Unspecified/General

Synonymous the world over with the film industry, Hollywood Boulevard runs east to west through the heart of Hollywood, its central stretch lined with the brass-and-terrazzo stars of the Walk of Fame. More than 2,700 of those stars honour actors, musicians, directors and others, set into the pavement in a tradition begun in 1960, and the sidewalk itself has become one of the most-walked tourist attractions in Los Angeles. The boulevard's landmarks cluster along a few famous blocks. The TCL Chinese Theatre, with its pagoda-like forecourt of celebrity handprints and footprints pressed into concrete, sits beside the Dolby Theatre, the modern home of the Academy Awards, and the El Capitan, a restored movie palace. Nearby stand the historic Egyptian Theatre, the Hollywood Wax Museum, costumed street performers and the bustling Ovation Hollywood retail complex, while the white letters of the Hollywood Sign rise on the hillside to the north. The reality on the ground is famously double-edged. Alongside the glamour and history, the boulevard can feel gritty and crowded, packed with souvenir shops, tour touts and people in superhero costumes posing for tips, a contrast that often surprises first-time visitors expecting unbroken movie-star sheen. For visitors the boulevard remains an essential, if knowingly kitsch, Los Angeles experience, best explored on foot to take in the stars underfoot and the theatres above. It is busiest by day, well served by a Metro station at Hollywood and Highland, and a natural launch point for trips up to the observatory, the sign and the studios beyond, with countless tours setting off from its sidewalks. The historic Egyptian Theatre, lovingly restored, screens classic and new films, and the venerable Musso & Frank Grill has served the film crowd since the 1910s. From certain corners the Hollywood Sign lines up neatly above the rooftops for a photograph, and the annual premieres and award-season events bring a flash of red-carpet glamour to the otherwise workaday strip. Street parking is scarce, so most visitors use the garage beneath the retail complex.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: 7001 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, United States