Angels Flight Railway

“Tiny shot of magic in downtown LA!”

“you should ride it atleast once because it’s cute af”

“Angels Flight is the tiny orange railway in Downtown L.A. that looks like public transportation designed for a dollhouse. It opened in 1901 to carry people between Hill Street and Bunker Hill, back when Los Angeles was actually pretty easy to get around without a car. Wild concept, I know. In the early 20th century, L.A. had a huge electric rail system, including the Pacific Electric “Red Cars,” which connected neighborhoods and cities across Southern California. Then came the car era: freeways, suburban sprawl, underfunded transit, and yes, companies tied to the auto industry helped push cities toward buses and cars instead of rail. Very subtle. Very not suspicious at all. I rode Angels Flight when a few friends and I did a self guided walking tour of filming locations from 500 Days of Summer, which is a very specific way to wander around Downtown L.A. haha. It was extremely hot, because of course it was, and the day mostly confirmed that L.A. is not exactly a walkable city unless you enjoy sweating through your clothes and negotiating with concrete. But we drove and walked around anyway, saw some beautiful architecture, learned a few things, and somehow managed not to be completely defeated by the general downtown urine smell, which honestly felt like a civic achievement. Riding Angels Flight felt like stepping into the movie for a minute — cute, cinematic, and very “I am pretending this city is walkable.” You should see it because it is historic, slightly ridiculous, and basically a miniature ghost of the public transportation system L.A. used to have. Also, it is proof that sometimes the most memorable part of a city is not the giant landmark, but the tiny weird thing that drags you up a hill for 298 feet.”