No, you don't have much of a chance of spotting a celebrity.
Most celebrities, especially the "A" listers, protect their privacy. They rarely go out in public unless it is an event they are appearing. Occasionally one can be seen, but not often.
If you do happen to see one out in public, the proper etiquette is to leave them alone. Don't scream, gush, ask for an autograph, or try to talk to them. Some are nice about it, but you could find yourself quickly removed from the premesis.
Most often, they can be spotted dining out, shopping, or doing other mundane things. Many times, they are “dressed down”, wearing jeans, tees, sunglasses, and a hat. If you want to try spotting one, try these spots:
Gelson’s Market
Pink’s Hot Dogs
Canter’s Deli
Spago (dress up for this one)
Hollywood is a district in Los Angeles, California, situated northwest of Downtown. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and stars, the word "Hollywood" is often used as a synonym for the American film and television industry. Today much of the movie industry has dispersed into surrounding areas such as Burbank, Studio City, Glendale, and the Westside. While Hollywood and the adjacent neighborhood of Los Feliz served as the initial homes for all of the early television stations in the Los Angeles market, most have now relocated to other locations within the metropolitan area.
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Virtually everyone has heard of the legendary corner of Hollywood & Vine, and most of the 11 million tourists who visit Southern California each year eventually make the pilgrimage out to that fabled intersection. Many expect to find a glamorous boulevard lined with beautiful shops and populated by movie stars. They are inevitably disappointed.
Except for the Capitol Records Building (a block north of Hollywood Blvd.), and the nearby Pantages Theatre (half a block east), there is simply nothing much to see there. There are no notable landmarks at the corner of Hollywood & Vine (Unless you look down at the sidewalk beneath your feet, where you'll see the stars of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.). And course, there are also usually no movie stars to be found on Hollywood Boulevard.
The problem is that people often confuse Hollywood with Beverly Hills. Many people think of Hollywood as the place where the stars live, where they keep their million dollar homes and live their lifestyles of the rich & famous - where they shop at the luxurious boutiques, and where you might glimpse flocks of celebrities at a trendy restaurant. That describes Beverly Hills, not Hollywood.
If you are looking for glamor, head west a few miles on Sunset Boulevard to Beverly Hills - and its adjacent neighborhoods of Bel-Air, Brentwood and, further west, Malibu. Hollywood is an industrial town, where the industry just happens to be film-making - and it looks like it. The few studios that remain within the borders of Hollywood present only blank walls and faceless sound stages to the outside world. To the casual passerby, they might just as well be factories. And in a sense they are - film factories.
Although things are steadily improving, Hollywood Boulevard and its surrounding neighborhood simply isn't the glamorous place people imagine it to be. And it never has been. Most Golden Age stars didn't live in Hollywood - and neither do most of today's stars. They live in Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel-Air, Malibu and other communities on the West Side, the San Fernando Valley, and even Orange County.
Oh, there were some well-known restaurants on the Boulevard back then (such as the long-departed Brown Derby), and more than your average number of fancy movie theatres, but basically the town looked then (and looks today) like many other small towns from that era - something that has always surprised tourists.
But it's very important to distinguish between Hollywood the town and "Hollywood" as a name for the entertainment industry in Southern California. There is far more to "Hollywood" than what you'll find on Hollywood Boulevard. The real Hollywood is spread out across the Los Angeles basin, and beyond. And visitors to Southern California need to realize that if they want to enjoy the full Hollywood experience. If you want to see "Hollywood," don't limit yourself to that one neighborhood around Hollywood Blvd.
Branch out, and you can tour the movie studios, attend a concert under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl, watch your favorite TV shows being taped live, window-shop along posh Rodeo Drive, dine with the stars at Spago, visit the graves of famous celebrities like Marilyn Monroe & Bing Crosby, enjoy the rides at Disneyland and Universal Studios, take a tour of the stars' homes along the beautiful residential streets of Beverly Hills, or walk along the beach near the famous Malibu Colony.
