What to See in Hollywood

Hollywood is a district of Los Angeles, California, USA. Tourists flock to this side of downtown Los Angeles because of its popularity as a historical landmark for American motion pictures. Wannabes in their best attire arrive in droves hoping to get discovered by a big shot movie mogul. For some people, Hollywood is referred to as Tinseltown to suggest the fleeting fame that comes with being one of its products. It used to be the center of operations for the biggest studios in the country, and while most of them have moved away to much larger studios outside Hollywood, it is still the place to reminisce about the good old glory days of American cinema.

If you do get to visit Hollywood, you better visit these places to have a feel of what Hollywood was like during its golden age. Whether you bring your car or walk, all you really need is a reliable camera to capture the memories of your visit to Tinseltown.

1. Start off with visiting the famous Hollywood sign. It is found atop Mount Lee. You will only get near it as there is increased security and there is no decent footpath leading to it. You can get a nice picture taken from the upper bleachers of the Hollywood Bowl or from the Griffith Park observatory’s northwest parking lot.
2. What better way to meet the Hollywood stars than to visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame? You get to see the names of living and deceased stars on the pavement. It is said that those who have really achieved celebrity status are the names placed there.
3. Do not leave Tinseltown without visiting Grauman’s Chinese theater. This is probably the most famous movie theater, and millions of sightseers are drawn to its imposing forecourt and the footprints of the stars. Have your picture taken between the stone lion-dogs that guard the main entrance. It is still a functional movie theater so go to see its interiors; you have to watch a movie, though.
4. Before you leave Hollywood, just behind the Chinese theater, you will see the Magic Castle – an exclusive club for magicians and their selected audience. Look a little bit higher and you will see the Yamashiro – a Japanese castle that used to be an exclusive joint for the top 400 stars of the golden era. Now, it’s a restaurant that serves Japanese fusion cuisine.
5. A Hollywood tour will not be complete without a visit to its legendary Capitol Records Building. It pioneered the round building structure in the 1950’s – its building resembling a stack of records. It is an office building, but you can admire it from the outside, especially at night. Its red light blinks in Morse code, spelling out “Hollywood.”

A day tour visit to Hollywood is not enough to appreciate the grandeur of the golden era. You can come back and visit all the other tourist sites. However with these five listed places, it is guaranteed that you leave your heart, not in San Francisco but in Tinseltown.