Living in Koreatown, Los Angeles

Koreatown runs later than most of Los Angeles — Korean barbecue counters, karaoke rooms, and late-night noodle spots keep the sidewalks along Wilshire and Olympic busy well past midnight, and the neighborhood's density puts most of it within a short walk of an apartment door. The B and D subway lines run underneath, giving Koreatown some of the best rail access anywhere in the city, a real exception to LA's usual car-first layout. The Wiltern's marquee anchors the Wilshire corridor as one of the area's steadier landmarks, and the mix of older mid-rise buildings and newer towers keeps the skyline varied block to block.

Rent here runs toward the more affordable end for a neighborhood this central, though the density and constant activity mean traffic noise and crowded sidewalks are part of the package, especially on weekend nights when the karaoke rooms and barbecue counters fill up.

What stands out about Koreatown is less any single restaurant and more the fact that the block is still fully awake at 2 a.m. — a pace some residents end up building their whole schedule around.