St. Vincent Court

Saint Vincent Court: A quaint alleyway in the bustling jewelry district of downtown Los Angeles that resembles a quiet European street - complete with a cobble stone street, street-side cafés, and charming architecture. 

My friend Crystal (@queenofsmarts on Instagram) brought me here last weekend after our brunch date at Bottega Louie, and as we made our way over there, walking off our waffles, she told me, "This hidden gem is going to be great for your blog!" so of course, I was excited to explore this unknown territory. As we entered the small, picturesque, quirky alleyway I thought, "How have I never heard of, or read anything about, this place?" The plaque on a wall by the main entrance of St. Vincent Court reads: “This was the site of Saint Vincent’s College from 1868 to 1887. The College, now Loyola University, was founded by the Vincentian Fathers in 1865 and was the first institution of higher learning in Southern California.” St. Vincent Court was the location of the first institution of post-secondary education in Los Angeles. Pretty interesting, huh? 

Currently listed as California State Landmark #567, today this area is home to a mixture of European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern cuisines, a traditional-style barber shop, and other small shops. This whimsical, eclectic, adorably designed alleyway will make you question if you are still in the urban mecca of Downtown LA. Specifically, seeing a moped parked right outside of a French bakery made it feel like I was in Paris for a moment or two - #agirlcandream. 

From my research online, it looks like businesses open at 11am daily but most are closed on Sunday's. When we visited, on a Saturday around 11am, it was very quiet and there were only a few other people here. Although not very well known, this square is home to LA's first college (hooray for history!), free to visit, and is open to the public. It's basically waiting for you, and others, to walk it's cobblestone alleyway at your leisure. And if this hidden gem in DTLA doesn't make you crave a trip to Europe, I'm not quite sure what will. 

If you're interested in visiting Saint Vincent Court, plug this address into your GPS: St Vincent Ct, Los Angeles, CA 90014.

Adventure is out there, my friends, sometimes in the most unexpected places.