Going Hollywood
Do the cold temps – and holiday stress – have you longing sunshine and adventure? Turn your attention to the Left Coast, with a Los Angeles getaway centered on Hollywood.
There’s no guarantee you’ll get your big break, but Hollywood is great location to explore LA and the surrounding area.
Before we get too deep into the travelogue, though, a bit of background. Several years ago I had the good fortune to attend a week-long program with others working in the downtown improvement district world. From this large group of like-minded urbanists, a smaller contingent emerged who wanted to meet up in our respective cities for an annual excursion. These trips revolve around various topics, from street pole banners and bike lanes to economic development projects and public art. It’s an incredible group of people to explore a city with!
Everyone involved has a keen interest in city history, ample civic pride, and a real curiosity about how the sausage is made, city-wise, which offers opportunities for behind-the-scenes action. Along with three hosts in the Los Angeles area, we our group included folks from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Phoenix, Az. and Washington D.C.
The direct flight from CVG to LAX was an early one, which means you’re landing not long after you left, at least according to Pacific Time. This gives you a sunny, gorgeous morning in California.
Since our official tour guide for this trip was the Hollywood Partnership, our home was close to their offices and right on Hollywood Boulevard. What’s the across the street? Mann’s Chinese theater, complete with hand prints from stars from William Powell to Tom Cruise.
That location set the scene for the Hotel Roosevelt (7000 Hollywood Blvd.), which has a restaurant, a pool designed by David Hockney, a movie theater, and the handsomest bartenders I have ever seen. Before we headed out for dinner, we also got a crash course in the hotel’s history from April Brooks, founder of the Old Hollywood Walking Tour and a local historian.
Brooks shared tales of glamour, gossip, and ghosts about the hotel. Built in 1927, the hotel has played host to stars like Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, and Clark Gable. Hear a trumpet? It could be Montgomery Clift practicing for “From Here to Eternity,” during his stay.
Brooks also shared the colorful history of our dinner destination for the night, Yamashiro, a Japanese restaurant in the Hollywood Hills, featured in films from "Kill Bill" to "Gone in 60 Seconds." The restaurant is housed on a 100-year-old property Bernheimer brothers, German-born cotton barons and Asian art collectors, began building the mansion in 1911 to house their collection of Asian treasures. The mansion was completed in 1914 and is a replica of a palace in the Yamashiro province. Oh, and it’s currently for sale for a cool $100 million.
The menu is enormous, featuring both traditional Asian fare (edamame, noodles, and dumplings) and unique choices like sashimi pizza, braised oxtails Napolitana, and steak frites. For the group, we went with the sushi boat, which was presented with much ceremony and smoke! No one left the table hungry that night.
Remember that BTS action? We took full advantage on our first day, with a visit to the Hollywood sign (aka “the letters”). The tour was led by Jeff Zarrinnam, chair of the Hollywood Sign Trust.
This was the typical trip into the Santa Monica mountains to overlook the sign from a safe, fenced-off distance. This was a once-in-a-lifetime, hold onto a tow rope, rappel down the side of hill to the actual Hollywood sign trek. The sign is not normally open to the public, but the view offered an incredible vantage point of Hollywood and surrounding area.
While at the sign, Zarrinnam offered a history lesson about Hollywood, its development over the past century, and why it was the ideal home for movie-making. Spoiler: The weather and terrain offered numerous advantages over New Jersey.
The climb down and back up the hill had the feel of stunt work, but it was worth the danger. Powered with a understanding of how and why Hollywood became the motion picture capital of the world, we headed back to explore both the Walk of Fame and of course, old movie palaces.
The Pantages Theatre, opened in 1930, is a Hollywood landmark. With it’s stunning Art Deco interiors, the theater was home to the Academy Awards from 1949 to 1959. Our tour guide took us into the mirrored ladies lounge and I assure you I sat down and put on lipstick, channeling my inner Bette Davis. Today, the Pantages is still in use as a theatre, presenting Broadway in Hollywood productions.
We also ducked into the Egyptian Theatre, which is now owned by Netflix. With a nod to the weather in Southern California, the Egyptian doesn’t not have a lobby, only a courtyard. A renovation added a lobby, which offers a history of the theater and concession stand offering delicious popcorn with real butter.
When not in use for Netflix premieres, the Egyptian shows films with American Cinematheque. When we were there, they were showing “Move Over, Darling” starring Cincinnati’s own Doris Day.
With our guide from the Hollywood Partnership, we also got a BTS look at the stars on the Walk of Fame. Fans lobby and pay for each star, with about 30 ceremonies held each year. Some people have more than one star, across the different categories of radio, TV, and film. Also it’s about 30 degrees warmer on that black terrazzo tile than it is on the sidewalk!
Our walk along Hollywood Boulevard, and to dinner that night refuted the notion that nobody walks in LA, with all due respect to Missing Persons.
Dinner was at Grandmaster Recorders housed in, you guessed it, a building formerly used as a recording studio. We enjoyed cocktails on the Rooftop, once again marveling at the perfect weather and a view of the Hollywood sign, from afar this time.
The menu is Italian food by way of an Australian chef. As a group, we had a tasting menu, sampling inventive, fresh, and flavorful dishes including a burrata, with burnt honey, crunchy chili and rosemary.
The next day we headed to Long Beach, the largest port on the west coast. The harbor is a sight to behold with enormous container ships, cruise ships, and the vast, blue Pacific Ocean.
Our guide from the Downtown Long Beach Alliance gave us a tour of the newly opened Billie Jean King Library, with the recently redeveloped Lincoln Park next to it. The park is similar to our own Washington Park, with similar challenges in creating space for all members of the community. The park and library are working together to develop an indoor/outdoor flow of programming that benefits everyone.
But our most famous stop was at the Queen Mary! Making its maiden voyage in 1936, the Queen Mary is now permanently docked in Long Beach, serving as an event space and hotel.
This spectacular Art Deco gem – Imagine the Hilton Netherland Plaza but floating – is rich in history, seafaring lore, and a few ghost stories. We heard about all of it from the Commodore!
You see him, too, right?
After exploring the ship, we drinks in the Observation Bar, which, as the name implies offers magnificent views of the deck and the harbor. Keeping with the nautical theme, we took a water taxi back to Long Beach, with a pirate onboard the boat! (It was the weekend of the Pirate Invasion of Long Beach / Mermaid Festival)
Our plans for the next day included a farmer’s market and museum trip in the neighborhood of South Park. Though home to Crytpto.com Arena, the Convention Center, and Microsoft Theatre, it is also a residential neighborhood.
After strolling through a charming farmer’s market, we headed to the GRAMMY Museum. Along with special exhibits, including “On The Red Carpet,” “Shakira: The GRAMMY Museum Experience,” and “Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit,” the museum offers a history of the awards. In front of the museum is their own version of a “walk of fame,” highlighting Record and Song of the Year winners.
We continued our musical journey, especially hip hop, with a trip to the Hollywood Bowl for the Roots Picnic. Imagine Riverbend, but with all outdoor bench seating, plus sheltered picnic groves throughout the property. It has a park-like feel, with plenty of space to enjoy before and during the music. It’s an incredible concert experience!
We has pre-ordered dinner boxes, and the system of pick-up and delivery was incredibly simple. I gave my name at the counter, and quickly and easily had a picnic dinner at my seat. I was astonished at how efficient the process was, with drinks and snacks also easily available at the pick-up spot. It was, as usual in Southern California, a perfect night to be outside.
From our seats at the Hollywood Bowl we could see the Hollywood sign, fading to black on a Saturday night.
– Tricia Suit