The suburb of Hollywood itself is no longer even an independent town - it was long ago absorbed into the giant City of Los Angeles. Or so they thought. In reality, Hollywood has transformed the rest of Los Angeles into one giant back lot, where shooting takes place in virtually every neighborhood at one time or another. Pick up a shoot sheet, or just look for the large white trailers parked around the city, and you can watch Hollywood movie-making on location throughout the vast L.A. basin.
Most tourists have found the actual neighborhood of Hollywood a pretty disappointing spot. But even so, all of us who live in Southern California (and most tourists) will probably make the pilgrimage to Hollywood Boulevard at least once in our lifetimes. We are driven both by curiosity and by our sense of history. It's important to recognize that, in a broader sense, the true "Hollywood" exists in our imagination. This Hollywood is a glorious concoction of memories from a thousand enchanting musicals, a sparkling, romantic Xanadu that has little in common with the hectic streets of northwest Los Angeles.
-------www.seeing-stars.com
What to see in “Hollywood”
Universal Sudios
Warner Bros. Studios
Farmer’s Market
CBS Television City
Capitol Records Tower- The Capitol Records Tower is one of the most distinctive landmarks in Hollywood, California. The 13-story tower, designed by Welton Becket, was the world's first circular office building, and is home to several recording studios. The wide curved awnings over windows on each story and the tall spike emerging from the top of the building combine to give it the appearance of a stack of vinyl 45s on a turntable. It was built in 1956 just north of the intersection of Hollywood and Vine as the consolidated West Coast operations of Capitol Records.
Cinerama Dome- Pacific Theatres' Cinerama Dome at 6360 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood has been a landmark movie theater since its opening on November 7, 1963. With its huge 86 feet (26 m) wide screen, advanced acoustics, and 70mm film capability, the Cinerama dome remained a favorite for film premiers and "event" showings. In 2002 after a two-year closure, the Cinerama Dome was reopened as a part of a 14-screen complex called ArcLight Cinemas, a division of Pacific Theatres. The dome remains essentially unchanged though there have been improvements, notably in the acoustics. But for the first time ever, the Cinerama Dome began showing movies in the three-projector format. It is one of only three such theaters in the world today.
El Capitan Theater- The El Capitan Theatre is a fully restored movie palace at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company. The theater opened in 1926 as "Hollywood's First Home of Spoken Drama," In 1941, Citizen Kane made its world debut here. After many years of disuse, The Walt Disney Company purchased the theater and paid for a $14 million renovation, reopening in 1991. In recent years, many of Disney's feature films have premiered here, accompanied by live stage shows. The refurbished theater features a giant Wurlitzer organ. Next door is the adjacent Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store, where patrons can purchase ice cream themed to the film currently playing in the cinema next door. A wide variety of Disney and movie merchandise is available there. The former Hollywood Masonic Temple, adjacent to the theater on the west, has also been renovated by the Walt Disney Company, and is now the location of a television studio. Together with the theater, it is known as the El Capitan Entertainment Center. The ABC late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live tapes weeknights in the studio.
Grauman’s Chinese Theater- a world-famous movie theater located at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard. Built in 1927 by a partnership headed by Sid Grauman, the Chinese was intended to be the world's greatest. It has since become one of Southern California's most recognizable and visited landmarks and is steeped in Hollywood history, having been home to numerous premieres and two Academy Awards ceremonies. Among the theater's most famous traits are the autographed cement blocks that reside in the forecourt, which bear the signatures and markings of many of Hollywood's most revered stars and starlets. From 1973 through 2001, the theater was known as Mann's Chinese Theater, owing to its acquisition by Mann Theaters in 1973. In the wake of Mann's bankruptcy, the Chinese, along with the other Mann properties, was sold in 2000 to a partnership comprising Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures, who also acquired the Mann brand name. In 2002 the original name was restored.
Grauman’s Egyption Theater- Located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, it is a world famous movie theater that opened in 1922. The Egyptian Theatre was the site of the first-ever Hollywood premiere. The film was Robin Hood starring Douglas Fairbanks. Capitalizing on Southern California's sunny weather is the large courtyard (45 feet wide and 150 feet long) in the front, complete with a fountain and queen palm trees. This is actually the "entrance hall", and was specifically designed to host the famous red carpet ceremony.
