Hollywood Blvd. is a disaster, can it be fixed?
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
- Hollywood has long been a place we've all fantasized for decades...so why is Hollywood Blvd. such a disaster? I investigated Hollywood's current state, from the seedy Walk of Fame to the LA Metro with the question: will this place ever change for the better?
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00:00 the allure of hollywood
00:35 welcome to hollywood
1:43 investigating hollywood boulevard
4:44 will hollywood blvd. change?
5:44 LA metro in hollywood
8:34 hollywood forever? [cultural analysis]
11:53 a spiritual cleansing
tags: hollywood, hollywood boulevard, los angeles travel, los angeles 2024, california, walk of fame, los angeles travel, hollywood forever cemetery
I was just back in La for 2 months. Pretty much every square inch of Hollypoop is trashed, dirty, dangerous, gross, closed down, too much traffic etc.
You’re exaggerating.
A CZcamsr named Metal Leo just did a walk down Hollywood Boulevard, documenting the blocks and blocks of empty and boarded up retail and restaurant spaces. It wasn't a matter of sleaze ... just vacancy after vacancy. It will take a lot to bring commerce back, and without it, why would any tourist even walk Hollywood Boulevard?
Exactly. It isn't sleazy as much as just abandoned for entire blocks, in some cases. I live here and, believe it or not, it's relatively safe, even at night. If they brought business back here, this would be a fantastic place to live, because you can walk everywhere.
Great video by Leo. I shocked on how clean everything was. Clean, but all the stores are vacant. Closed Now.
Just watched him 1st 😎
I posted a prior comment about the stores near hw walk of fm. being closed a few minutes ago, and my comment was deleted.??
Yeah, I just watched Leo's video and commented there, too. And largely, tourists don't really know what their in for in walking around the area, though there is some nice spots and historically interesting things, and nicer things just outside of the Hollywood Blvd area, like Lake Hollywood, the Hollywood sign, Griffith Park/Observatory, West Hollywood's Sunset Strip is quite nice and upscale, in comparison, then there's the Grove/Farmers Market, etc, etc. Many tourist do know all that stuff. And that's where I'd tell people to go.
I don't see why hollywood is even a tourist destination... its literally a bunch of studio lots that are not generally open to the public since its private businesses. and just because the celebrities live nearby in those hilltop homes, they are also closed to the public. so its not like there is really anything to see
Actually many of those houses in the Hills are vacant, AirBnB, or used for rentals (Movies, TV Shows, Music Videos, Mansion Parties, Etc).
Most celebrities usually live outside LA (City) in place like Calabasa, Malibu, Palos Verdes and even out of the state in their home towns. Very few Celebs live in Hollywood
@@truthiscensored yea thats what I meant, id consider malibu and calabasas LA metro tho still. but still they only go to hollywood for work and straight home
And cults too. If you have money to throw around there are cults for you.
I'm 70 and I grew up just over the hill from the Hollywood Sign (in Burbank). I know every square inch of Hollywood (and the surrounding areas). Believe it or not, Hollywood is cleaner and less tacky now than it has ever been. When I was 10, the place was a disastrous mess. Everything was old and run down, there were homeless and crazy people walking the streets, and the Hollywood Sign was literally falling down. The sign was dark and dingy. Letters had fallen down, and some were just plain missing. Millions were spent fixing it up. Extensive effort was made to clean up Hollywood Blvd. Store fronts were brightened up, and trash was removed. Homeless and insane people were moved to other areas. Hollywood and Highland was built. I know that looking at it now, it's hard to believe that it was for the most part almost always worse than it is now, but it's true. And as far as tour operators lying to customers about where things were filmed, they do that all the time, with everything. Hollywood is the land of lies and illusions.
