HOLLYWOOD SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS
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The best places to stay, restaurants, walks and attractions in Hollywood – the world’s movie capital.
It’s a name permanently associated with illusion. Fittingly, Hollywood’s elaborately crafted image of film star glamour is make-believe too. None of the film studios are actually in Hollywood – they decamped to elsewhere in LA’s sprawl a long time ago. And Hollywood Boulevard is tawdrily touristy rather than red carpet ravishing. Yet, once the mindset is readjusted, it’s impossible to avoid being sucked in. The absurdity of people dressed as Jack Sparrow and Spiderman trying to earn a crust by posing for photos is oddly compelling.
Veer off the main drag and different stories emerge. To the north, the Hollywood Hills have a barely tamed, dusty wildness. To the south, long-standing urban grit is being progressively replaced by the quietly inventive sparkle of quality restaurants. And the reality ends up charming more than the carefully-constructed myth.
Hollywood’s best accommodation options
If on a budget, the only realistic option is one of numerous identikit and thoroughly uninspiring chain motels.
Would-be movie stars should check in to the Hollywood Roosevelt (323 466 7000). The first ever Oscars ceremony was held here and all-manner of star names have checked in since. The painted beamed ceilings of the public areas resemble Renaissance palaces, while the mostly monochrome rooms go slick smartness. King rooms cost from US$250.51.
The Redbury (323 962 1717) has more of theatrical, moodily-lit rock and roll vibe. Four poster beds, wooden ceiling fans and plenty of red paint give it a tongue-in-cheek flamboyance, but pop-out bedside plug sockets and kitchenette facilities nod to the practical too. Rooms start at US$294.93.
Humbler, and with a distinctive holiday vibe that comes from being built around the pool, the Magic Castle Hotel (323 851 0800) is a good family option. Spacious junior suites with full kitchens start at US$206.10.
Take a walk
A stroll along the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, checking out the pavement stars awarded to entertainment’s greats quickly morphs from giddy star-spotting to geeky curiosity. The big names are mixed with those you’ve never heard of, with no sense of pecking order. Charlie Chaplin’s next to someone called Ken Maynard, for example, and Tom Cruise next to Philips Lord. It’s worth veering off Hollywood Boulevard for the Hollywood Museum (323 464 7776). This surreally eclectic mix of movie-making memorabilia manages to slip in a few good stories amongst the costumes from Alien Resurrection, a room dedicated to Marilyn Monroe and a mock-up of Hannibal Lecter’s jail cell. The thousands of old photos are engrossing, as are the tales of how Hollywood’s female stars would be relentlessly groomed to fit their designated image.
A different type of people-watching takes over in the Hollywood Hills. Runyon Canyon Park is awash with mass outdoor yoga sessions, professional dog walkers being pulled along by nine or ten hounds and people in full jogging kit who seem reluctant to break into a jog. The trails through the dusty canyon lead steadily upwards, with views out over the city and Hollywood sign getting increasingly spectacular if the smog isn’t too bad.
Meet the locals
Also up in the Hills is Los Angeles’ most atmospheric live entertainment venue, the Hollywood Bowl (323 850 2000). The outdoor amphitheater becomes a gathering point during the summer months – the Los Angeles Philharmonic makes the Bowl its temporary home. There tends to be a crowd-wide warm, fuzzy glow, helped immeasurably by the hill-ringed setting.
Where to eat
Hollywood’s best food tends to be found on Melrose Avenue. Couples have been going on dates to Pizzeria Mozza (323 297 0101) for donkey’s years – and it still does what are probably the best pizzas in town for US$17. But around the corner, Chi Spacca (323 297 1133) is a swanky new Italian addition from the same owners. Dishes along the lines of porcini-rubbed beef short ribs and lamb neck stracotto come in around the US$25 to US$35 mark.
Seafood-focused Providence (323 460 4170) is the top spot, however. The US$95 three course fixed price menu features lip-smackers such as wild Alaskan halibut or striped bass from Massachusetts, served with roasted grapes and eggplant.
Shopper’s paradise
The Hollywood and Highland mall, on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, is the best bet in a part of LA best known for cheap and nasty souvenirs. The mall, which incorporates the Dolby Theater where the Oscars ceremony is held, is more impressive in looks than content. But amongst the big designer names – Louis Vuitton, Oakley et al – are some smaller chains offering affordable threads. Lucky Brand, Blackjack and XXII are all worth a rummage through.
What to avoid
You’re in famous person central, so why on earth would you want to pay to see feeble waxwork imitations of the very same people in Madame Tussauds? Or even shabbier versions in the Hollywood Wax Museum? Museum Ripley’s Believe It Or Not completes a triumvirate of tack best steered clear of.
Don’t miss
Sometimes tacky should be embraced rather than avoided, however. And this is certainly the case with the Starline tour (323 463 3333) of celebrity homes. It’s essentially a case of driving slowly past mansions owned by the likes of Madonna, Tom Cruise and Simon Cowell, gawping out of a bus window. But it’s done with such OTT, tongue-in-cheek enthusiasm that it somehow works. The unbridled enthusiasm of fellow passengers adds to the increasingly surreal spectacle. Tours start at US$42.
