https://www.emmys.com/

https://www.instagram.com/televisionacad/

 LA Conservancy

https://www.laconservancy.org/

https://www.instagram.com/laconservancy/

Miss USA

https://themissusa.com/

https://www.instagram.com/missusa/

LA Pride

https://lapride.org/

https://www.instagram.com/lapride/

DTLA Art Night

https://dtlaartnight.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dtlaartnight/

Los Angeles Greek Film Festival

https://www.lagff.org/

https://www.instagram.com/lagff/

In the premiere episode of the DT is LA Podcast, join co-hosts Danielle and Eloi as we introduce ourselves, share how we met, discuss our vision for the podcast, and talk about what listeners can look forward to. We also share some of our favorite local spots for a rooftop poolside hangout and discuss upcoming neighborhood events. Thanks for listening! Please share the word, rate, and leave us comments. Can’t wait to hear from you.

Co-hosts:

Danielle Wolff

Daniellewolff.com

Eloi Gerard

@eloigerard

Links to things mentioned in the podcast:

Garçons de Café wine bar (where Danielle and Eloi met)

https://www.garcons-de-cafe.com/

https://www.instagram.com/garconsdecafe/

Bar Clara at the Hotel Perla

https://www.hotelperla.com/bar-clara/

https://www.instagram.com/barclaradtla/

Cabra at the Hoxton

https://thehoxton.com/downtown-la/cabra-restaurant/

https://www.instagram.com/cabralosangeles/

Cara Cara at the Proper Hotel

https://www.properhotel.com/downtown-la/restaurants-bars/cara-cara/

https://www.instagram.com/caracararooftop/

DTLA Art night

https://dtlaartnight.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dtlaartnight/

Introducing a new podcast about the culture, history, and future of Downtown Los Angeles.

Hosted by Danielle Wolff and Eloi Gerard.