I think a lot of the misinformation isn’t necessarily intentional, it’s just that the guides hear something or read something and they kinda go with it because it’s their job to tell interesting stories. As an example, Hollywood High is where Judy Garland went to school while she was filming and that is something that could be said, but maybe the new generation taking the tours have no idea who Judy is? 😂
Speaking of Hollywood and Highland, just up Yucca from Highland is where Villa Capri used to be - a restaurant part owned by Frank Sinatra and where he and other Capitol Records artists would often break for lunch. Around the corner was Don the Beachcomber, one of the first (or the actual first) Tiki Bars in the United States which itself has it’s history in returning WW2 veterans and the local Fillipino community ❤️ Farther up is the Lido, where The Eagles photographed the inside cover for Hotel California.
In the eighties, that block and east along Yucca was crack city. Now, it’s all relatively safe residential 🤷♀️
Thank you for let us now about it ! I was there few years ago and i can't imagine how it was decades ago, but you do !
I grew up in the French Quarter in New Orleans in the 1960s.. you basically just described the Quarter too before " gentrification" of course, there were areas better than others...that the tourists didn't see..
did u see bands down on sunset blvd back in the day? the whiskey.. The Troubadour?
I used to live near the Capital Records building. In the 70s, people used to hangout and shop all over. There were lots of people walking around. Was recently at the Greyhound bus station (nearby). Everything is dirty and scummy down there now. Neary enough to make you cry. Had so many good memories there. 😢
After moving here and during the pandemic, I decided to take a drive to Hollywood Boulevard to check out the walk of fame, and to be honest I was too scared to even get out of my car because of all the homeless people there
I’m always amazed at people’s perception of Hollywood. I met a couple at Heathrow airport on their way to a dream vacation in Hollywood. They actually thought they would see “celebrities “ shopping and having lunch on Hollywood boulevard.
the celebrities only go to lunch in like malibu. they keep their windows up and doors locked when driving in hollywood
Lmao
Yeah I know! Right?
😂😂😂😂 the delusional never cease to entertain! 🤦♀️
1) The “celebrities” don’t give a fuck about you. They’re not related to you. Who cares? 2) Hollywood is a mess with a bunch of loonies (some of them not even homeless) screaming at the top of their lungs at enemies who aren’t even there. Hollywood is like the most lavish rehab/mental hospital out in the open.
What's really sad is that Hollywood is the first spot most tourists flock to when they visit LA and it is literally one of the WORST places in the city you could possibly visit lol They'll form their entire opinion of the city based on it because it's such an awful first impression
100%!
Yes, There some much more beautiful areas of Los Angeles...it actually is very pretty...
im visiting in a few days, is there any spots you would recommend to truly appreciate LA ?
@@MonkeyGeek3 The beach cities are some of the best (Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo) gorgeous coastal views and nice smaller town community vibes. They are a bit on the outskirts, but still a solid pick. If more central, Mid-Wilshire/ Miracle Mile area is]nice (The Grove, LACMA. Tar Pits, etc.) all in the same general area. Sawtelle, Westwood, Melrose, Century City Mall, Koreatown are all solid spots for shopping and eating.
If visiting Downtown, Grand Central Market, Little Tokyo, Bunker Hill, Last Bookstore, Grand Park, and most of Figueroa St are nice walk around. I wouldn't wander too far outside those parts in DTLA, because it does get quite seedy beyond that lol
@@MonkeyGeek3literally no place in la is pretty but if you can go somewhere a little further definitely redondo beach
I lived in Palos Verdes and made the drive up to Hollywood to cruise the Blvd back in the late 60s then stop for burgers at the Tiny Naylors drive-in. The hay days of Hollywood are just distant memories.
Hate to burst your bubble, but what you see now is a gentrified version compered to the 1980's when I lived there. No Hollywood and Highland, W Hotel, Disney Theater, or nice apartment buildings. It was mostly tourist traps, hookers, pick pockets, car break ins, sex shops, trashy bars, sex shops, smoke shops, sex shops, tacky stores, sex shops, wig store, sex shops, and 2 adult theaters. When I go there now on occasion, I think WOW! They really cleaned this place up!
wow!!!
