Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- "Have you been to Koreatown yet?" my friend asked eagerly over the phone. It was my third week as a resident of Los Angeles, and I could no longer claim the pure shock of moving to a city so sprawling, so overwhelming, as the reason I had yet to explore its most interesting neighborhoods. But I had to answer "no." In a city as vast as Los Angeles, Koreatown seemed especially impenetrable, a huge warren of restaurants, markets, strip malls and residences. As much as I knew that it held a treasure trove of food, culture and nightlife, I was intimidated to even get started.
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L.A.'s Koreatown is home to one of the city's densest populations
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Looking around, it feels like Asia, but the area is also 100% L.A.
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The neighborhood is home to Asians, Central Americans, South Americans and more
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Koreans are the largest group, but the neighborhood is majority Latino
Asia
Asians
There are places in Koreatown where you look around and swear you are in @placeholder.
Koreatown
Koreatown
Koreatown
In 1992 @placeholder bore the brunt of much of the violence and looting that happened during the L.A. riots, and many Koreans fled to the suburbs after the riots.
Koreans
In 1992 Koreatown bore the brunt of much of the violence and looting that happened during the L.A. riots, and many @placeholder fled to the suburbs after the riots.