[Rebelgecko]

Los Angeles is less downtown-focused than other big cities but I still don't think that's a fair representation.

You can go to a hockey game or a basketball game in DTLA, and you're near stadiums for baseball, football and soccer. If you'd rather see a symphony than a game of sportsball you can listen to the LA phil at Disney Hall (and if the architecture of Disney Hall is more modern than you prefer, there's plenty of older buildings worth checking out).

There's a bunch of museums if you're into that kind of thing. On the grungier side, there's Santee Alley and the fashion district if you want to get that "third world bazaar" experience without having to travel.

You can get food from dozens of different cultures, even without visiting enclaves like Chinatown or Little Tokyo.