Correct. In various ways, the same applies to other sections of LA, including downtown, & other cities throughout the US too. When people romanticize LA's-Ca's past, they ignore the fact that some of SoCa's weakest areas were built over 60-70 years ago. The world back then was coming out of years of the Great Depression & a huge world war.
@@MichaelMartello To be fair, I should have mentioned there was no internet porn back then.
@@MichaelMartelloSimilar to what Times Square was in NYC during that same era.
i was there in the 80s too and there were also trannies that walked around hollywood blvd at night and they usually were dressed like the rocky horror picture show type clothing and five inch heals . as a kid , seeing seven foot tall trannies dressed like that at nite was really scary .
Hollywood didn't age like a fine wine, it aged like milk in the sun
Oh, wow Michael, Hollywood hasn't changed since our recent visit, that's too bad. As one who lives in LA county, I remember many years ago when Hollywood would be the place to be way back when but not so much now. I also remember when my husband and I were dating at the time in the mid or late 1980s I think it was. The company he used to work for designed hanging ceilings, they were offered the opportunity or bid to come up with ideas for the new Hollywood Metro Station, that was being constructed at the time; well, from one idea to another he finally came up jokingly with the idea of using old style movie film reels as part of the ceiling decoration. they thought about it, the people who were bidding told his company there were warehouses with a lot of those film reels collecting dust they didn't know what to do with them, before you know it he saw they were mark-up designs using those movie film reels, and well, THERE THEY ARE, we seem them on marker 6:23 those movie film reels at the metro subway celling, after you asked about Hollywood/Highland. We were amazed when we finally first saw it for the first time on our way to Universal Studios about 5 or 6 years ago. We travel to LA when we have to nowadays, Hollywood not so much. Once in a while we do visit the Griffith Observatory. Los Angeles does need to brighten up Hollywood, seriously, the LA Olympics are coming to town soon, and they need to clean up big time! I enjoyed your video today! Take care of yourself! Peace. ☮
I live in the area and take the metro a lot and I've never noticed the reels on the ceiling. I work in the film buiness too! haha very cool!
THE way to save Hollywood would be to 'Vegas' it up. You'd have to build resort after resort, each with it's own secure row of restaurants and night clubs. The rooms would have to be affordable enough for people to say, "Oh, we're going into Hollywood this weekend to see a show, enjoy the big pools, and eat some eats." I tell you if it was a better 'deal' than Vegas it would be a wow.
I’m 60 years old and was born and grew up 45 minutes away from downtown Hollywood. I’ve never ever been there never wanted to go.
You aren’t missing much. It’s a toilet like some really bad parts of Detroit.
Better stay away. Even the so-called "shiny" or "glamorous" parts aren't that special. The rest is just an all-out sensory nightmare.
Hollywood Blvd is a disaster? You haven’t seen Hollywood Blvd in the 80s.
Tbh I like the grungey vibe to an extent in the counter cultural sense. When I was there before covid the bar scene seemed pretty fun and I appreciated seedy vibes even if that sounds kinda weird. I also think that Hollywood itself was super cool like walking around off the boulevard. I loved the fake fairytale and mid century architecture of some of the buildings and it’s definitely more walkable than a lot of LA. I hope the boulevard redesign can allow it to grow into a more welcoming place.
Went to the Hollywood Museum about a month ago and had a perfectly fine day. It was sunny out and there wasn't too much going on on the street. Got some food after.
Walked down to the Roosevelt and looked around. Nothing too crazy.
Anyway, I'm an LA native.
When I go to other countries I usually buy a book and study up before I go. Why don't people look into these things? The internet exists. All the drama and pearl clutching is ridiculous.
I agree. I think it truly depends on a person's temperament, what they're use to, etc.
CZcamsrs focusing on the worst ( homeless/Skid Row) doesn't help.... I like German in Venice perspective on Los Angeles... He films some of the prettier places.
