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Hollywood |
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Hollywood |
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could see it on their faces. When you looked at tourists arriving on Hollywood
Boulevard for the first time, you could almost read their minds: "This is
Hollywood?" Looking around, they were shocked and disappointed.Before the recent Hollywood renaissance, most tourists who came to Hollywood spent only a few minutes on Hollywood Boulevard. They went to the Grauman's Chinese Theatre forecourt, looked at the stars' footprints, quickly saw that the Boulevard was not what they imagined it would be, shook their heads and headed back to their cars, certain that there was nothing much more to do in the area. True glamour has always awaited tourists a few miles to the west, of course, in Beverly Hills, but the actual Hollywood area - the downtown shopping district centered around Hollywood Boulevard - had degenerated from a cozy small town to into a bad dream of urban blight. But no matter what anyone says, the curious still flocked to that famous street by the millions. Like it or not, Hollywood Boulevard was the official "center" of Hollywood. But the great news today is that the old town finally seems to be getting its act together, and appears to be undergoing the kind of renaissance that has been predicted for years. Go first to Mann's (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre (at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard), and look at their fabulous forecourt of stars' footprints in cement. Then cross the street and enter the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (at 7000 Hollywood Blvd.); go upstairs and look at their collection of Hollywood memorabilia. Back outside, cross back over to the north side of the street and walk west to the Hollywood Entertainment Museum (at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.) Here, you can sit in the Captain's chair on the original "Star Trek" set, see the original office set from "The X-Files", or pull up a stool at the original bar from "Cheers. Back outside, as you walk back east along the Boulevard, look down at the stars beneath your feet - these stars make up the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (located along both sides of long Hollywood Boulevard & Vine Street.) If you don't mind a little extra walking, go first to the west end of the Walk of Fame (at La Brea) and check out "The La Brea Gateway," the new gleaming silver gazebo featuring life-size statues of four silver screen goddesses. If you check first, you should be able to time your visit to coincide with a celebrity getting a "star" on the Walk of Fame - a great chance to see a movie or TV star live and in person right on Hollywood Blvd. Walk to Disney's spectacular El Capitan Theatre (at 6838 Hollywood Blvd.) - buy a ticket, sit in the balcony and see a movie as movies were meant to be seen - and marvel at the theatre's glorious restoration. The spectacular new Hollywood & Highland project, is right next to the Chinese Theatre. A two-block long, $600 million mix of retail, restaurants and eye-popping architecture, it includes the Kodak Theatre, the first permanent home for the annual Oscar awards show. And how about those elephants? Just east of Highland is the historic Egyptian Theatre (at 6712 Hollywood Blvd.) the first movie palace built in Hollywood (by Sid Grauman), and scene of the world's first grand movie premiere. Literally next door to the Egyptian Theatre is the venerable Pig 'N Whistle restaurant (at 6714 Hollywood Blvd.) A favorite of Shirley Temple and other Hollywood stars in the 30's and 40's, the cafe was only recently restored (in 2001) at a cost of $1.5 million. Or have lunch at historic Musso & Frank Grill (at 6667 Hollywood Blvd) the oldest restaurant in Hollywood. Sit in the dark wood booths where F. Scott Fitzgerald and Charlie Chaplin once dined, and soak up the Raymond Chandler ambiance. If it's after dark, go up the hill for a drink at the Yamashiro Restaurant (at 1999 N. Sycamore Ave.) and enjoy its incredible view of the city. In the future, the old Max Factor Art Deco building (at 1666 N. Highland, just around the corner from the Boulevard) the new Hollywood History Museum just opened yet another attraction to see, and right next door is a new Mel's Diner, which offers another spot to grab a bite to eat. There isn't much to see at the famous corner of Hollywood & Vine, but if you want to visit that spot, hop back in your car (it's a fairly long walk east from Hollywood & Highland) and when you get there, take a look at the famous is the Capitol Records Building (just north of the 6300 block of Hollywood Boulevard, at 1750 Vine Street), and its star murals. Right around the corner from the Capitol Records building is the classic Pantages Theatre (at 6233 Hollywood Blvd.), where it isn't unusual to see a star up on the stage. In the evening , you might want to see a live Broadway show there and take in the theatre's ornate splendor. ...or if it's after dark, you might want to just cruise west in your car, down the hectic, neon Sunset Strip a few blocks away. In other words, it is possible to spend a pleasant day on Hollywood Boulevard - if you know where to go. And things are getting better every day. Getting there: To reach Hollywood Boulevard from downtown Los Angeles, take the Hollywood (101) Freeway north to the Hollywood Boulevard exit, then head west (about a mile and a half) to Grauman's Chinese Theatre, which will be on your right (north) side. From West Los Angeles, take the San Diego (405) Freeway to the Sunset Boulevard exit, and go east on Sunset for about seven miles to La Brea Avenue. Turn left (north) on La Brea, and go three blocks north to Hollywood Boulevard. Turn right (east) and go three blocks east on Hollywood Boulevard to reach Grauman's Chinese Theatre. |
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