One of the most complicated intersections to negotiate in downtown Los Angeles is where 9^th Street meets Main and Spring. You’ve got traffic coming at you in all directions. But back in 1948, when this photo was taken, Angelenos also had to deal with streetcars rattling along both 9^th and Main. That’s a lot of coming and going. It’s also a lot of overhead wires. This is one instance where the absence of streetcars makes for a cleaner cityscape.

The same view in March 2019: