Depart the Civic Center/Tom Bradley Center Metro station and proceed to street level. Walk south on Hill Street to 3rd Street. Turn left on 3rd Street, and walk one block to South Broadway. Turn right on South Broadway. Begin your tour at the intersection of 3rd Street and South Broadway.

Vibrant with culture, history and grand splendor, Broadway is home to the largest concentration of historic theatres in the country. But as an extra bonus, the many cultures of Los Angeles converge as the streets are lined with jewelry stores, international cuisine, shopping and the pulsing rhythms of salsa, mariachi and banda.

Many of the historic theaters have undergone significant renovations. Some theaters now function as jewelry markets or botanicas, while others are generally not open to the public during normal business hours. Guided tours of the historic theaters along Broadway are offered by the Los Angeles Conservancy (213/623-2489 or http://www.laconservancy.org, reservations are required), or one can simply stroll Broadway and view the great palaces from the street. To really re-live the Downtown Hollywood scene reminiscent of the first half of the 20th century, experience Last Remaining Seats held each June by the Los Angeles Conservancy presenting classic films in the historic theaters of Broadway.

Begin your architectural exploration at Third Street and South Broadway at the Million Dollar Theater building. Detailed in elaborate terra cotta ornamentation, columns and a huge arch gracing the façade, the Million Dollar Theater (307 S. Broadway), built in 1918, offered movie-goers a prologue - a live stage review presented prior to the feature film sometimes including live appearances by film stars, such as Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino and the young Judy Garland. By the 1940s, the live entertainment evolved to include famous jazz and big band acts such as Billie Holiday, Artie Shaw and Lionel Hampton. As early as the 1950s, the Million Dollar became the first theater on Broadway to feature Spanish-language variety shows, including headline acts from Mexico City.

Located within the beautiful Million Dollar Theater Building, Farmacia Million Dollar (301 S. Broadway; 213/687-3688) is a botanica or "pharmacy" that sells a variety of herbs, candles, potions, and other items of good fortune and ill will. Take a second to browse, as you may find that unexpected item.

Across Third Street to the north, notice the Irvine/Byrne Building (249 S. Broadway), a five-story brick building built in 1885 and designed in Beaux Arts style by one of Los Angeles?most prominent architects, Sumner Hunt. Currently, the building is being converted into loft housing.

On the opposite corner from the Million Dollar Theater, wind your way through the Bradbury Building (304 S. Broadway). Designed by George Wyman in 1893, it is a five-story atrium, roofed by a wall-to-wall skylight framed by French-made wrought iron.

Overflowing with fresh fruits and vegetables, and offering an abundance of fragrant spices and seasonings for authentic Mexican meals, Grand Central Market (317 S. Broadway; 213/624-2378) is a great place to find an early morning treat.

Located in the courtyard close to 3rd Street and South Broadway is Biddy Mason Park (331 S. Spring St.). Here a public art installation by Sheila Levrant de Brettville and Betye Saar honors Biddy Mason, an African American pioneer who was born a slave and walked from the South to freedom in Los Angeles. A historical timeline is artfully crafted into a wall to honor Biddy Mason (1818-1891), one of LA's first African American settlers.

As you continue to venture south along Broadway, take a second to browse in the International House of Music (344 S. Broadway; 213/628-9161). In addition to selling traditional instruments, the surprisingly large collection of magnificent accordions and harmonicas, from plain to lavish designs, is a must see.

As you continue south on Broadway, you will begin to walk through the Jewelry District (between Hill Street and Broadway, from 5th Street to 8th Street). Here, the streets are lined with jewelry stores from the very tiny to the very large. Gems, rings, bracelets, precious stones, gold chains, watches, pearls - on e can find just about anything. If you're willing to spend the "big bucks," the more upscale stores are along Hill Street between 6th and 7th streets.

The last of the movie palaces constructed in downtown Los Angeles in 1932, the Roxie Theater (518 S. Broadway) was primarily intended for motion picture presentations. The Art Deco style of the Roxie was a departure from earlier theater designs along Broadway.

