Virtual tours of off-the-beaten path Los Angeles landmarks from Esotouric

[tours]

The following is a public service message from Esotouric bus adventures, in search of the secret heart of Los Angeles:

Although we make it our business to take patrons into the most beautiful and hard-to-reach sites in the southland, there are some places that just aren't suitable for large guided tours. Of course, we yearn to share these inaccessible spots with the people we know would love them.

And that's where science comes in. Urbanist Jane Jacobs famously wrote "old ideas can sometimes use new buildings. New ideas must use old buildings." So we've partnered with Craig Sauer, a Long Beach-based photographer who uses cutting edge Matterport technology to create immersive three-dimensional architectural renderings, and embarked on a documentary series: spaces we love, captured by Craig in lifelike 3-D. 

First we climbed through the long grass by the railroad tracks to document JK's Tunnel, a World War 2-era hobo folk art environment. Then we ducked under the rolled down gate of the Dutch Chocolate Shop, a masterpiece of early 20th century art tile. 


Our latest project is the most ambitious yet: two explorable floors of the landmark 1896 Barclay Hotel, the oldest continuously operating hotel in Los Angeles. The grand lobby is a magnificent example of Beaux Arts decoration, with elegant plasterwork and gleaming stained glass. And underneath that, the basement and tunnel level awaits, a mysterious zone lit from above by tiny amethyst glass panels in the sidewalk. It's our great pleasure to introduce you to one of our favorite time capsules, and set you free to explore at your own pace. And you don't even need a tetanus shot.