@@lorrie5881la in general is so bad that some areas could fit in india
Im a native Angeleno and currently living in Japan for the last couple of years. I agree with everything you say about Hollywood. I used to go to Hollywood to catch a movie to add a little more excitement. Good times walking around various streets and finding a random cafe or restaurant with great food. It was a nice urban adventure and I'll never forget those memories.
The Red Line was still dirty but never felt too unsafe. Very reliable subway from Downtown. I see Hollywood/Vine station still poorly lit and with all the upgrades Metro has put in place, perhaps upgrading the lighting would have been nice too.
I've visited home only twice since then but it's too bad how many areas of LA that were on the cusp of decline like Hollywood have actually done so. I had to take my in-laws to other local areas of LA to keep them safe. Unfortunately the super left politics may prevent LA for getting back on it's feet. I just wish those streets were walkable again because there is so much culture that I've never experienced elsewhere and it's my hometown too.
Very sad. It is a dystopian nightmare now. Look at the L.A. Weekly as an example. It is now just 12 pages. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce used to have almost 10,000 members. Now? About 900.
As a NJ/NYC guy, and I know you are too, I think I can sum up my time at Hollywood very simply: it's the Times Square of Hollywood. Tourists love it, but locals would never step foot in it if they don't have to.
DO tourists love it though?? lol. I agree to an extent but at least Times Square has a lot of tourist friendly establishments
I can't imagine any tourist loving it. I can only imagine disappointment from ppl that didn't do their homework, or tourists who were in LA for other purposes, knew what they were walking into, and wanting to see how bad HB is for themselves!
It's nothing close to looking like Times Square. I was born and raised in LA and would avoid Santa Monica/Hollywood at all costs. Times Square, however, was very cool and with lots of things to offer.
Santa Monica is the LA Times Square
I've been a few times to LA, and stayed in Hollywood a few times. Also used the metro quite a bit. Never had any issues personally, though if you go there thinking it's all rainbows and unicorns, and the side walks are paved with gold then you are in for a very rude awakening. Really need to do some reading before you go
it's over for film industry. Great actors and actresses are old and retired. things change, nothing last.
Its not only because of tihs. The hole woke PC culture is to blame. If Hollywood did go back making movies again they could save Los ANgeles. I blame the woke
It’s all AI now
I lived directly behind Chinese theater in the Madison apartments in 1999. Hollywood Blvd was beautiful and thriving back then. All shops were open from Orange place Dr all the way up to Vermont.
As an outsider, I love Los Angeles, and I'm fortunate to have stayed in several neighborhoods.
Hollywood will always hold a special place in my heart, and perhaps that is because I know it as more than just the Boulevard.
You are right that the area around the Boulevard both needs and deserves better planning and upkeep. It feels like almost a century since Los Angeles really invested in housing the homeless. Housing would likely reduce or eradicate the human poops.
That said what is there is lovely: the Roosevelt, Larry Edmunds, Musso & Frank, the Chinese and Egyptian Theatres. Off the boulevard: the Max Factor Building/Hollywood Museum, Miceli's, American Cinemetographers Society, Magic Castle, Hollywood High, Yamashiro etc. And further north; the Heritage Musrum, the Bowl, Hollywood Heights, The Dell, Beachwood Cafe, the Reservoir, etc. Southbound, there is the Altheltic Club, Cinerama (when it's open), Paramount, etc.
Regarding the Roosevelt Hotel spirits, Marilyn never lived there, and there are no records that she even stayed there, but the hotel is filled with history, was home to the first Oscar awards, was home to Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, and has a fabulous pool and dining spaces. I'm fortunate to have been given more than one tour of the famous rooms there and breakfast by the pool is a treat!
I could go on...
Hey Olivia, you know "more" than most of us Angeleno's. Seriously, yes
There is so much trash talking about hollywood or california in general.
That's all just hater click bait, because most people can't afford to visit.
Anyways the real "hollywood" or the entertainment business happens in Culver City or Silicon Beach(Playa Vista).
New or super-gentrified areas with freeway wide boulevards and super high rent housing.
