by Red Mezz

Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom

October 20, 2009

Best of IgoUgo If there is one single obligatory thing you must make the effort to do in Hollywood - it is to see the Hollywood sign. And this might be more difficult then you would imagine. You could drive around Hollywood all day (and this is something that ...Read more If there is one single obligatory thing you must make the effort to do in Hollywood - it is to see the Hollywood sign. And this might be more difficult then you would imagine.

You could drive around Hollywood all day (and this is something that could very feasibly happen given the confusing streets and traffic in the area) and never spot it.

At the risk of spoiling it - I should warn you that the legendary Hollywood sign is somewhat more...demure than you might expect. Or rather, it appears to be. The size of the sign in reality is quite impressive at 450 ft from end to end, and apparently each letter is 45 ft tall. Perhaps it's the size of the peak it's resting on - which is the tallest in Los Angeles. If you expect to see it towering over the hills above Hollywood the way it seems to do in film - you might be a bit disappointed. However - it's surprisingly accessible, too.

You might have to drive around for a good bit in Hollywood in order to find a street with a good view of the sign, but to get the full experience then I highly recommend that you take a drive up through the Hollywood hills - a sight seeing excursion all on it's own.

I was lucky enough to be spending my time in Hollywood with local friends who knew all the best places to spot the sign and see the sights - and they were especially useful in spotting the sign.
Probably the best place to see it and the most chilled and relaxing place to stop off for a good view and photo opportunity is the Hollywood Reservoir and the area locals know as the dog park.

Drive up (you will be best served if you have a car for this particular route) Canyon Lake and past the very obvious dog park (it seems there are always a lot of locals out walking their dogs here) to where you can see an excellent view of the Hollywood sign. And to add to this - you even get a really great view of LA out over the reservoir - go at sunrise or sunset if you can. And if you are lucky enough to get a clear sky then you can walk away with some amazing photos.
Pose in front of the sign to your heart's content - it's a pretty quiet spot and seems to be populated with an interesting selection of travellers, dog owners, and students with guitars. It's one of the few really peaceful places I visited in LA - and is worth a viewing, even if you're not really bothered about the Hollywood sign of views of some big celeb's houses on the hill.

Unfortunately you can no longer walk (or even hike) up to the actual sign. Though it wouldn't be a strenuous hike - it is now gaurded and and alarmed to keep visitors from tampering with it. And you can't actually get that close to it driving, either - but luckily you can see it well from this spot, and there is plenty of space to pull over and walk around for a good view.  Close

by SeenThat

Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel

July 22, 2008

Best of IgoUgo The SignTaking a look at the most famous sign in the world seemed to be a proper way of ending this visit to LA. I was moving around the city with a daily pass to the excellent Metrolink system, which includes subways and buses. The Red subway ...Read more The Sign

Taking a look at the most famous sign in the world seemed to be a proper way of ending this visit to LA. I was moving around the city with a daily pass to the excellent Metrolink system, which includes subways and buses. The Red subway featured four stations with the name Hollywood in them and one called Universal City. No map I had positioned the Hollywood Sign, so I casually chose the Hollywood Vine Station as my first stop in the area. Once there I entered the first shopping mall I saw - it was next to the station - and immediately spotted the sign from the mall's backside.

Disappointed from the effortless way the task had been accomplished, I asked five passersby what was the best spot for appreciating the wonder. I chose people that looked as busy denizens in their way from or to their work. Despite their friendliness, none of them could even tell me where the sign was. Obviously, there are no prophets in their own land, I thought while beginning a more careful exploration of the neighborhood.

Hollywood

Hollywood is an integral part of the City of Los Angeles, located northwest of downtown LA. In the past it was the center of the movies industry, while nowadays is mainly a shopping and cultural district; many theaters crowd the area and the Academy Awards ("Oscars") are given here. Hollywood Walk of Fame is a major attraction of the district.

A Short History of Fame

The name "Hollywood" appeared first on a 1887 map of the Los Angeles area, back then it was an agricultural area. By 1900 there was a small neighborhood called Cahuenga next to the modern avenue of the same name; it was connected to downtown LA with a single-track streetcar that made the seven miles way in two hours.

Hollywood was incorporated as an independent municipality in 1903, the next year it was connected to downtown LA by a new trolley car called "the Hollywood Boulevard." In 1910, the denizens voted for the annexation of Hollywood to LA in order to secure water supply from the Los Angeles Aqueduct and sewer systems. Then, Prospect Avenue's name was changed to Hollywood Boulevard and the basis for modern Hollywood was set.

In 1906, the Biograph Company filmed the short film "A Daring Hold-Up" in Los Angeles and in 1909 the first studio in the area was established by the Selig Polyscope Company in Edendale. The New Jersey-based Centaur Co., specializing in westerns opened the first studio in Hollywood in 1911, calling it Nestor Studio. The first feature film made in a Hollywood studio was The Squaw Man, in 1914. A year later, most of American films were being produced in the Los Angeles area.

After WWII, Hollywood became a television center as well. In 1947, the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River, KTLA, began operating in Hollywood, while in the 1950s, music recording studios moved into the area. The Capitol Records building on Vine St. just north of Hollywood Boulevard was built in 1956; its design looks like a stack of vinyl records.

In 1958 The Hollywood Walk of Fame was created; the first star was placed in 1960; people received a star based on their achievements in movies, theater, radio, television, and music. In 1985, the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District was officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Nowadays, most major studios are located elsewhere in the Los Angeles region; Paramount Studios is the only major studio still located in Hollywood.

In 2005, Hollywood became the first district of the city to enjoy well defined boundaries and records of the municipal activities are kept there as if it was an independent city.

The Star Signs

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is ubiquitous; reading the names is highly entertaining, especially so since they do not follow any specific order. However, I could not understand the desire of the stars to have people walking over their names, not to mention possible accidents involving dogs. The most surprising star I found didn't belong to a human, but to Kermit the Frog.

The Silent Sign: Epilogue

Opened in 2001 on the historic site of the Hollywood Hotel, the Kodak Theatre, on Hollywood Boulevard at Highland Avenue is the new home of the Oscars. The theater is part of the Hollywood & Highland complex, which was the last stage in the revival of the area and of its re-definition as an entertainment area not longer related to the media industry directly.

The theater's back entrance is a recreation of the Babylon Gate from D.W. Griffiths' Intolerance. Griffiths was a freemason - as many in the film industry - and Babylon is a longstanding symbol of a valueless society, so praised by them in the form of "relative values." Hollywood's Sign is clearly seen from the square backside, especially from the bridges connecting the building's higher levels. Moreover, the Kodak Theatre itself features many masonic and solar cults motifs, shared by them and related societies. In an exact replica to its masters and of their wicked reality, Hollywood sold its soul and exists only by selling illusions to the masses. Close

by mrazzino423

Alexandria, Virginia

June 21, 2006

This is the must-see while you are in town. The huge letters that say Hollywood. My suggestion is to find a nice place to see it other than the recommended viewing locations, to get a more personal experience. We drove up the mountains a little ways ...Read more This is the must-see while you are in town. The huge letters that say Hollywood. My suggestion is to find a nice place to see it other than the recommended viewing locations, to get a more personal experience. We drove up the mountains a little ways and got lost in a neighborhood, but got to see a great view of the sign. Close

