No trip to Los Angeles would be complete without checking out some of its history and highlights. Hollywood is located just northwest of downtown Los Angeles and is best known as the home of film and movie stars. But more than that, Hollywood has a culture synonymous with the movies. In 2006 California recognized the significance of Hollywood and gave it a defined boundary similar to any other city. This will allow the city to track specific records in the district of Hollywood. We now generally consider the area east of Beverly Hills, south of Mulholland, west of the Golden State Freeway, and north of Melrose to be the district of Hollywood.
Grauman’s Chinese Theater
This is one of the places in Hollywood where the stars truly live forever. Every hand print, every foot print and in one case a nose print, has a story. You might say that visiting Hollywood without stopping at Grauman’s Chinese Theater would be like taking a trip to China and NOT seeing The Great Wall. That’s how much “star” history has been created at Grauman’s. The theater was declared a historic site in 1968 and has been under a constant barrage of restoration programs. From the two towering 90 foot tall coral red columns topped with wrought iron masks to the authentic Chinese stone pagoda heaven dogs, it’s a great sight to behold.
Hollywood Kodak Theater
The current home of the Academy Awards, the Kodak Theater is where actors receive their famed “Oscars.” You can take a tour of the theater and find out some behind-the-scenes information. Check out the VIP room where you’ll see one of Kodak’s Oscars up close. The Kodak Theater has the next 70 years locked up for the awards show. In 2011 you’ll be able to see the Cirque du Soleil perform at the Kodak. They recently signed a 10 year, 100 million dollar agreement and have developed a show just for the theater. In fact, special retrofitting was needed to ensure you’d get the most from all those flying performers.
Walk of Fame
For the past 50 years the Hollywood Walk of Fame has put some of the most famous stars right below your feet. In just about 2.4 miles you’ll find just over 2,400 names. But don’t worry, they won’t run out of room anytime soon. When you look at one of the name plates you’ll see 5 different symbols below the name. These stand for radio, T.V., music, film, and live theater. If you want to know exactly where your favorite star is located, check out this site! Do you know who has one star in each of the 5 categories?
The Sunset Strip
You can find Sunset Blvd. as it runs from Malibu to downtown Los Angeles along the base of the Santa Monica Mountains. But what you and I know as the Sunset Strip is the 1.5 miles between Doheny Drive and N. Crescent Heights Boulevard. The “Strip” got its name due to some of the seedier activities that used to take place. Today the Sunset Strip is home to some famous landmark hotspots such as the Whiskey A Go Go, The Comedy Store, Sunset Plaza and the Chateau Marmont.