1) Prohibition-era Smuggling Tunnels
The Prohibition era saw the population of Los Angeles double, from just over half a million to 1.2 million people. Maybe it's because everyone was drunk.
There were something like 11 miles of service tunnels underneath downtown L.A., allowing bootleggers to supply illicit speakeasies with booze while the cops, the prosecutors and even City Hall all looked the other way.
Today, the tunnels are officially closed to the public. But if you're super sneaky (and careful!) you can explore them a bit. One the east side of Hill Street, at the northwest tip of Grand Park, you'll find a tiny sign for the Hall of Records. Take the elevator down to the bottom, and look for the words "SOUND HORN" painted on the concrete walls. There are other exits feeding out to other government buildings. On rainy days, some government employees use the tunnels to stay dry.
5) The largest section of the Berlin Wall in the United States
Since the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, sections of it have ended up all over the world. The largest portion in the U.S. sits on, of all places, the front lawn of the SBE Entertainment building (formerly the Variety building) at 5900 Wilshire Blvd.
The 10 concrete slabs were painted by four different artists and donated by the Wende Museum.
6) Gandhi's Ashes
To appease the mourning Indian public, steel urns containing Gandhi's ashes were sent all over the country for public services meant to end in their dispersal in local bodies of water. This does not seem to have happened in every case, and portions of the ashes were kept by government agents and friends of Gandhi. Some made their way to the Aga Khan, who enshrined them at his palace in Pune India. [Paramahansa] Yogananda in Los Angeles, who had a friendship with Gandhi spanning decades (he is said to have initiated Gandhi into the practice of Kriya Yoga in 1930), received his portion of remains from Dr. V.M. Nawle, a journalist who was friends with both men.Complete list (LAWeekly.com)
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