This shopping plaza has everything! From shops and restaurants, to a Kaiser Permanente. The parking…read morearea is huge too, but on a weekend night, it's gonna get packed. Be prepared to drive around for a while for a spot.

The Promenade at Downey is a retail, dining, & entertainment destination. It's very nice and a lot…read moreof thought was put into this community space. There are multiple seating areas, a section for dogs, and reading stations throughout that tell the store of the city of Downey's contributions to space exploration and movie history. I also came across the Time Capsule, that will be opened in 2056, which is the year of its 100th anniversary. It would be cool to see what was put inside on October 17, 2016. I've been here several times to eat at some of the restaurants. Parking is plentiful. You can spend an entire day here browsing the stores, watching a movie, and grabbing a bite to eat.

This is the first stop on the Green/C line of the Metro. They have a large parking lot of 1800…read morespots. I don't take the Metro on the regular, so I can't comment on what it's like to park here on a weekday. It appears that they put in a $3/day fee on weekdays, to help with freeing up more spots for daily commuters. Parking here is free on holidays and weekends. I chose to park here when taking the C line to go to Sofi Stadium. It costs $1.50 to take the C line from Norwalk to LAX/Metro Station. There's a complimentary shuttle at that stop to go to SoFi. It's a great reason to come by. I look forward to when the LAX People Mover opens in 2026. I hope that will be a game changer in the LAX experience! For those headed to LAX, they have shuttles to and from LAX going around the clock. I don't know that I'd want to take the metro to LAX with my large luggage; however, I think it's absolutely the cheapest way to access LAX and SoFi Stadium!

I'm not that into wasting my time and money on driving and paying for parking if public…read moretransportation is gonna get me where I want to go. With just a little effort I found out that I could ride the metro C line and get to El Segundo and not have to deal with rush hour traffic on the ride home. The Chargers new practice facility The Bolt was my destination and the train station was within walking distance. The parking lot in Norwalk had plenty of parking spaces and costs $3 for the day. The Norwalk station is at the beginning of the metro line and so it was very easy to find an open seat. This was my first time riding on it and it was pretty nice. Quicker than the flow of the 105 in a lot of places. There were many stops on the way to El Segundo and you don't wait very long before you are on the way again. On open stretches of the freeway we actually moved faster than the cars! so this train is fast. Tip - make sure you pay for your parking pass. Security guards check your car's license plate and will ticket you. Also the lot is patrolled by the police as well as the Security Patrol. I was pleasantly surprised at how well run the Norwalk Transit Authority provided for a safe and effective way for the public to use the buses and metro rail.

Nice food center addition to Downtown Downey…read more It's mostly restaurants with the exception of CrossFit Downey, Financial Partners Credit Union, and Evolution Hair Salon. As of April 12, 2019, here are the restaurants situated at the Downey Gateway Shopping Center which, by the way, is across the street from the ever famous Porto's: 20/20 Draft House Bluewave Fish Grill Burger City Grill Hummus Factory Milkyway Tea House Noodle World Jr Round Table Pizza Starfish Sushi Stinkin' Crawfish Subway Waba Grill Yogurtland So mostly franchises. Worst parking lot in Downey! Free though.

The 2016 YELP 500, Review #135:…read more I created this entry/entity so that those who are traveling to the area, like myself, can easily figure out everything that is in this shopping center through one entry on Yelp. This helps out a lot when you have a whole bunch of people not from the area and you, perhaps, just come out of the movies. No one is ready to go home yet and everyone is hungry. The first thing you want is to know where to go. The last thing you want to do is Click 50 different places when you don't know the neighborhood. This could lead to frustration if everybody can't get what they want. Now enter the Downey Gateway Yelp entry. Once you read up on it and look at the pictures, you will realize that this place is pretty loaded with variety. From Burgers to Pizza. From Cajun food to sushi and even hummus. From fish to healthy grilled foods and there is even. Something dedicated to your sweet tooth for dessert (or anytime) - a frozen yogurt shop! Oh and we can't forget the other businesses that are not food related, such as Financial Partners, Adalies, Vanity, Allure & CrossFit. So I sincerely hope the Downey Gateway offers everyone something that they love. Sincerely, A guy from Florida that loves this place.

