LA Rainy Day Museum Planner: 3 Downtown Art Institutions

Rain in downtown Los Angeles changes the city's rhythm. The sidewalks of Grand Avenue empty out, the steps of Walt Disney Concert Hall shine like polished steel, and the museums on Bunker Hill fill with people who suddenly have a free afternoon. This plan pairs the two contemporary art museums at the top of the hill with the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, and uses the underground Regional Connector to link them, so the only outdoor stretches are a couple of short blocks at each end.

Bunker Hill and Little Tokyo are close on a map but separated by a steep slope and a run of busy streets. Since 2023, the Metro Regional Connector has carried A and E Line trains under that slope, with stations at Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill and Little Tokyo/Arts District. One stop, a few minutes underground, replaces the soggy downhill walk.

That gives the day two halves. Spend the morning on Grand Avenue, where The Broad and MOCA face each other across the street, then ride down for lunch in Little Tokyo and an afternoon at JANM, with MOCA's warehouse gallery, the Geffen Contemporary, a short walk away if you still have energy.

The Broad opened in 2015 to show the contemporary collection of Eli and Edythe Broad, roughly two thousand works by artists from Warhol and Lichtenstein to Kara Walker and Takashi Murakami. Diller Scofidio + Renfro designed it around an idea they called the veil and the vault. The white honeycomb skin lets filtered daylight into the top-floor galleries, while the storage vault sits in the middle of the building and is visible through windows on the stair.

Visitors ride a long escalator through a tunnel into the third-floor galleries, which is the most dramatic arrival in the city and also a reliable way to leave the rain behind instantly. The galleries are bright even on a grey day because the skylights are angled to catch northern light. Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room runs on its own short, separate reservations inside the museum, and those go fast on weekends, so sort that out early in the visit.

The Museum of Contemporary Art was founded in 1979, and its Grand Avenue building, designed by Arata Isozaki, opened in 1986. Red sandstone, pyramid skylights and a sunken courtyard make it look like nothing else on the street. The galleries sit below plaza level, so even when rain is coming down hard, the rooms stay calm and quiet, lit by the skylights overhead.

MOCA's collection leans toward art made after 1940, with strong holdings in Abstract Expressionism, Pop and Los Angeles artists. Exhibitions change through the year, and the galleries are generally less crowded than The Broad on a wet Saturday, which makes MOCA a good place to slow down after the bustle across the street.

The entrance to Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill station is a block from both museums. Trains run deep under Bunker Hill, and one stop east brings you to Little Tokyo/Arts District, which comes up at the corner of First Street and Central Avenue. The ride is short enough that you will barely have time to fold your umbrella.

JANM was founded in 1985 and opened in 1992 in the former Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist temple, built in 1925. In 1999 it added the larger pavilion across the plaza, designed by Gyo Obata. The main galleries are in the pavilion, while the historic temple building across the plaza is used for other programs. The core exhibition, Common Ground: The Heart of Community, follows Japanese American life from the first immigrants through incarceration during World War II and the return afterwards, using photographs, letters and objects donated by families.

The most affecting item for many visitors is a section of an original barrack brought from the Heart Mountain camp in Wyoming. Standing beside walls that once had to shelter a whole family through a Wyoming winter makes the history very personal. Plan on at least an hour and a half, because people tend to read every label here.

The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA is a few minutes' walk from JANM, in a converted police garage and warehouse that Frank Gehry adapted when it opened in 1983. The space is huge and well suited to large installations, so it is a satisfying end to a long art day. The Geffen opens only while an exhibition is installed, so look at what is on there when you plan the day.

Little Tokyo itself is a good place to dry off. Japanese Village Plaza has small covered walkways lined with snack shops and cafés, and there are ramen, curry and udon counters on almost every block. The Little Tokyo Branch Library and the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center are nearby if you want somewhere calm to sit.

The Broad requires timed reservations on busy days and runs a standby line when those are gone. MOCA's Grand Avenue and Geffen locations are ticketed together, so keep your ticket if you plan to visit both. Bags larger than a small purse often have to be checked, and umbrellas generally go to coat check or into a bag rack at the door.

The plazas around Grand Avenue are paved in smooth stone that gets slippery after rain, and the stairs between Grand Avenue and Hope Street are steep. Wear shoes with grip and take your time on them. Parking under the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Broad garage are the closest options if you drive.

In Karpo APP you can enter the hours you have, how much contemporary art you want before lunch, and whether Little Tokyo is the main event or an add-on. Karpo suggests an order for The Broad, MOCA and JANM, compares a hill-only morning with the full two-part day and recommends a lunch spot in Little Tokyo that suits your group. Museum reservations and train times live with the museums and Metro, so book them there.