by melissabowman

Stephenville, Texas

May 3, 2006

Best of IgoUgo Hollywood, when you hear that word you always think celebrities. Well I have yet to see a celebrity in Hollywood, since it is mainly a tourist hot spot. When you go you will see many sightseers and vacationers, not celebrities. However, this ...Read more Hollywood, when you hear that word you always think celebrities. Well I have yet to see a celebrity in Hollywood, since it is mainly a tourist hot spot. When you go you will see many sightseers and vacationers, not celebrities. However, this particular area does host some of the hottest events filed with A-listers. Namely the Kodak Theater at Hollywood and Highland.The Kodak Theater host the Academy awards, the finale of American Idol and other award shows like the Emmys. During these events the place is packed with celebrities, but limited to the tourists and sightseers.Gramanns Theater is also a common place to find celebrities at different times, as this is one of the many theaters that host movie premiers. In the courtyard of the theater you will find many well-respected and honored actors of the past, handprints or foot prints in the ground. Along with that you will see the Hollywood walk- of-fame, which is where you will see where certain celebrities have, received a star for an outstanding effort in radio, television, or film. These stars line the streets for several miles and are still added today. At times you could probably catch a celebrity receiving their start while you are there.One of the main attractions and highlights that most people have to see when in Hollywood is the HOLLYWOOD sign up in the Hollywood hills. This sign is a universal language that many tourists can relate to of something they see from there own home as well as in person. It is like a celebrity itself. It is a very cool thing to see. You almost feel as like you are in the movies.On Hollywood Drive there are several things to do and see for tourists. There are hundreds of souvenir shops and stores, each selling several items that would be a great memorabilia of your trip. There are shopping stores like the Gap and Banana Republic. There are tours of celebrity homes and hot spots in the area. Wax museums, the world record museum, clothing museums, thrift stores that you can find clothes from movies and TV, and also a mall. At the Hollywood and Highland intersection is a huge outdoor mall with a gigantic courtyard, with huge elephant statues. There is a sky bridge that you can stand on and see the HOLLYWOOD sign from and look out around the area.For a day of fun and filled with activity visit Hollywood, don’t be disappointed that you do not see any celebrities for this is just not where they hang out. But do enjoy what the area has to offer and what it stands for and represents as a place we can all relate to in that we know what it means. Watch out for parking, it can be tricky and you will get ticketed or towed. But most of all have a great time. Close

by wanderer 2005

Phoenix, Arizona

July 22, 2005

Best of IgoUgo The Hollywood sign is the most recognizable landmark in the world and is the epitome of Los Angeles. There’s A LOT of history behind this landmark. Each letter stands 30 feet wide and 50 feet tall, and the sign was erected in 1923, originally as ...Read more The Hollywood sign is the most recognizable landmark in the world and is the epitome of Los Angeles. There’s A LOT of history behind this landmark.

Each letter stands 30 feet wide and 50 feet tall, and the sign was erected in 1923, originally as an advertisement for a housing development named HOLLYWOODLAND. During that time, there was the filming boom in L.A., and names such as Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and Mary Pickford were all the rage.

A lot of people don’t know that the original sign had 4,000 light bulbs that were maintained and changed daily by a caretaker who lived in a small house behind one of the letter "L’s." The lights would flash at night, first the word HOLLY, then the word WOOD, then LAND.

Yes, it’s true that during the depression in September 1932, a struggling actress named Peg Entwistle committed suicide by jumping to her death from the letter H.

Around 1939, the sign fell into disarray due to the bankruptcy the land developers fell into, the lack of a caretaker, and vandals. All the light bulbs were eventually stolen, leaving the sign to fall apart.

In 1949, the chamber of commerce decided to drop the word "LAND" and repair the rest of the sign, making history with the word Hollywood.

In 1973, the sign was declared an historical monument by the city of Los Angeles and plans were put in place to revamp and restore the ailing sign. A fundraiser was held at the Playboy Mansion, and people were encouraged to sponsor or "buy" a letter at $28,000 each. Alice Cooper sponsored an "O," Gene Autry sponsored an "L," and Paul Williams the "W."

For 3 months in 1978, the sign was torn down and a brand-new one was built. The sign was originally intended to last for a year and a half, but 82 years later, it still stands.

