Great American Cities -
Hollywood
Change city:
Hollywood
To its visitors Hollywood is the land of stars - you can visit your favorite celebrity site or drive past celebrity homes and famous showbiz houses. Whilst driving you will surely meet some of the most famous and well known Hollywood Film Locations, where many of your favorite movies were shot and some of your preferred stars spent their time. The world famous Beverly Hills, Sunset Boulevard and Sunset Strip are just a few minutes away, as is the Hollywood Bowl, opposite the historic "Barn" where the worlds first full length movie was made.
The grave and last home of Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe are both within easy reach and visited daily by thousands of her admirers. The world famous Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard shopping districts can be found not far away, as can the "Hard Rock Cafe" and the unique "Tail of the Pup" hotdog stand which has appeared in numerous films. Visitors to the area will be unable to miss the famous Hollywood Sign set in the Hollywood Hills - great landmark and probably the most known signature of the area appearing in more pictures than you can imagine.
See also:
California Vacation Rentals |
California Vacation Guide
<< Back to Great American Cities Overview
Hollywood - Overview
Hollywood became part of greater Los Angeles in 1910, and just one year later the first motion picture studio was established. Today, Hollywood is synonymous with the film industry, portraying visions of glamour and nostalgia unmatched anywhere else in the world. Tourists love Hollywood for its many landmarks and opportunities to see real stars.
Hollywood Boulevard is also a destination most tourists won't want to miss. The Hollywood Walk of Fame comprises of 18 blocks of Hollywood stars embedded in the sidewalk that honor Hollywood stars of the past and present.
Grauman's Chinese Theatre is a must see attraction along Hollywood Boulevard. Here, you can match your foot and hand prints with the Hollywood stars in this famous landmark's courtyard. The theatre itself opened in 1927, the same year movie idols began leaving their hand and footprints outside the building.
Today over 200 prints of Hollywood legends exist for tourists to see. Hollywood is brimming with the faces of the stars, and murals can be found in all kinds of places. A short walk past Grauman's Chinese Theatre is the Hollywood Entertainment Museum where you can see how movies and TV shows are made or sit in Captain Kirk's chair on the Starship Enterprise or Norm's at the Cheers set.
If you don't catch a glimpse of a real-life Hollywood celebrity, stare as long as you want at the life-like figures in the Hollywood Wax Museum. Or, feel the excitement of movie-making on one of the famous Hollywood Studio Tours.
Of course, Hollywood is just a neighborhood of the Greater Los Angeles and most of the time tourists will not stop in Hollywood only but stretch their visit to LA as well. Many people visit Los Angeles for its sunny climate and miles of wide, open beaches near the city. Famous beaches nearby start from Santa Monica right to Redondo, the rocky coastline of Palos Verdes, plus the well-known Malibu beach. Besides that, you can also enjoy traditional style boardwalk rides at the Santa Monica Pier which also include a roller coaster and a Ferris wheel. If you prefer more remote beaches, you should try driving up the PCH through Malibu and enjoy the beaches along the way such as the El Matador and El Pescador.
But if you came to California just for the stars and the glamour, you will probably spend most of your time in Hollywood and Beverly Hills, the well known posh area that many stars call home. The difference between Hollywood and Beverly Hills becomes clear after a short visit: Many visitors come to Hollywood expecting to find a gleaming city filled with movie stars, posh restaurants, grand mansions and expensive shopping areas. They are, of course, very disappointed; the actual suburb of Hollywood is far from glamorous. The real "Hollywood" is a state of mind, not a place; it's not so much a city as it is shorthand for the general movie and entertainment industry.
But if that fabled, glittering Hollywood of the tourist's imagination exists anywhere, it exists in Beverly Hills. It is in Beverly Hills, not Hollywood, where many stars actually live, dine and shop. Only a few minutes drive southwest of downtown Hollywood, the City of Beverly Hills offers all of the glamour and opulence that anyone could reasonably hope for.
So, if you are visiting Hollywood, make sure you include Beverly Hills on your list and don't forget about other parts of LA!
To
find out more, use the links above for resources about
Hollywood
California
Related Links:
