One of the things I love about Hollywood Blvd. is the historical sights. One of the things that frustrates me about Hollywood Blvd. is the historical sights. Granted, the situation is better than it was on my first trip fifteen years ago, but Hollywood Blvd. could definitely take a lesson from Times Square and make things more tourist-friendly.
The one section that is tourist-friendly is the block between Orange and Highland. That's where you'll find Madame Tussaud's (in a brand new location), the Chinese, the Dolby Theater (formerly the Kodak), Hollywood & Highland shopping center (which is awesome), Disney's Ghirardelli Soda Fountain, Disney's El Capitan Theater, and Jimmy Kimmel Live. That's a lot of stuff in one block.
Our first stop after lunch was the Dolby Theater, which is the first permanent home of the Academy Awards. I like that it's just down the street from the Roosevelt Hotel, which was where the very first Oscars were held. When you enter from the street, the risers are sparkling red so that it looks like a red carpet. The columns on each side list he Best Picture winners for each year, which always makes for a fun read. In addition to the obvious winners, there's a number of "what were they thinking?" and "never heard of that." When Madison and I were here last, they had nearly filled all the columns going up. Now The Artist and Argo (barely visible on the left) are the lone entries on the reverse sides going back down.
Right next door is the Hollywood & Highland shopping complex, which is awesome in all kinds of ways. In addition to all the shops, it connects to the Dolby Theater, Grauman's Chinese, and the Loews's hotel (where Madison and I stayed last time).
It's designed after D.W. Griffith's massive Babylon set for Intolerance (1916, still one of the largest sets ever built.
The catwalks in the back offer an excellent view of the Hollywood Sign. Plus, there's a fun feature built into the ground-level sidewalks called "The Road to Hollywood." It's a sidewalk mosaic filled with "quotes" from lots of different people about how they they "made it." Some are easy to figure out (like Lana Turner), while others are more obscure on purpose (such as a stunt man or cinematographer), which shows that you don't have to be a big name star to succeed.
The funniest thing we saw there (credit John for spotting it) was a vending machine that dispenses caviar. Seriously! The prices ranged from $200-$1500. It said "cash only" but still had a credit card reader. I can't imagine someone spending $1500 on caviar from a vending machine, then walking over to a bench to eat it. Only in L.A.!
Right across the street is the newly refurbished Disney Gharardelli Soda Fountain, which connects up to the Disney-owned El Capitan Theater. I was really interested in seeing what kind of changes had been made. It used to be the Disney Soda Fountain and Studio Store, but just a few months ago Disney announced that it would now be run by Ghirardelli, but still retain the Disney touch.
The changes were a lot more than I expected, considering that they were only closed for a month or two. Gone are the filmstrip murals that used to adorn the walls, with a "frame" from nearly every Disney animated feature (Madison almost named them all). The layout has been reorganized so that there's less seating and less Disney merchandise. It definitely looks like a cross between the old version and the Ghirardelli shop at Downtown Disney.
The last major spots we saw were the Pig n' Whistle restaurant, which opened in 1927, and Grauman's Egyptian Theater, which sits right next door and predates the Chinese by five years (1922). As someone who loves historic restaurants and Hollywood history, I've wanted to eat at the Pig n' Whistle for some time, but have yet to do so. It was high on my list for lunch, but the Snow White Cafe won out just by virtue of proximity.
Back in the early days, movie theaters didn't have concessions, so the Pig n' Whistle was built right next door to Grauman's Egyptian, so movie goers would have a convent place to eat before or after the movie. It even has a door that opens right into the Egyptian's courtyard.
The Egyptian itself is not as spectacular as the Chinese, and therefore little known. It has a much deeper courtyard, however, with a row of shops to one side and the entrance in the back. It currently houses the American Cinemateque, which offers tours and a nice program on the history of Hollywood. I'd seen the program ten years ago and was interested in doing it again, but it didn't fit into our short schedule.
On our way back up the other side, we were accosted by an overly-aggressive tour salesman who practically chased us down the block. Our attempts to ignore him just encouraged him even more. Thankfully, he didn't try the "Don't be afraid of the Negro" sales pitch that I'd heard in Central Park. He did impress me, however, with his knowledge of Hollywood history, which was certainly helped by his British accent.
We also passed by Musso & Frank, another top contender for lunch. Built in 1919, it's the oldest restaurant in Hollywood and a true classic. If you want the real Golden Age of Hollywood experience, this is the place to go. I had lunch there on my very first trip 15 years ago and have always wanted to go back. However, I've since been thwarted every time by the fact that they're closed on Mondays.
Which reminds me of another even more elusive experience: the Hollywood Heritage Museum just across from the Hollywood Bowl. It resides in the barn that producer Jesse Lasky and director Cecil B. DeMille ("I'm ready for my close-up"), two of the founders of Paramount Pictures, used to shoot the very first films in Hollywood. It was high on my list my very first trip, but I just wasn't able to squeeze it in. I've attempted to make it a priority every trip since, but have been foiled every time because they're not open on Mondays and Tuesdays. One day I'll make it, though. One day. It almost got to be a running joke this time, because we drove past it every single day we were there.
No comments:
Post a Comment