Ticket for no front license plate is the dumbest and stupidest thing ever. Like come on we have a…read moreplate at the back with all the info you guys need to make sure car is registered the front plate help you out in no way. You ran the plate it tell u if am update to be on the road and who own the car. Front plate ticket is stupid

Unfortunately, my experience calling the Downey Police Department's non-emergency line was very…read moredisappointing. The person who answered the phone seemed dismissive and had an attitude when I was simply trying to report a concern and ask for assistance. When an officer responded, I experienced a similar attitude, which only added more stress to an already frustrating situation. Residents reach out to the police during stressful moments because they need help or guidance. Feeling brushed off or spoken to disrespectfully only makes those situations more difficult. A little patience and professionalism would go a long way in helping the community feel supported. I hope the department takes feedback like this seriously and works toward improving how calls from the public are handled. The community deserves to feel heard and treated with respect when reaching out for assistance.

The Azalea Regional Shopping Center is a nice development in South Gate on the northwest corner of…read moreFirestone Blvd. & Atlantic Ave. I go here mainly for Blaze, The Habit, Yogurtland, Michael's (it's more organized & cleaner than the one in Downey), Marshalls, Lemon Pop, & Walmart. This Walmart, though, always has a trash whirling around in the parking lot. There are plenty of other stores and restaurants here mainly geared towards families. For the longest time, the parking spots really irked me - particularly those near Blaze, etc. Jaime G. recently posted some pictures saying they repainted the lines to make them larger, but I had to see it to believe it. Sure enough, they have three painted the lines as of 9/15/15! Everyone in South Gate drives a big gnarly truck or an SUV... or they just can't park period, so it was getting pretty frustrating. THANK YOU whoever made the final decision on getting it fixed. Security is usually driving around in a golf cart if you need assistance. Also, they frequently have events, deejays, and little concerts here, etc. It's pretty vibrant for South Gate. I like it. Review #395 Yelp challenge 76/100

Although this plaza has many nice stores, there's this same weird smell to many of them. Even…read moreyears after they opened, that same smell is still there, and it's causing me allergic reactions. Regardless of how much I'd like to shop, I just can't. Wonder if it's the construction materials that they used.

Unfortunately, the US doesn't have as good public transportation compared to other parts of the…read moreworld such as Japan or Korea. Public transportation could alleviate some of the 105/605 traffic and help the overall environment, but we're left with what we have. The public transportation in California is dysfunctional. This station (and most others in the GreenLine) is dirty and rarely cleaned. Most of the trash generated is just from homeless or inconsiderate people, so it is constantly getting trashed. (I feel bad for the custodians.) To deter homeless people from camping here, there are no bathrooms, chairs are uncomfortable to sit on, trashcans are limited, and it is open to the harsh environment. As of the time of this writing, the price to enter is $1.75 one way. If you get on the wrong train/direction, you can always just transfer for free if you tap. But also, no one pays because there is hardly any enforcement, and some of the entrance scanners are broken. Most commuters are regular people just trying to get to work, but you will always have that one mentally ill, inconsiderate, or homeless person who causes a nuisance during your ride every once in a while. Expect to encounter one of them, so you don't get completely shocked when it happens. This station takes you to LAX if that is your main destination. I only take the train because my work pays for it, so it is free for me. I just wish it were cleaner and comfortable to ride public transportation here in the US.

So this is pretty much standard for the transportation system through LA in other words it's really…read morebad as it takes forever to get anywhere with the multiple routes that really don't intersect very well making it a total mission to get where you have to go no matter what time of day it is! Getting from place to place will cost you about $1.75 each way and your required to have one of their tap cards on you if your choosing to ride otherwise you might be subject to a fine from what I hear is pretty hefty so just get it and pay it! If your looking to go somewhere out of LA your going to have to take the train to the end then a very long bus ride to get to where else you gotta go it's quite the effort logistically trust me I tried it so with that said your better off getting a ride! On the plus side I did find that the majority of the trains were like almost new so that was definitely something nice about it but that's really it. Overall this is public transportation in LA and it's not that great hence why everyone drives but if you can get away from having to drive and you have time to kill then by all means take the train if not stick to driving your better off that way!

