That I can go to this bar then walk back to base afterwards and feel safe doing so is remarkable to me. I lived in Los Angeles at the end of the last century and back then, this area was the domain of drug dealers, gangs and the infamous riots that all but ripped Los Angeles apart. But Koreatown, or K-town as it's affectionately called, is in the midst of a remarkable renaissance and those streets, which, back then, sensible people would avoid at any time of day, let alone late at night, are this evening, brimming with life, and of the non-threatening kind. Young couples walk arm-in-arm. Well-dressed people wait at bus stops, perfectly relaxed and seemingly not at all fearing for their safety. A Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, full of chatting customers, glows amiably.  And there's me, walking alone, back to the Line Hotel.

In many ways, the Line Hotel itself is emblematic of this change in K-town, and its part-owner,  Roy Choi, the personification of it. The intensely cool Line is smack dab in the middle of the once troubled neighbourhood Choi called home as a child. Now in his mid-40s, he is a product of the wave of Korean immigrants who came to inhabit the down-at-heel area in the 1950s. In 1978 it was officially declared Koreatown. Resentments towards Korean business owners were a catalyst for the catastrophic 1992 riots. But the 1990s and early 21st century saw rapid growth in the Latino population, and now Koreatown is one of LA's most ethnically and culturally diverse neighbourhoods.

Choi began a food truck business that became a huge success and on the back of it, the tattooed, hipster chef suddenly was a celebrity. Celebrity or not, he continues to speak passionately in support of the area. He adores it, and it shows in his contributions to it. Not necessarily because of Choi, but certainly with his vocal encouragement, investors and locals looking for inspiring digs noticed K-town's fabulous streetscape full of art deco apartment blocks, frozen-in-time hospitality spaces, significant landmarks and, in a city often accused of lacking in culture, a rich history – even a bustling street life.

All this rundown beauty was the result of the area being the centre of the Golden Age of Hollywood.  In the 1920s and '30s, this section of the Mid-Wilshire District was the height of glamour. Movie stars dined at the original Brown Derby and partied at Cocoanut Grove, the nightclub in the Ambassador Hotel, which hosted the Academy Awards in the 1930s and was where Robert F Kennedy  was assassinated in 1968.

The Ambassador is long gone, but many beautiful old apartment buildings remain, by such important architects Leland Bryant.  They stand stand side-by-side with Korean strip malls and other curiosities of modern life – a gigantic golf-driving range on top of a multi-level car park, for instance. But rather than detract from the area's appeal, it's these layers that make it fascinating.

The best way to explore K-town is to walk its long, lovely boulevards, or cycle; the Line offers bicycle use free to guests. Stay at the hotel, a renovated mid-century office block with its unencumbered views to the Hollywood Hills (and from some rooms, the Hollywood sign) and save some time for basking in its hipness: the lobby's Korean bakery, the Commissary where bright young things take meetings and tap on Macbooks using the free wi-fi, Choi's Korean barbecue restaurant, Pot, and the swingin' lobby bar, to the sexy poolside cocktail scene upstairs.

Head out along Wilshire for a high concentration of interesting sights. The Brutalist Catholic church, St Basil's, the subject of pickets and protests against its extravagance in the late '60s. Nearby is the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, the oldest Jewish congregation in LA and a National Register-listed Byzantine beauty with features commissioned by the actual Warner brothers.

Further up the road, find the beautiful Wiltern Theatre with its pretty facade of blue tiles. K-town is home to a notable number of churches with interesting history and architecture, such as the huge First Baptist Church, consecrated in 1927 with a ceiling patterned after the chapel of the Ducal Palace in Mantova, Italy. It's Spanish gothic and has more than 130 rooms. The First Unitarian Church, also a 1920s building, is home to an incredible history of civic activism. It provided food and shelter when many surrounding buildings were razed by fire in the 1992 riots.

The memorial park where the Ambassador once stood is also worth a look. But if you do nothing else in K-town, it's a tradition to check into one of the area's cheap and cheery spas. Grand Spa, open 24 hours is the pick of the bunch, with unbelievably cheap prices and where the therapists must have a minimum of several years' experience to be employed. You can get tanned, waxed, massaged, shaved, work out, shop and even sing. Grand Spa features another great K-town tradition: a karaoke room – though you might want to save your voice for an obligatory belt at the Brass Monkey.

The writer was a guest of Qantas and Visit California. 

BREAKOUT

10 places to drink and dine in K-town

From craft beer to acorn noodle soup, you won't go hungry or thirsty in K-town.

Pot is Roy Choi's brilliant and cheeky restaurant in The Line Hotel. (3515 Wilshire Blvd; eatatpot.com.)

Try Iota cafe for coffee and cake. (528 South Western Ave, iotabrewcafe.com.)

The Los Angeles Travel Guide calls Hwa Sun Ji Teahouse "the area's finest and arguably most authentic tea room". (3960 Wilshire Boulevard)

Mountain Cafe is a hugely popular but tiny place run by two Korean women.  Cheap and amazing Korean home cooking. (3064 W 8th Street

For excellent Korean barbecue and acorn noodle soup,  Soowon Galbi is the go. (856 S Vermont Avenue; soowongalbi.net.)

For a hipster vibe, craft beer and American comfort food, it's Beerbelly. (532 S Western Avenue; beerbellyla.com)

The Normandie Club is K-town's newest glam cocktail bar. The spectacular restaurant Le Comptoir is in the same complex, the gorgeously renovated Hotel Normandie. (3612 W 6th Street; hotelnormandiela.com.)

Shatto 39 Lanes is a retro, somewhat divey bowling alley serving cheap drinks and good times. (3255 W 4th Street; shatto39lanes.com.)

The Prince is a dark den of a place, famous for fried chicken. One of several Mad Menlocations in the area. (3918 W 7th Street; theprincela.com.)

Get your Mexican on at El Taurino, where the red sauce is a must on burritos and tostadas. (1104 S Hoover Street; eltaurino.com.)

TRIP NOTES

MORE INFORMATION

visitcalifornia.com.au.

GETTING THERE

Qantas flies direct to Los Angeles from Australia. . See Qantas.com.au.

STAYING THERE

The Line Hotel is at 3515 Wilshire Boulevard. Doubles from around $360.  See thelinehotel.com.

WHILE THERE

Cafe Brass Monkey is at 3440 Wilshire Boulevard. See cafebrassmonkey.com.

Grand Spa is at 2999 W 6th Street. See grandspala.com.