Andrew Delaplaine - West Hollywood & Hollywood: The Delaplaine 2015 Long Weekend Guide

WEST HOLLYWOOD & HOLLYWOOD The Delaplaine 2015 Long Weekend Guide Andrew Delaplaine Senior Editors Renee & Sophie Delaplaine Contributor Carolyn Merry Copyright by Gramercy Park Press - All rightsreserved. Please submit corrections, additions orcomments to Published on Smashwords Formatted by * * * All rights reserved. Without limiting therights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publicationmay be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without theprior written permission of both the copyright owner and the abovepublisher of this book. Smashwords Edition LicenseNotes This eBook is licensed for your personalenjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away toother people. If you would like to share this book with anotherperson, please purchase an additional copy for each person youshare it with.

Thank you for respecting the author'swork. * * * TABLE OF CONTENTS * * * The entertainment capital of the world, asthey call it here, is Hollywood. Its hard to imagine visiting L.A.without swinging through this part of town. The three streets thatmatter are Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood Boulevard and MelroseAvenue. All three are worth seeing. Hollywood Boulevard is knownfor its entertainment history, Sunset for its clubs and nightlifeand Melrose for shopping, nightlife and a little bit of everythingelse, for want of a better way to put it.

Hollywood was founded as an independent city in1903 and voted to merge with the City of Los Angeles in 1910. Thatsame year also saw the birth of the Southern California motionpicture industry when D. W. Griffith relocated his BiographCompany, sparking a westward migration of East Coast filmmakers. Asmovies exploded in popularity in the 1910s and '20s, the nameHollywood became synonymous with the Industry. In the decadesfollowing World War II, Hollywood's glitz and glamour began to fadeas most of the leading film studios moved to other places.

In the 1980s, Hollywood was considered one ofthe worst neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The 1990s, however, saw thebeginning of community redevelopment efforts, and today Hollywoodis once again one of the region's most vibrant areas. Paramount is the only major studio stillheadquartered in Hollywood, but the area nonetheless remains animportant center of the entertainment industry with its myriadproduction and broadcast facilities. Other affiliated businessesinclude Sunset-Gower Studios, Hollywood Center Studios, RaleighStudios, Jim Henson Studios (a subsidiary of Walt Disney Pictures),and KTLA Studios (the local CW affiliate, housed on the originalWarner Bros. lot). The other major studios are located to the northin the Universal City-Burbank corridor (Universal, Warner Bros.,Disney, ABC, NBC, and DreamWorks).

Most of the rest are to thewest: Century City (Fox, MGM), the Fairfax District (CBS), andCulver City (Sony). If you want to see where films are shot, take atour at one of the major studios: Universal "bundles" a fullamusement park with its tour, while several other studios offersmaller, but interesting tours. In reality, most films are shot inwarehouses and sound stages in Burbank and elsewhere. WEST HOLLYWOOD / WeHo Though well-known for its population of gay men,"WeHo" also has large numbers of Russian immigrants and a largeJewish population. The commercial area of the city mainly liesalong Santa Monica Boulevard. In the late '60s, West Hollywood welcomed musicclubs such as the Whiskey A-Go-Go and the Troubadour, venues thateventually became renowned launch pads for many famous musicalacts.

More music clubs soon followed, establishing West Hollywoodas a linchpin of the music industry. The city was founded on November 29, 1984.Previous to that, it had been an island of unincorporated landentirely surrounded by the cities of Los Angeles and BeverlyHills. The area of Los Angeles immediately adjacent toWest Hollywood is known as the Fairfax District, which containssome attractions mistakenly thought to be in West Hollywood (likeCanter's Deli). * * * FROM AIRPORT The FlyAway bus connects LAX to Union Station.It's just a few bucks. www.lawa.org - no reservations necessaryand they run 7 days a week. Or take a taxi.

In Greater L.A., a car is definitely essential.The public transport system is very efficient and accessible. InWeHo, if thats where youre staying, you probably wont need acar. The Metro bus goes everywhere and is $1.50 aride. www.metro.net There is also the Dash shuttle. 50-cents a ride. www.metro.net Subway and rail service is also an option to getto Downtown L.A. www.metro.net Subway and rail service is also an option to getto Downtown L.A.

Five of the six subway and rail lines in the MetroRail end in Downtown L.A., either at Union Station or 7th/MetroCenter. Its $1.50 a ride. www.metro.net Full information from: Los Angeles County Metropolitan TransitAuthority www.metro.net * * * AIRBNB.COM www.airbnb.com Definitely look into the scourge of hotelierseverywhere in the world, this site that alerts frugal travelers tobargain lodgings in peoples homes almost anywhere in the world.You might find a flat a block from Champs lyses thats a third ofthe price of a small room at the Georges V and with a lot morecharm. Voil! You will need to do your research, but the goodthing is that you pay Airbnb.com directly, not the person hostingyou. They get protections from you (if youre a crazyperson and trash the hosts apartment, you will pay dearly) and youget protection from them (in case they offer something notavailable in the rental). All in all, a wonderful meeting of the minds forsavvy travelers looking for bargains and people in cities wheretravelers want to go who want to maximize the revenue potential ofthat spare room.

I have several friends of mine who do this inMiami, on South Beach where I live, and they are all happy with theentire experience. CHAMBERLAIN 1000 Westmount Dr. (off Holloway Dr.), WestHollywood: 310-657-7400 www.chamberlainwesthollywood.com Chamberlain is a metropolitan hotel with thecomfort and ambience of a residential pied-a-terre. Tailored, crispand timeless, Chamberlain's dcor evokes classic menswear restyledfor the modern eye. Part of the Kor Hotel Group, known for theirunusual, distinctive properties that call seem to be designed bysomeone who really cares. Just 2 blocks from the excitement of theSunset Strip and Santa Monica Boulevard, the sophisticated, WestHollywood all-suite hotel has been carefully redesigned to cater tostyle-conscious business and leisure travelers, and is well-suitedfor short or extended stays.