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Hollywood

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Hollywood

Hollywood has been both myth and reality for millions of people throughout the world for almost one hundred years. The heart of mythical Hollywood is a stretch of Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea on the west and Gower on the east, centering at Highland Boulevard. The west is anchored at the famed Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the east at the world famous intersection of Hollywood and Vine. This stretch is often called the "Walk of Fame" and is now served by two Metro Stations. The sidewalks are lined with bronze stars dedicated to Tinsel Town's legendary figures from movies, radio, television, and recording. There are several museums along this stretch of Hollywood Boulevard, including Hollywood Wax Museum, The Hollywood Guinness World of Records Museum , Ripley's Believe It or Not! ® Hollywood Museum, Erotic Museum, Hollywood Entertainment Museum, The Hollywood Motion Picture Collection, and about a half mile north of the Boulevard, the Hollywood Heritage Museum (The DeMille Barn at 2100 N. Highland Blvd., Hollywood, CA. / (323) 874-2276 or (323) 874-4005). A few steps further north is the famous Hollywood Bowl. The iconic Hollywood Sign can be seen through almost any gap between buildings. A half mile south is Sunset Boulevard and at the corner of Sunset and Cherokee is Crossroads of the World, considered by some to be Los Angeles's first shopping center. See also Hollywood Tower Hotel about a mile north. An estimated 10 million tourists come to Hollywood Boulevard each year.

To find Hollywood Boulevard and Hollywood Walk of Fame:
Going north on the Hollywood (101) Freeway, take the Hollywood Boulevard exit, then go west on Hollywood Boulevard a mile and a half.
Going south on the Hollywood (101) Freeway, take the Highland Avenue exit and go south about a mile.
From the west, take any major street east to La Brea and turn left. Turn right onto Hollywood Boulevard.
From the east, take any major street west to Vine and turn right. Turn left onto Hollywood Boulevard.
If you are coming from Outer Space, look for the bright lights.

Holywood Boulevard, decorated for the Holidays. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

Free-form Street Art. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

Holywood Boulevard, decorated for the Holidays. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

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Hollywood is filled with ornate buildings from the 1920s and '30s.

Photo Date: 1-1-05.

Taft Building at Hollywood and Vine. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

Capital Records in a building shaped like a stack of records. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

Hollywood Sign. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

Roosevelt Hotel. Photo Date:

Roosevelt Hotel. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

Highland Boulevard and ?? Church. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

A block south of Hollywood Boulevard is this classic "anywhere" church, First Baptist Church. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

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Walk of Fame

Museums

The Erotic Museum. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

Food and Restaurants

Pig 'N Whistle. One of Hollywood's classic restaurants. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

Juices Fountain served wonderful juice drinks until forced to close for urban redevelopment.

Metro Stations

The Metro Red Line has two stations aloang Hollywood Boulevard, one at Vine and another at Highland beneith the new Hollywood and Highland complex. A third station at Hollywood and Western is two miles east of the Walk of Fame.

Hollywood and Vine Metro Station. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

Hollywood and Vine Metro Station. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

"Brown Derby" icon at Metro Station at Hollywood and Vine. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

Metro Station at Hollywood and Highland. Photo date: 1-1-05.

Theaters of on or near Hollywood Boulevard

El Capitan. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre was built in 1922 for Sid Grauman's theater chain, inspired by the discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb. Now home to The American Cinematheque. It has been recently restored/renovated incluidng the ticket booth and four massive 4-1/2 foot columns, rising to a height of 20 feet.
Address: 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, CA 90028.

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Built for Sid Grauman's theater chain. Sid Grauman invented the idea of the grand movie premiere, and developed the idea of putting the stars footprints in cement, beginning in 1927 with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Norma Talmadge. Recently, there were about 173 star prints in the theater forecourt, and the remaining empty space is filling, so the honor is now reserved solely for a few Hollywood superstars.The Chinese Theatre is located on the north side of Hollywood Boulevard, just west of Highland Boulevard. The forecourt is open free of charge to visitors.

Grauman's Chinese TheatrePhoto Date: 1-1-05.

PacificTheater. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

PacificTheater. Photo Date: 8-26-06.

PantagesTheater. Photo Date: 1-1-05.

American Cinematheque.

Montalban Theatre.

Hollywood and Highland

Hollywood & Highland is an unusually descriptive and non-romantic name for the newest landmark in Hollywood, appropriately located at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Boulevard. In recent years, the core of Hollywood has been declining and this new project is intended to improve the image and bring now economic opportunities to the area. The project occupies almost two city blocks in the heart of Hollywood extending west from Highland to Orange Drive where a symbolic small orange grove will be located.

Major points of interest at Hollywood & Highland include:
The Kodak Theatre, a 136,000 square foot theatre which will be the first permanent home of the Academy Awards show. The first Oscar Night was held at the Roosevelt Hotel across the street. It will be the world's only live broadcast theatre.
The Grand Ballroom.
The Hollywood Motion Picture Collection, a museum with movie memorabilia, including 3,000 costumes, furniture pieces and entire sets from movies spanning half a century. This 20,000 square foot museum is made from actress Debbie Reynolds' personal collection of.
Restaurants and night clubs.
Exclusive retail shops.
The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel.
A MetroRail subway station is located beneath with an entrance onto Hollywood Boulevard.
It is built around Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

Redevelopement

This block of old established small business was taken by eminent domain. These shops were forced to close to make way for a new hotel. The merchants fought this questionable process but lost and these successful businesses will close forever simply because someone else wanted the land.

The Jouces Fountain elsewhere on this page also closed for this reason.

Home Savings Mural

Crossroads of the World

Crossroads of the World, built in 1936, is considered by some to be "L.A.'s first modern shopping mall." Located on the north side of Sunset Boulevard, between Las Palmas Avenue and Cherokee Avenue, Crossroads of the World is a blend of architectural styles from around the world (Italian, Mexican, Turkish, New England, French). The Sunset Boulevard entrance features the centerpiece building resembling an ocean liner with an Art Deco facade complete with portholes, railings, life preservers, and decks, and with a 30'-foot Streamline Moderne tower topped with an 8-foot revolving globe. An outdoor village of small, European-style bungalows not apparent from Sunset Boulevard, surrounds the ship. The center continues back an entire block where a lighthouse protects the rear. Crossroads of the World began as a retail shopping center, but today is an office complex. While open to the public, there is now little of interest for tourists other that as a location of some recent popular period films (Indecent Proposal in 1993 and film noir L.A. Confidential in 1997) and on Sunday, Crossroads is mostly deserted.

Crossroads of the World is located at 6671 Sunset Boulevard (at Las Palmas and Cherokee),
Hollywood, CA. / (323) 463-5611

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This page last updated: Thursday, 07-Feb-2008 22:06:46 CST

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