AN ABSOLUTELY MUST DO! A FREE EVENT & FREE PARKING! LA County is Honoring The Legendary Sound of…read morethe 70's with The Carpenters Collection - a series of Free things for people to do spread out all over LA. The Female Voice of the 70's was Karen Carpenter of The Carpenters. She had a melodic, airy & angelic crystal clear distinctive voice like no one else. The Carpenters ruled the airwaves especially in the early 70's. They were one of the most successful & Biggest American Pop groups of all time selling more than 100 million records. Their easy listening Adult Contemporary Soft Rock sound blasted out of transistor radios all over the world in the 70's. Karen not only sang but played the drums as well which was really unheard of from women at the time. She paved the way for women singers & many groups of today. Her brother Richard created the arrangements sang & played Keyboards. Rolling Stone ranked them #175 of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. They even met President Nixon & Miss Piggy. Much of their music has been long forgotten & no longer played on the radio. Now there is a new Hardcover Book about the duo. The city of Downey CA. is also honoring The Carpenters with a Free exhibition & Free Parking at The Downey Library which takes you on a musical journey. Karen & Richard Carpenter were born & grew up in New England in New Haven Connecticut. They moved with their family to SoCal in 1963 & attended school in Downey CA. They formed a band & won The Hollywood Bowl Talent Show. Then they signed a recording contract. They hit big with "Close to You" which catapulted to #1 in 1970 & stayed there for 4 weeks & ended up being the #2 Song of the entire Year. They followed it up with a #2 Smash "We've Only Just Begun" a California Crocker Bank Commercial turned into a hit song. Then came their Holiday Smash Merry Christmas Darling which has become a Holiday Classic. They won Best New Artist beating out Elton John, The Partridge Family, Melba Moore & Anne Murray. They scored a second Grammy that night for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group with their song Close to You beating out The Beatles Let it Be, Simon & Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water, ABC by The Jackson Five, & Chicago by Chicago. Then it was Hit after Hit after Hit for several years including 3 #1's & 5 #2's on Billboard. They had TV Specials, including a Christmas Special. Paul McCartney was a Fan & said she was "the best female voice in the world: melodic, tuneful and distinctive".Michael Jackson was also a Fan & stated that they were an early influence on the Jackson Five while growing up. They have a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Karen sang Duets with the Great Ella Fitzgerald & John Denver. Karen passed away of Anorexia an eating disorder that was just beginning to be recognized back then. They had no great treatments at that time & passed away much too soon. Their Epic Songs include Close To You, We've Only Just Begun, Ticket to Ride, Merry Christmas Darling, Superstar, Rainy Days & Monday's, For All We Know, Top of the World, Please Mr. Postman video filmed at Disneyland, Only Yesterday video filmed at Huntington Gardens. Goodbye to Love, It's Gonna Take Some Time, I Won't Last a day Without You, Bless the Beast & The Children, A Song for you, Yesterday Once More, This Masquerade, There's a Kind of Hush, I Need to Be in Love, The Sesame Street Song Sing, All You Get from Love Is a Love Song, Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft, Rainbow Connection & others. Check out their music before you come & visit the Library. The Downey Library has a great Collection of Gold Carpenter Records, 45's, Albums, Cassettes, 8 Tracks, Foreign Merchandise & other Memorabilia & pictures on display. Then take a ride past Downey High School where they attended classes. Drive by the 2 apartment buildings they owned. One is named Close to You & the other one is directly across the street called We've Just Begun. Those are the name of their first 2 huge hits. Then you can drive by the Newville Ave. address their former home that is still standing but the next door recording studio is gone. Then head on over to Long Beach to see the Carpenters Performing Arts Center. We've Only Just Begun was originally a commercial written by Paul Williams for Crocker Bank. The Last Bookstore is a very Cool place in Downtown LA & is a former Crocker Bank. Then take a ride to The Hollywood Walk of Fame @ 6931 Hollywood Blvd. You'll see their Star right near songwriter Paul Williams. Karen's final resting place is @ Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, You'll have a whole day of Carpenters Fun & the price tag - IT'S ALL FREE! It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really Rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!

Recently parked at the Olvera street lot owned by parking company of America. My mom is disabled…read moreand in a wheelchair so we parked in the handicapped spot. When we returned, we found the parking lot attendant had used the spot next to us to valet another car. We were unable to fit the wheelchair in, I ended up having to pull the car out of the spot to be able to have her get in. This is not ok! The spot is marked so no one can park there.

Hiring actual gang members and criminals for employees. Don't trust them for anything. The best…read morepart is they say they are valet, but then will make you park your car yourself. Like then what is the fee for?