Hollywood Holidays

Sure, Hollywood is actually a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. But, everyone who has been in knows that Hollywood is not so much about being its own city as much as it is about a specific state of mind. Besides, if all of the young actors in movies and television just said that they were going to pack up their lives and had to Los Angeles, it would not be nearly as dramatic saying "I am going to Hollywood."

Of course, those looking to "make it in Hollywood" might be slightly disappointed because, though Hollywood still has the reputation for the glitz and glamour that surrounds the film, television and music industries, most of the major film studios have moved away from Hollywood and into other Los Angeles neighborhood such as Burbank.

Hollywood Attractions

However, all of this does not mean that Hollywood is not still an incredible place to visit, as seen by its still attracting millions of tourists every year, who travel there to experience a little bit of the old school Hollywood glamour and to pay respects to their favorite stars, films and television shows and maybe even catch a glance at a celebrity or two. Hollywood did used to have a reputation for being a seedy town, whoever Los Angeles has gone through a lot of trouble in order to put much-needed improvements into the areas most traveled to by tourists, all of which has just added to the charm of Hollywood.

You can see a lot of Hollywood while on foot, but the best way to take in all of the sites that Hollywood has to offer for is like taking one of the many bus tours of the city. There our many tour companies that have kiosks set up along Hollywood Boulevard, and many of them are very good at what they do and provide excellent overviews, landmarks and attractions throughout the city. A few of these tours are pretty short, while others will take up the better portion of your day. Which tour you pick will depend on how much of the neighborhoods you would like to see, including Beverly Hills.

Walk of Fame

One of the most popular tourist destinations in Hollywood is the Hollywood walk of fame. You could take a step anywhere in the sidewalk and see famous names honored in the bronze stars on the street. The Walk of Fame was introduced in 1960 with 2,500 blank stars, and since then over 2,300 people from the fields of radio, television, motion pictures, recording and live performance having added to the walk.

Grauman's Chinese Theater

There is also Grauman's Chinese Theater, which first opened in 1927 and is perhaps one of the most famous movie theaters in the entire world. This theater is the location of many Hollywood film premieres, and for a long time was the home where the Academy Awards ceremony.