Hollywood Bowl- A modern amphitheatre at 2301 North Highland Avenue that is used primarily for music performances. The "bowl" is actually the natural cavity in the earth into which the amphitheatre is built, rather than the shape of the band shell. It officially opened in 1922, and has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since then. It is the scene of Bette Midler's concert at the beginning and end of the 1988 movie Beaches. Adding to the atmosphere of the Bowl, the famous Hollywood Sign, several miles away, is visible from the Bowl site, to the north-northeast, behind and to the right of it from the spectators' viewpoint.
Walk of Fame- The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street which is embedded with more than 2,000 five-pointed stars featuring the names of celebrities honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for their contributions to the entertainment industry. The Walk of Fame runs east to west on Hollywood Boulevard from Gower Street to La Brea Avenue, and north to south on Vine Street between Yucca Street and Sunset Boulevard.
Kodak Theater- The Kodak Theatre is a live theatre in the Hollywood and Highland entertainment complex on Hollywood Boulevard and North Highland Avenue. Since its opening on November 9, 2001, the theatre has been the home of the annual Academy Awards Ceremonies ("The Oscars"), which were first held there in March 2002, and is the first permanent home for the awards. The theatre was designed specifically with the Oscars in mind. It has a seating capacity for up to 3,400 people and the stage is one of the largest in the United States, measuring 113 feet wide by 60 feet deep. The theatre was sponsored by the Kodak company, which paid $75 million to have its name associated with the building. It is owned by CIM Group and rented to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar night. The entrance hall to the Kodak Theatre is flanked by columns displaying winners of the Academy Awards for Best Picture since 1927-1928, with blank spaces left for future Best Picture winners well into the 21st century.
Pantages Theater- Formerly known as RKO Pantages Theatre, it is located at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard. The palatial Art Deco theatre opened on June 4th, 1930, as part of the Fox Theatre chain. In 1949, The Pantages came under the ownership of Howard Hughes's RKO Theatre Circuit. From 1950 through 1960, the theatre hosted the American motion picture industry's annual Academy Award Ceremonies. The Pantages closed as movie theatre in January, 1977, and re-opened the following month with the first of the many stage productions which have since become its regular fare. Now operated by an arm of the Nederlander organization, the Pantages is one of Los Angeles' leading homes of legitimate theatre and a favorite "location" for TV shows, movies and music videos.
Pink’s- Pink's Hot Dogs is a well-known hot dog restaurant. Pink's was founded by Paul and Betty Pink in 1939 and started life as a push cart before moving into its current building. When they opened, hot dogs were 10¢ each, but today they are $2.50. They have their own parking lot attendant, even though parking is free. Pink's is a locally famous celebrity-spotting location. There are many signed celebrity photographs hanging on the walls inside, as well as numerous hot dog preparations named after celebrities. The celebrity-named hot dogs are often versions actually ordered by the person in question, such as the "Martha Stewart" Dog with mustard, relish, onions, chopped tomatoes, sauerkraut, bacon and sour cream. There is usually a long line of customers in front.
Griffith Observatory- Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in L.A.'s Griffith Park, it commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. The observatory is a popular tourist attraction that features an extensive array of space- and science-related displays. The observatory closed in 2002 for renovation and a major expansion of exhibit space. It reopened to the public on November 3, 2006. The $93 million renovation restored the building, as well as replaced the aging planetarium dome. The building was expanded underground, with completely new exhibits, a café, gift shop, and the new Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater.
Griffith Park- A large public park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. It is situated in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. The park covers 4,210 acres (17 km²) of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America. In addition to the observatory and Greek theater, Griffith Park hosts the Los Angeles Zoo, the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum and a merry-go-round. The Hollywood Sign is located on the southern flank of Griffith Park's Mount Lee. At Traveltown, one can ride on a miniature railroad operated by the Los Angeles Live Steamers and see retired railroad locomotives, passenger cars and street cars from bygone eras. Griffith Park was used as a location in the first two Back to the Future movies. In the first movie it was used for Marty's starting point when accelerating to 88mph in the film's climax, and in the second movie it was used for the "River Road Tunnel" scene when Marty was trying to get the almanac back. The same tunnel was used as the entrance to Toontown in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.