Constructed in 1910, Clune's Broadway, also known as Cameo Theater (528 S. Broadway), was the longest continually operational movie theater in the state until it closed in the early 1990s. Designed by Alfred F. Rosenheim in a Beaux Arts interpretation of Italian Renaissance style, the theater’s builder, William Clune, was one of the pioneers of the film production and distribution industry.

Marking the entrance of vaudeville producer Alexander Pantages into the Southern California market, the Pantages Theater (534 S. Broadway), later re-named as the Arcade Theater, began what was to become a thriving theater district. Built in 1910, the Arcade features a classic Beaux Arts style façade.

Built in 1931 by entrepreneur and film exhibitor, H.L. Gumbiner, and designed by prolific theater architect S. Charles Lee, the Los Angeles Theater (615 S. Broadway) was one of the last great movie palaces to be built on Broadway. Spending more than $1 million, Gumbiner insisted on exceeding existing standards of extravagance. In the lobby , audiences were welcomed with a three-tiered fountain in a hall of mirrors, crystal chandeliers, and a grand stairway. But it doesn’t stop there, from the auditorium to the restaurant space to the glass-ceiling ballroom, the Los Angeles Theater was an unforgettable experience.

Built in 1911 as the third home of the Orpheum vaudeville circuit in Los Angeles (and originally known as the Orpheum), the Palace Theater (630 S. Broadway) is now the oldest remaining original Orpheum theater in the country. With garland-draped columns, a color scheme of pale pastels, wall murals depicting pastoral scenes, and ceiling murals of whimsical girls, this theater offers an unusually charming and graceful setting. The greatest singers, dancers, comedians, acrobats, and animal acts in vaudeville performed here for fifteen years, until the Orpheum moved to its fourth and final location at 842 S. Broadway.

Take a break from the theaters along Broadway and step into Clifton's Cafeteria (648 S. Broadway; 213/627-1673). The first restaurant in Clifford Clinton’s cafeteria chain, he decorated the interior in a redwood forest theme with waterfalls and fountains in 1935. This is truly a must see!

Designed by the architectural firm of Weeks & Day in 1921 for MGM, the State Theater (703 S. Broadway) is a steel reinforced concrete structure offering 2,450 seats, making it the largest of all the Broadway theaters. Having presented both movies and vaudeville, Judy Garland appeared at the State Theater in 1929 as one of the Singing Gumm Sisters. The interior mixes Spanish, medieval, classical and Eastern ornamentation. Now functioning as a church, the theater is occasionally used for movie productions.

Formerly known as the Morosco, the Globe Theater (744 S. Broadway) originally offered stage productions. During the 1930s, the Globe was converted to a movie house, and later showcased Spanish-language films.

Los Angeles?first theater built with provisions for sound films or “talkies,? the Tower Theater (802 S. Broadway) was designed by S. Charles Lee in 1927.

The 1926 Orpheum Theater (842 S. Broadway) hosted some of the greatest entertainers in show business including Eddie Cantor, Sophie Tucker, Will Rogers, Jack Benny, Sally Rand and Lena Horne. Polished brass doors, lush brocade drapery, silk wall panels, marble pilasters, enormous chandeliers and bronze women on the lighting fixtures, created the elaborate and alluring environment. If you happen to take the Conservancy’s guided tour, take a peek at the last of the great theater organs on Broadway. A three-manual Wurlitzer installed in 1928, this organ was used to provide music for the silent movies and vaudeville acts back in the 1920s. In 2001, the Orpheum received a $3 million make over, adding air conditioning, a new orchestra pit, refurbished dressing rooms and the re-lighting of the rooftop neon sign that had been dark since World War II.

Designed by Claude Beelman in 1930, the Eastern-Columbia Building (849 S. Broadway) is one of the finest examples of Zig-Zag Moderne design remaining in downtown Los Angeles, typical of the Art Deco period. Turquoise, green and gold terra cotta makes this one of the most colorful buildings in downtown Los Angeles.

The United Artists Theater (933 S. Broadway) featured a dome mirrored ceiling, elaborate Gothic designs on the façade with gargoyles, and interior walls with murals of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in historic poses. Having been restored, the theater now operates as a church.