Szilvia GombolaLA Story - Part One Hollywood
May 26th 2008 05:55
I had stopped off in LA many times to change planes when travelling between London and Auckland but never really left the airport. Therefore, when my American friend decided to go to LA to see her brother and offered to show me around I decided to add a three-day stopover into my itinerary. I had been to all the amusement parks such as Disneyland etc in Orlando, so I thought a couple of days in LA would be enough to see the sights and visit my favourite shops.
First stop Hollywood, and of course the famous Hollywood sign. Did you know that the Hollywood sign used to read Hollywoodland and was originally for a housing development? The ‘land’ part was removed in 1945. Unfortunately, you cannot actually go up and sit on the sign as you see them do in the movies, but there are some good locations around the city from which to view or take pictures of it. I went to the Hollywood and Highland Centre on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue as it is supposed to have one of the best views. Even then, the sign is still miles away, and surrounded by a grey haze of pollution, but they have a telescope in the centre, and for a quarter (25 cents) you can get a closer look and even photograph the sign through it. See my artwork below.
The Hollywood and Highland Centre is a five-story shopping mall with a number of trendy shops and restaurants including some of the hottest nightclubs in LA. After photographing the sign, we came out of the centre and took a stroll down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, to view the famous bronze stars on the pavement. In 1960, 2500 unnamed bronze stars were placed along the thoroughfare, since then 2300 have had names added to them so for any of you budding actors there are still 200 stars available.
Adjoining the centre is the Kodak theatre, which is the home to the academy awards. I was there in February a few days before the Academy Awards so was unable to look inside the theatre, but at other times there are guided tours available, which I have been told, are good.
Right next-door is one of the most famous theatres in the world. Graumans Chinese Theatre with its stunning architecture has been the venue for many movie previews since it was built over 70 years ago.
In front of the theatre are the celebrities feet and handprints. I spent some time comparing my hands with those of well-known actors and I was surprised at how small Bruce Willis and Tom Hanks hands actually are.
Hollywood is definitely worth a visit if you are ever stopping over in LA.
First stop Hollywood, and of course the famous Hollywood sign. Did you know that the Hollywood sign used to read Hollywoodland and was originally for a housing development? The ‘land’ part was removed in 1945. Unfortunately, you cannot actually go up and sit on the sign as you see them do in the movies, but there are some good locations around the city from which to view or take pictures of it. I went to the Hollywood and Highland Centre on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue as it is supposed to have one of the best views. Even then, the sign is still miles away, and surrounded by a grey haze of pollution, but they have a telescope in the centre, and for a quarter (25 cents) you can get a closer look and even photograph the sign through it. See my artwork below.
Hollywood sign taken through a telescope
The Hollywood and Highland Centre is a five-story shopping mall with a number of trendy shops and restaurants including some of the hottest nightclubs in LA. After photographing the sign, we came out of the centre and took a stroll down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, to view the famous bronze stars on the pavement. In 1960, 2500 unnamed bronze stars were placed along the thoroughfare, since then 2300 have had names added to them so for any of you budding actors there are still 200 stars available.
Adjoining the centre is the Kodak theatre, which is the home to the academy awards. I was there in February a few days before the Academy Awards so was unable to look inside the theatre, but at other times there are guided tours available, which I have been told, are good.
Right next-door is one of the most famous theatres in the world. Graumans Chinese Theatre with its stunning architecture has been the venue for many movie previews since it was built over 70 years ago.
Graumans Chinese Theatre - Hollywood
In front of the theatre are the celebrities feet and handprints. I spent some time comparing my hands with those of well-known actors and I was surprised at how small Bruce Willis and Tom Hanks hands actually are.
Hollywood is definitely worth a visit if you are ever stopping over in LA.
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