Now, walking around in those areas you won't see a single "costumed charactor" but you will feel the wealth.
@@trexinvert I just rattled off some places I usually visit and some local Hollywood spots I’ve been to and plan to visit again 🤗 Los Angeles is , as you said,quite expensive, but I also think the greater Los Angeles area as a whole is one of those regions whose history has been so heavily documented because of its association with fame throughout the 20th Century, so I’ve always found it worthwhile. I’m keeping these comments to just the Hollywood area, but yeah, there are plenty of other neighbourhoods in LA with their own histories and I find them all pretty fascinating 😉
@@oliviaonthego You are like an anthropologist. Here's a spot "maybe" you don't know yet. Frogtown. Do you know it?
CC Brown's on HB had great old school Hollywood flair. To bad it closed in the 90s. I went there several times.
@trexinvert I don't know this neighborhood, so I'll put it on the list of places to stay and learn more about ✌️
Great video Michael!
I visited Hollywood when I last came to America in 2022, but for a lot of the reasons you mentioned, I wouldn’t want to go back.
The boulevard feels like a conveyor belt for tourists, designed to get as much $ from visitors before kicking them out. I think the area would greatly benefit from more open, casual, green spaces where people can relax and enjoy themselves.
Where are you from Minka?
We spent a few days in LA from the UK last year. We weren't going to go to Hollywood but we decided to drive down Hollywood Boulevard after visiting Griffith Observatory. The first thing we noticed was the smell of weed and it being a bit of a dump.
accurate.
Nothing wrong w weed or the smell. You’re in Los Angeles
weed is the last problem la has😭
@@MichaelMartelloI remember i went to Hollywood with my girlfriend i saw this homeless bum over near capitol record building this was around 6pm he literally pull down his pant and take a shit it was so nasty I almost throw up some and my girlfriend we walk back towards hollywood boulevard and hop into are car and drove off we dont never wanna come back to Hollywood anymore those homeless people in Hollywood are just so freakin nasty
@@MichaelMartellothe only famous place to visit in Hollywood is paramount studio that’s about it everything else about Hollywood is just absolutely suck
I was born and raised in East Hollywood.The big blue Scientology building used to be Cedars Of Lebanon hospital it moved to West LA and renamed Cedar Sinai I was born in 1972 I was raised 2 blocks away from where i was born on Alexandra and Hollywood blvd my mom is still there. I went to Loz Feliz elementary and John Marshall high school (where they actually filmed Grease).When I used to go with my mom to the store and on other errands, there was nothing but sex shops, massage parlors, prostitutes, pimps, and drug dealers EVERYWHERE It was a very bad bad place. However sadly to me it was normal. To be honest though I preferred it then compared to now most places I loved like Pioneer Chicken, and other places from my childhood are gone now and for some reason looks worse now especially the homeless that's one thing we never saw yeah we saw everything but that but hey the bad things we saw were actually people trying to make a living illegal or not at least they were not looking to get a free handout and be a burden on taxpayers they hustled never begged broke in homes like they do nowadays. I live in Carlsbad now and I love it. I get so sad when I go visit my mom and see it now. So many beautiful buildings and houses were leveled by developers who's properties failed or just look terrible. My mom refuses to leave she's 83 and set in her ways. Remember East Hollywood is not a tourists area never was or will be. Tourist Hollywood is west of Western Blvd it has always been runned down with crazy people. ❤
since you asked, I HAVE been to Hollywood Blvd... several times... and I completely agree with your take on it.
I love the idea of making the Blvd more pedestrian/bike accessible... but it'll take more civic encouragement to get "better" businesses in there at the same time... I'm not sure JUST redoing the street will "fix" things without doing something to get better businesses in there.
Agree! An $8M reno for bike lanes isn’t gonna be enough.
