Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles that is bordered on the north by the Santa Monica Mountains, the east by the 101 (Hollywood Freeway) and to the west by West Hollywood. With the famous Hollywood sign perched on the cliffs of the Santa Monica mountains, this eclectic section of LA is home to old landmarks, a bustling tourist center and relics from the film and TV industry. Every year over ten million visitors converge on this area of Los Angeles in hopes of seeing celebrities and experiencing a piece of Hollywood history.

The main arteries running through Hollywood are Sunset Blvd and Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood Blvd is where visitors will see the Hollywood and Highland entertainment center, Walk of Fame,, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the El Capitan Theatre and several hotels including the Roosevelt Hotel, the new W Hotel and the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel.

The Hollywood and Highlands entertainment center on Hollywood Blvd and Highland Ave is one of the newer attractions to the neighborhood. A multi level outdoor shopping, dinning and entertainment complex, the Hollywood and Highland structure has an U shape with the open end facing out onto Hollywood Blvd. At any of the levels visitors can observe Hollywood Blvd, Walk of Fame, the Hollywood sign, the water spouting from many ground fountains or take in the sight of both the Kodak Theatre and Renaissance Hollywood Hotel rising from the back of the complex. The Kodak Theatre is where the annual Academy Awards are now held. Prominently adjacent to the entrance of the Hollywood and Highland center and along the Walk of Fame is Grauman’s Chinese Theater. In front of the doors that enter the theater, visitors from all over the world come to place their hands in concrete imprints of hands and feet left from some of the biggest movie stars in the world.

All along Hollywood Blvd and adjacent to the Hollywood and Highland center are little pink granite stars on the sidewalk known as the Walk of Fame. Representing over 2,300 stars of celebrities from music, film, radio, TV and producing, the Walk of Fame extends down Hollywood Blvd and up down the side streets. There many unique shopping opportunities along this stretch of Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood memorabilia stores are a dime a dozen on this stretch selling t shirts, plastic Oscars, old paparazzi photos of movie stars and more. In front of the Hollywood and Highland complex tour buses depart hourly for all parts of Los Angeles including tours of celebrity homes, Beverly Hills and Downtown Los Angeles.

Behind the Hollywood and Highland center and parallel to Hollywood Blvd is Franklin Ave. Off of Franklin Ave is a little street that extends deep into the Hollywood Hills called the Outpost Estates. This was one of the first celebrity settlements of the first major Hollywood stars of the 1920s and 1930s. Many of the homes in this area have been renovated to maintain their original look and feel from that time. Today most of these houses are all over a million dollars and many, the higher up on the road, have amazing views of all of Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles. Regular tour buses departing from Hollywood Blvd give visitors a complete rundown and exposure of this historic area of Hollywood.

La Brea Blvd is the major north and south route running through Hollywood. There are many boutique shopping and dinning opportunities along this stretch including the famed Pink’s Hot Dogs. At the intersection of La Brea and Melrose is where the Melrose Ave shopping district begins. Starting at La Brea and Melrose and traveling west from La Brea all the way past Fairfax and into West Hollywood, the Melrose Ave shopping district is full of exotic retailers selling everything from belts, boots, chic clothing, lingerie and even movie poster, books and music. It was Melrose Ave that the first ever Johnny Rockets opened stands there today. On Melrose Ave east of La Brea is the world famous Paramount Pictures studio lot. One of the last studios to be located in Hollywood, Paramount has a long history of producing some of the biggest movie titles of all time. Today this active studio lot is home to daily productions of day time and prime time television shows, movies and commercials. Paramount Pictures offers a guided tour of the lot and visitors can get some revealing glimpses of the inner workings of the studio just by walking the perimeter.

A trip to Hollywood and seeing all the sights and attractions can easily be accomplished in little more than one or two days. Hollywood is a great place to book a hotel and make it a visitor’s anchor while seeing the other sights of LA such as Beverly Hills, Universal Studios and West Hollywood.