Hollywood---A photo tour

When I lived in L.A., my guests would frequently complain that Hollywood seemed like a letdown to them. When they came from other parts of the country, they expected to see the glamorous Hollywood of their dreams, but found a down-on-its-luck, cheesy tourist trap instead. In my opinion, the still-new Kodak Theater changes the visitor's entire Hollywood Boulevard experience. No, a visitor still isn't going to see movie stars hanging out on Hollywood Boulevard. Yet, it's now unmistakable that something very special happens here. The Academy Awards occurs no other place. And, the Academy Awards are indeed very special. The very movie stars and directors that we movie-goers "worship" crave the attention of the Academy. The rich and the famous enter this building humble and hopeful for recognition. More or less then, this very building is the brick-and-mortar symbol of the dreams and the aspirations of our nation's movie-makers and stars.

You can experience the aura of this building, too. You can enter where the movie stars enter, you can see what they see, and you can step where they step. You can pretend for a moment what it would be like if you, yourself, were on your way to the Oscars ceremony, wondering if you'll win or if you'll be an "also-ran." If you imagine hard enough, you can almost feel the tension that the contenders must feel.

Even if you're not "into" imagining, seeing the building is a great experience. It's beautiful. It has an inlaid, permanent red "carpet." It's adorned with the names of each year's Best Picture winners. And, best of all, it's free to just look around the outer areas. Or you can pay $15 for the behind-the-scenes tour. Or you can attend an event at the theater. No matter how you see it, it's worth the trip. Plus, it's at the heart of the Hollywood Boulevard tourist area, and you can easily walk to other famous sights, such as the Graumann's Chinese Theater, the El Capitan Theater (where Disney holds its movie premiers), the Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe It or Not "Odditorium," and more.

The Hollywood & Highland Center, along with its neighbor, the Kodak Theater, have been the key attractions that turned once-seedy Hollywood Boulevard back into the must-see attraction that it was in yesteryear. The Hollywood & Highland Center can be called many things--odd, flamboyant, and garish, to name a few--but certainly NEVER seedy. It has everything the OLD Hollywood Boulevard didn't have: high-quality shopping, good food, large clean restrooms, and plenty of parking space. Even if you don't want to shop---and there are plenty of specialty stores from which to choose, from Louis Vuitton to Victoria's Secret---you'll enjoy seeing this unusual mall. You can also make it a base for your day's activities along Hollywood Boulevard. Stroll along the Walk of Fame, compare your footprints to those in the Graumann's Theater courtyard, shop at the numerous kitschy gift shops, and then head back to the Hollywood & Highland Center to use the restrooms and have a tasty snack or dinner.

One of your favorite musicians has performed at the Hollywood Bowl. How can I say that--I don't even know you! Because this preeminent venue has hosted so many of the world's top artists, that surely one of your favorites has been among them.

Though the Hollywood Bowl is world-famous for its concerts, perhaps the best time to see and enjoy the Hollywood Bowl is when it's empty. There is a special joy in beholding this very special place in solitude. You can tour the Bowl and the grounds free-of-charge when there's no concert scheduled. If you've never seen it, I'd highly recommend that you go.

Everything about the Hollywood Bowl is extraordinary. The architecture, of course, is a delight to behold. The grounds around the structure are surprisingly green and lush. Some of the other buildings in the complex, such as the box office, have a compelling style of their own. Still, it may be what you CAN'T see that's most impressive of all. It's the "ghosts." It's sitting on an empty bench and letting your mind rove back to the ‘60s to the Beatle's concert. Or back to the ‘20s, imagining the concert-goers arriving in their flivvers, the ladies decked out in their finest flapper regalia. Whatever decade you'd choose to imagine, the best and most talented members of the musical world would have been here.

Would you like to know just who's been on the Bowl's stage? Drop into the Hollywood Bowl museum, also here on the grounds. You'll find not only the answer to your question, but discover the answers to questions you've never conceived about the Bowl. Best of all, the museum is free!

