I Always Knew I’d Make It To Hollywood

They don’t make movies in Hollywood any more, the Industry having moved on to Burbank and elsewhere long ago. The place is sort of seedy now; it’s not as clean as New York and doesn’t feel as safe. I was solicited by hookers and approached by vagrants in the short time I was there—but there were tourists, too, enough of Hollywood’s history still visible to attract them.

I didn’t linger long in Los Angeles. It’s not a place that’s very attractive to linger, and has by far the worst traffic I’ve ever seen, but I wanted to go to the Santa Monica Pier (the end of Route 66), and Griffith Observatory, and of course Hollywood Boulevard, which is basically just there for the tourists now.

One legitimate part of Hollywood history that survives today is Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, opened in 1927 by Sid Grauman with the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille’s The King of Kings, and hosting many premieres since. It’s in front of this theater where you’ll find the celebrity handprints, footprints, and autographs in the concrete of the sidewalk.

Everyone comes here: you have to. Hollywood is barely Hollywood any more, but you still have to. Whether or not you’re willing to admit it, there’s someone you’ll want to find on this sidewalk.