Since the wee hours of moviemaking in America, the pioneers found this place of Southern California as the most pragmatic location for shooting. The word synonymous to the American film industry, Hollywood is a district within the city of Los Angeles, California. Situated northwest of downtown Los Angeles, it is bounded by Hyperion Avenue and Riverside Drive (east), Beverly Boulevard (south), the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains (north), and Beverly Hills (west). The first house in Hollywood was an adobe building (1853) on a site near Los Angeles, then a small city in the new state of California.
SIGHTS
- Hollywood Museum- anybody will get stopped by this gem-of-a-collection from the cinema history. This art deco landmark has more than 10,000 bits of film memorabilia out of which some extensive exhibits are dedicated to Marilyn Monroe and Bob Hope. Stunning autograph collection is the other exhibit which can instantly evolve kleptomania among the collectors!
- Hollywood wax museum- opened in 1965, this wax museum is a venerable icon where fans can get closer to Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu! John Wayne and Charlie Chaplin are the older icons whom you would not like to miss either. For more impactful effect, visit the museum at night.
- Ripley’s believe it or not- although some find the ticket a bit steep given the bizarre (read creepy) items, it is worth the money if you find interest in sculpture of Marilyn Monroe made of shredded money or a bikini made from human hair.
- Universal Studios-although you might be confused whether to call it a theme park or studio, a complete studio tour does provide a good firsthand look at familiar TV and movie sets. For many first-timers, this might be more than just the amusement park cliches and can enjoy the War of the Worlds and Psycho sets.
Other sights
Egyptian theatre, Griffith Park, Los Angeles Zoo, Paramount pictures, Guinness World of records
SHOPPING
- Skylight- Mainly devoted for kids, fiction, film, magazines and journals, Skylight is devoted for the urban culture. The owners play host to book discussion groups and present panels and author readings with hip literati.
- Playclothes Vintage Fashion- with an impressive collection of vintage clothing to top-class accessories, Playclothes is the perfect drop=by if you are planning to buy clothing of different eras. It is displayed all through the store.
- Lost & Found- as the owner describes, this store is similar to as “Alice in Wonderland meets Jimi Hendrix”. This is basically the six storefront offering attires for men, women and children. But what becomes the actual attraction are the brass jewelry from France, African silk batiks and the various other exclusive handpicked goodies from all around the world.
Other shopping places
Silver Lake Wine, Le Pink & Co., Meltdown, Hollywood & Highland, It’s a wrap, Jet Rag
NIGHTLIFE
- iO West- offering nightly shows, this theatre troupe has find a very popular space among the tourists. “The Harold”, among the various night shows is the most popular. There’s a bar in the waiting area, which is a common decorum among the comedy clubs than the improv theaters and serves as a bonus.
- El Floridita- if you are fond of salsa music, get ready to spot them live on Monday, Friday and Saturday here at just a $10 cover to listen to the band. Reservations are recommended and admission free with dinner.
- Dragonfly- although many find it dark and gritty, Dragonfly still manages to attract patrons. Every Thursday, there is drum-and-bass night, with a rotating mix of events the rest of the week. it is similar to what you found in “Terminator Too Judgment Play”.
Hollywood tourism
Lush valleys, majestic mountains, imposing waterfall- would it be too wrong to call Hollywood the most dramatic travel agent of the world? Ever since the heightened awareness of tourism started affecting U.S, it directly came to Hollywood as well. And as per the US Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Endowment for the Arts, Hollywood tourism contributes subtaintially to the GDP of the nation. Traditionally, tourism promoters have capitalized on the popularity of a film only after its success at the box office.But Hollywood is different. As per studies, of any region in the world, travellers from Asia appear to be most devoted to film tourism.
Tourism is one of the largest and strongest economic sectors in L.A. County and Hollywood adds to its tremendous potential apart from just being the city as the destination.
For millions of visitors, visiting Hollywood forms an essential part of visiting Los Angeles. And let this ripple of tourism continue in the years to come.