Receiving between 2 and 4 million tourist visits per year (depending on your source of info), Graumann's Chinese Theater is undoubtedly the USA's most famous theater. Heck, maybe it's the WORLD'S most famous movie house! Though it's perhaps most famous for the hand and footprints of celebrities, you can indeed watch a movie here. And it won't cost you any more to see a movie here than anywhere else in the area, either.

Graumann's Chinese was built by Sid Graumann in 1927. It opened with the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's "King of Kings." Many other movie premiers have been held here, including the classic "Wizard of Oz" in 1939. The addition of the footprints-in-the-cement was an accident. Silent film star Norma Talmadge unknowingly stepped into some wet cement at the new theater, and a tradition was born.

Graumann's Chinese is not Sid Graumann's only grand theater on Hollywood Boulevard, however. His earlier theater, "The Egyptian," which opened in 1922, has been painstakingly restored and reigns again in its original glory. Inspired by the discovery of King Tut's tomb in the early '20s, the outdoor courtyard features interesting and beautiful hieroglyphic murals. It is the home of the movie-preservationist group American Cinematheque. You can view a showing of their scheduled movie, or you can see the special tourist movie "Forever Hollywood," which chronicles the history of the Hollywood movie industry. Showings are every Saturday and Sunday at 2 and at 3:30pm.

Still another grand theater in which Sid Graumann had a hand is the magnificently restored El Capitan Theater, across the street from the new Hollywood & Highland Center. Disney premiers its films here, generally along with an accompanying stage show, animation exhibit, or children's fun house as an added treat. The public loves Disney's screenings at the El Capitan--this theater is the highest-grossing single-screen theater in America! It's open daily, and ticket prices range from $9.50 to $20.

Down the street from the El Capitan, you can find another legendary theater, The Pantages. The Pantages is a theater for live stage productions these days, but it originally opened as a movie theater in 1930 by Alexander Pantages. One of its big claims to fame was hosting the Academy Awards here for many years. The Pantages has been remodeled a number of times throughout its long history, but the latest and most glorious remodeling was done for the 2002 live production of "The Lion King." Every effort was made to return the theater to its original splendor, and in addition, technical upgrades were made. For example, the stage was given hydraulic lifts so that "The Lion King" production could make its needed special effects. Visiting any one of these four special theaters will enhance your Hollywood trip--the problem would be how to choose just one! You may just have to drop by them all!

What would Hollywood be without its famous "HOLLYWOOD" sign? It would seem like something was missing! Even though it is truly a permanent fixture nowadays, it began as just a real-estate advertising gimmick. In the 1920s, when this section of Los Angeles was being developed, the real estate developers erected a sign steering people towards the new construction site, like most developers still do---but what a sign this particular one was! The letters were 50 feet high and 30 feet across! Its goal was not to advertise the town of Hollywood, but rather, the real estate being sold there, so the sign DIDN'T say just "Hollywood." It read "HOLLYWOODLAND," just like the name of the development. Well, of course, the developing period wound down, and the developer just abandoned its maintenance of the sign. For a decade, it sat abandoned. Finally, in 1949, one of the letters blew down, and the people of Hollywood realized just how much they'd grown attached to their funky local monument. It was restored, this time just as the word "Hollywood," and the rest is history.

You can see the sign from a number of places in town. If you're at the Hollywood & Highland Center, it can be seen from the upper levels. I like to drive up Beechwood Canyon Drive--that's where my photo of the sign below was taken. (Note: The hill around the sign will be green only during the rainy season, winter through early spring. The rest of the year it's brownish.) You can't drive up to the sign or even WALK up to it, because that's forbidden. (Warning: enforcement by security cameras!) But there are other historical things to see in this area. You can see the "gates" of Hollywoodland and the Hollywoodland Realty Co. office. You can admire the old-fashioned architecture. The homes built during the early days are distinctly different from the more modern ones. The older homes have more rounded features and almost remind me of the illustrations seen in fairy-tale books.