Hollywood Boulevard – Worth the Hype?

Hollywood was the first stop on our American adventure. Arriving in the early evening, eager to explore and admittedly in an attempt to combat Jet-Lag, we quickly headed out.

We were in the perfect location, with the Loews Hotel (where we were staying) backing straight onto Hollywood Boulevard. However, the streets were swamped with people – if you tried to stop to take a photo of your favourite celebrities star, you’d be budged and knocked by busy passers by.

Being a Brit and all I’d stereotypically apologise for being in the way… Only then to be hounded by people dressed as Superheros asking if I wanted a candid photo – simple answer… No I do not… I get it, it’s nice for a kid to have a picture with Iron Man on the Hollywood walk of fame. But, I’m 19 and you’re the 20th Tony Stark I’ve seen in 10 steps… sort of ruins the magic don’t you think? Anyway, moving swiftly on…

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The Boulevard itself left little to be desired. What I imagined to be the height of glitz and glam was actually surprisingly dilapidated, with grubby looking bars lining the road.

The Chinese Theatre was also a bit of a let down. The site of the Oscars, which has been graced by the biggest stars and talent on the planet, is in fact nestled between a sovereign shop and entrance to a shopping centre, something not seen on TV. All of this some-what took away from its grandeur. Nonetheless, it was still impressive! Something I did enjoy was looking at the hand imprints – which date back to the 1920’s,  demonstrating the sites true heritage.

Furthermore, staying so close, we had the luxury to venture out again early the next morning. It has to be said that this was a much more pleasurable experience, the streets were near empty (not a superhero in sight) meaning, we were able to walk along with no interruptions, and even take photos in front of the theatre with no-one in the background.

Overall However, the walk of fame was a let down. It simply did not live up to expectations, is it worth a visit? sure, if you go in the morning, But  I wouldn’t go planning your trip around it.

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Been to the Boulevard yourself? have your own thoughts? opinions? we’d love to hear from you so feel free to comment bellow:
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9 Comments

  1. January 19, 2017 / 7:03 am

    We stumbled over here coming from a different page and thought I may as well check
    things out. I like what I see so now i’m following you. Look forward to finding
    out about your web page repeatedly.

  2. February 22, 2017 / 12:59 am

    Reading your post reminded me of my first visit to LA more than 10 years ago. Thank you for sharing and for the follow.

    • February 22, 2017 / 12:13 pm

      I bet it’s changed a lot since then! No problem – thanks for reading my post 🙂

      • February 22, 2017 / 1:05 pm

        Sorry, I was a little confuse on your response about no problem. Ignore my last statement.

  3. Graeme Lehmann
    April 19, 2020 / 12:26 am

    Hollywood is a massive disappointment. The boulevard is dirty looking & many shops look old. I dont recommend sitting on the stars along the walk of fame, because many are dirty. There are a lot of “feral” people hanging around the street. The majority of movie & TV studios are in neighbouring suburbs.It is definitely not “Tinsel Town”.

  4. January 29, 2024 / 2:38 am

    Hollywood Boulevard, the one place I still really want to go to, but I believe it will probably disappoint me. It’s too hyped up. Not exactly a hidden gem. Still, I think you need to go there at least once in your life.

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