I grew up in LA and had gone to Hollywood Blvd many times over the years. It has always been a grungy, blighted area with tons of homeless and weirdos lurking around. I don’t think a renovation of the streetscape will make a difference unless it includes eviction and removal of all the shady businesses that operate there and replace them with more respectable businesses. Anyone who rides the Metro must have a death wish as you hear almost daily on the news someone is purposely hurt or murdered on a train or in a station. Hollywood Blvd is just one example of how Los Angeles and surrounding communities are deteriorating physically and morally. You can take any rundown blighted area of a city and turn it into a phony spammy tourist trap complete with a cast of regular weirdo character zombies lurking around 24/7.
Hollywood Boulevard is Times Square. Locals avoid it like the damn plague.
20 years ago I lived 2 blocks away from Kodak aka Dolby Theatre. It was no different back then. LA is the best commercial and Hollywood is the worst of them.
Hollywood is dark, ruthless, and cutthroat.
Millicent Lillian “Peg” Entwistle (1908-1932)- Wanted to become part of Hollywood so bad that when she failed she was so heartbroken she jumped off the Hollywood sign. I was blessed to accidentally meet a relative of hers. The person was nice, normal, the tragedy and fame it brought them, the relative told me, is like reliving a god awful nightmare. Made me realize this poor girl was real. She had parents, family, friends who loved her. Peggy is more than a dumb Hollywood ghost lore story (.1%). Thank you to her relative for being so kind to me, unafraid or unwilling to answer questions, then after choosing to “shoot the breeze with me”
I visited LA and Hollywood with my son in 2008. A policewoman in a fast-food restaurant told us to avoid Hollywood "it's crazy up there". Even the nI was sorely dissappointed at how grotty and cheap the Hollywood walk of Fame looked. The whole city seemed nightmarish and full of poor and homeless people. Yes, we did go to Santa Monica, Venice and a few other places. I was unimpressed and sobered. Why create such a false image of LA in the media?
LA area is so huge with many neighborhoods and suburbs. Many poorer and some middle class and some rich. Can you guess what Hollywood neighborhood income level? It's a working class, immigrant but gentrifying area. Businesses rhere reflect the types that live there full time or short term visitor. You won't find high end luxury shopping like Rodeo, middle class like 3rd street promenade, or hip alternative like Melrose Ave. Those areas refl3ct the people and businesses there. Hollywood won't transform magically into a certain type of area until the population demographic changes. You want hip chic coffee shops, independent or big name shops and restaurants then out with working vlass and more higher income people. But currently the whole metro is expensive and upscaling driving out poorer so Hollywood is changing. It will take decades before Hollywood hits a middle income tier
I visited 2 weeks ago, I use to spend summers in LA in the 80’s and 90’s. I went back to LA 2018,2019 and then recently, it’s a shame what has happened to LA I won’t be back anytime soon, the shopping and then homeless is out of control. LA is a dump, homeless encampments everywhere.
I lived here in the mid-80s, and it was a dirty miserable dump back then. There were some homeless then, but they were just called "drunks." The only celebrity I ever saw there was Jimmie JJ Walker - he was in line in font of me at Ralph's. If you want to see celebrities, the best place to find them is at LAX, where you will usually see them arguing loudly with airline staff. I don't know, maybe there was a time when Hollywood Blvd had actual celebrities around, but I kind of doubt it. They hung around the lots, went out to restaurants away from the strip, and stayed home. You can see lots of aspiring actresses on Sunset Blvd - they're the ones in high heels waving at passing cars. Harvey Weinstein was not an aberration - he was the norm and just was unlucky to get caught. Hollywood Blvd is an absolute craphole and I suggest always has been. It is a perfect symbol of the nastiest, lowest industry in the world.
Hollywood was my first culture shock as a young teenager in the early 90s and I even grew up just 45 mins south of there! I remember being blown away by how dirty and dingy it all was!
I went there when I was like 19 (15 years ago). It was sketch then, and looks worse now. Not a fan. Have been to LA numerous times since but no desire to go back there. They could definitely do a lot with Hollywood Blvd, and it's a shame it's such a sh*t hole. Making it walkable is a great start, but then replace all those trash shops with outdoor cafes, some nice shopping, galleries, and some more history (museums and things about the history of Hollywood, as I feel like it's really the history and nostalgia that draws people in).
totally agree.
