Hollywood

While I was in southern California, I went to Hollywood. I was beyond excited. Because it's Hollywood. I don't care that Hollywood isn't what it once was and is mostly, well, trashy. It's Hollywood.  Also, it should be known, when I say "Hollywood," in my head I hear it like Hollywood Montrose said it in the movie Mannequin. I tried to find a clip of it on YouTube, but I couldn't. But I did find out they made a Mannequin 2. I had no clue. (And truth be known, I saw Mannequin twice in 1987. At the drive in. One time with some friends in a 1957 Chevy that belonged to a guy I went to high school with and once with my brother and his friends.) Oh and every time  I say something or did something in Hollywood, I said it was "in Hollywood." "I had a vegan Big Mac... In Hollywood." "They were showing Ferris Bueller's Day Off on an outdoor screen off an alley... In Hollywood." You get the picture.

Anyway, I originally went to Hollywood to go to Doomie's for the vegan Big Mac. Steve and I walked around a bit and went to Amoeba Music on Sunset where we wandered through the used CD section. I picked up REM's last album, Collapse into Now because it was only $4. I thought I might appreciate it more knowing it was their last album. Nope. It still sucks. I also bought Uncle Tupelo's 89/93: An Anthology. Yeah, yeah... it's a greatest hits album and all that, but someone gave me a copy while I was in Madison and I lost it. I must've listened to it a lot, because as soon as it played the CD when I got home, I was standing in my living room in Madison. Music is a powerful thing.

Amoeba Music. Lots o' '50s architecture in the area. 

After we wandered around. Steve catered to my love of kitch and suggested we hit Grauman's Chinese Theatre. I may have squealed at this suggestion. So, after finding a parking spot, wandering through whatever that mall is that is connected to the Dolby (formerly Kodak) Theatre, and being disappointed that we couldn't see the Hollywood sign (it wasn't lit up; isn't it normally lit up?) and finding out that that the Oscars are held in a theatre attached to a mall, we hit Hollywood Boulevard.

Grauman's Chinese Theatre

I loved it. It was full of street performers (apparently Wolverine is of East European descent... at least he is based on the language I heard him speaking on Hollywood Boulevard) and tourists--like me. I saw Julie Andrew's star. And the Munchkins'. And Michael Jackson's. But I have to say, I really loved the hand/footprints and signatures in front of Grauman's--as long as I ignored the youngsters saying, "Do you know who any of these people are?"

Julie Andrew's star and my feet

I took tons of pictures of various hand/footprints. But my favorite was Humphrey Bogart. I adored Humphrey Bogart when I was a teen (I was an odd one) so seeing his signature just made me happy. Based on date, Mary Pickford had the oldest (however I'm not sure if that's true), but it would make sense that she would be one of the first. Others that made me go, "Awwww....": Clark Cable, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe, R2-D2/C-3PO/Darth Vader, Elizabeth Taylor, the cast from West Side Story... Yes, except for the Star Wars reference, all were from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Because when I see Grauman's, that's what I think of.

Mary Pickford

Marilyn Monroe. I couldn't get the full thing, so I just captured her signature.

Humphrey Bogart and our shadows. I loved this. So much. 

Steve and I wandered through the crowd while he told me more about the area. Steve's dad grew up in Hollywood and he remembered visiting his grandparents when he was younger. But what struck me was the split between the image of Hollywood and those who actually lived there. Hollywood Boulevard is pretty run down. While we were sitting in traffic, I was looking in the windows of a run-down hostel where kids were hanging out on the fire escape, drinking and smoking while a strobe light flashed inside. It made me wonder what that area was like during the Oscars. What happens to that hostel during awards season? Is it full of the same kids crashing there because it's cheap--or whatever--standing on the fire escape, drinking beer and smoking? Or does Hollywood Boulevard magically transform? My guess it's full of the same kids, but they are somehow hidden from the rest of the world.

After an hour or so, I was ready to head back to my hotel. And after sitting in traffic for an hour and a half (plus the actual driving time) I made it back, thrilled that I had visited Hollywood, no matter how run-down it was, it was pretty awesome.






...And if you're paying attention, you'll see it is the 4th of July. I did nothing. The 4th in the middle of the week kind of sucks as far as holidays go. And I live in the middle of the 4th madness so there is no reason for me to leave home. Also I can see the fireworks from my living room. Of course, since it gets dark so late here. they don't start until close to 10:30. And they are so close my windows rattle.