Robert F. Kennedy Inspiration Park

Turbulence has been no stranger to Koreatown, namely the ‘92 riots, but few sites have housed history-altering drama like the grounds of the former Ambassador Hotel. The 1921 building hosted the Academy Awards, as well as Hollywood’s elite at its famous Cocoanut Grove nightclub. But in 1968, then-presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in the hotel’s kitchen. The surrounding area saw its ups and downs in the aftermath, and today a colossal school occupies the site of the demolished hotel. But along Wilshire, the Robert F. Kennedy Inspiration Park quietly pays tribute to the civil rights advocate. A steel cutout of a water ripple and a portrait of RFK surrounded by his own words mark the reflective space, though—unfortunately, like many public parks in LA—you may encounter a noisy squatter or two.