Be warned that it is illegal to get near the actual sign. Security cameras and motion detectors make it impossible to get close. But there are a few places in the city that you can get a great view of the sign. The first one is at the corner of Hollywood and Highland at the Hollywood and Highland Center. Go up the stairs to levels 2 through 5 to get the best pics. The second is the corner of Beachwood Canyon Drive and Glen Holly. The original Hollywoodland real-estate subdivision was located at the end of Beachwood Canyon Drive. Third is the northwest corner of Franklin Avenue and Gower Boulevard.

And the last one is Lake Hollywood, which a little more difficult to get to from the 101 Freeway and Barham Avenue. Exit Barham Boulevard from the 101 freeway. Take Barham east to Lake Hollywood Drive. Turn right on Lake Hollywood Drive and follow it to the top of the hill. At the top of the hill, Lake Hollywood Drive will bear sharply to the right. At the bottom of the hill, bear sharply to the left onto Montlake Drive. Follow Montlake to Tahoe. Turn left on Tahoe to Canyon Lake, turn right, and then proceed up the hill. You'll notice a park on your left. That’s THE best spot to get a great picture, if you can find it. (I told you it was a complex place to get to.)

 Close

by ongkenyong

Stamford, Connecticut

April 6, 2005

You could hike up to the sign, which took 2 hours, but we didn't. In the end, the challenge was trying to find the best place to get pictures. We found this park area at the foot of the trail. We got directions from a local on how to get to the ...Read more You could hike up to the sign, which took 2 hours, but we didn't. In the end, the challenge was trying to find the best place to get pictures. We found this park area at the foot of the trail. We got directions from a local on how to get to the trail. Driving to that point was half the fun. Close

by ext212

New York, New York

September 12, 2004

It's sad that the most recognizable landmark in California is in need of repair and more attention. Unlike the yesteryears, the Hollywood Sign does not glow at night any more. Built in 1923 with four more letters (it was Hollywoodland back then), it ...Read more It's sad that the most recognizable landmark in California is in need of repair and more attention. Unlike the yesteryears, the Hollywood Sign does not glow at night any more.

Built in 1923 with four more letters (it was Hollywoodland back then), it has gone through numerous repairs and editions, more famously "Hollyweed" to applaud the lax marijuana laws and "Holywood" during the pope's visit, both in the mid 70s.

We drove around Hollywood to check out the old-style houses and mansions and discovered that the best place to view the sign is from Beachwood Canyon Drive and Glen Holly.

The Hollywood Sign Trust is continually looking for donors to ensure the preservation of the landmark. Close

by compass

los angeles, California

October 22, 2000

Best of IgoUgo Begin your hike of Hollywood Hills with Mt. Lee Trail’s dusty fire trails around lush ravines. Enter at the unmarked trail head at on Hollyridge Drive. You’ll see a small power hut and a large metal gate whose purpose is to prevent regular vehicle ...Read more Begin your hike of Hollywood Hills with Mt. Lee Trail’s dusty fire trails around lush ravines. Enter at the unmarked trail head at on Hollyridge Drive. You’ll see a small power hut and a large metal gate whose purpose is to prevent regular vehicle access.

Although the steep beginning will leave you a little winded, the view at the first peak is breathtaking in its own right. On a clear day you can see for miles in three directions-- Griffith Observatory to the east, downtown Los Angeles and beyond southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The terrain quickly changes to rolling hills just as you pass bridle paths leading from a commercial stable.

At the first fork in the road, elect the backswitch to your left. Then work your way up winding elevated paths. You’ll encounter a paved path for the fire engines. Take a right here up the steeper incline. (Left leads you back to the neighborhood.) The paved road leads to views of Los Angeles’ Valley views and the Hollywood sign. (The sign is gated off. Climbing it is illegal.)

Should you choose to go left at the path’s you will shortly encounter another fork that offers the choice of a downhill path to lush ravines or the unmarked junction with Mulholland Trail. The Mullholland Trail junction leads to Griffith Park Observatory (12 miles later!).

I recommend the Mt. Lee hike for quiet morning hike that will leave you feeling your in nature’s backyard. Hiking boots not required. Bring water and expect higher temperatures in afternoon.

 Close