I was there almost 22 yrs ago and it wasnt anything glamorous then but watching this, it looks worse now. I really do hope they fix it up
They cursed themselves the day they destroyed Trumps star on the Boulevard. 😂
I live a few blocks from Hollywood. The grossness isn't the worst part of Hollywood; it's DANGEROUS as Fk.
Thank you so much for your amazing videos. Can’t wait to visit LA!
I live on Hollywood and personally enjoy the chaos. (Probably since I’ve only lived here for a year and a half) Definitely trashy down on the street tho. Can’t imagine being a tourist seeing some postcard only to pull up and see this. Especially the families. It would be a nightmare to have kids here.
I have lived in Los Angeles my entire life. I am 60. My first summer job was the doorman at the Chinese Theater and that was actually fun watching the tourists look at the famous footprints in the forecourt. When I was sixteen I copied down the phone numbers of a few pay telephones. This was 1979 and I would sit in my bedroom at night and we lived in a nice area of Los Angeles in the valley and I would call the payphones and people on Hollywood blvd would hear the ringing pay phones and they would answer and I would sit there in my room and talk to pimps and hookers and an assortment of nuts.
Haha! That’s crazy but a fun story. Thanks for sharing.
Good one, Michael. I haven't been down that way for a few years now, since the pandemic of 2020. I grew up in L.A. County in the '70s to mid '80s. I am 57 now as of Nov., and it's not just in Hollywood what you are seeing. The homeless are throughout the S. Ca. area. True, they are congregated more in certain areas. As far as the tourism goes there, I believe it will pick up mid May and more after Memorial Day. New sub, Michael.
I've been fascinated by the Hollywood mystique since I was a boy in the late 1940s and early 50s. At that time, the "talkies" were all the rage. It was still the Golden Age of Hollywood. I stayed in Hollywood on holiday in the summer of 1981. I liked it, and I have many happy memories. It's a shame that the authorities in Los Angeles have not taken care of such a valuable world heritage site as Hollywood. I hope they will do something about it soon.
Hollywood is the sign of Los Angeles; just like Eiffel tower to Paris ,even more it should be as the movie effects to all! It’s supposed to be the place filled with inspiration, dreams,magic ,powerful energy to all especially tourists! Unfortunately There is no any movie stars passing by ; no nice restaurants,bars , shopping,nice museums,park;but poor little stores,,,, dirty buildings and streets ,,,,it’s a shame.
Hollywood had been going downhill for a while now. My family moved out from there 30 years ago for the same reason.
I was there in the early 1990's and yes it was the Boulevard of broken dreams not the magical place I thought might at least visually magically with flower beds or nice pictures rather a run down avenue with a pile of seedy looking shops celling over priced pictures of your favorite movie stars,
Congratulations, this was an incredible video!
I think you exposed the reality of hollywood from a local perspective. I love LA and this unic vibe of California but it is true that many thinks here are a cliche that's why many people get dissapoiment when they visit LA.
By the way my biggest dream is visit LA and I'm going to go in 2 weeks, I' so exited and I just want to say thank you for all your videos you have uploded. I've followed you since your begin and I think your are a exellent vlogger, you have improved a lot in the edition and the formart.
I hope you get soon the thousands of followers you deserve.
My sincerest congratulations my friend!
appreciate it!!😊🌴
Another great video Michael! Love your channel. Have visited Hollywood a half dozen times and always enjoy Los Angeles generally. Best advice, as others have said, is to READ UP before exploring LA. Do your research!! As far as the Hollywood neighborhood goes, yep WHAT a dump! But it helps if you're a movie buff . . . and if you know how to avoid the tourist traps.
On my last couple of visits I really enjoyed Hollywood Forever Cemetery (there are movie nights there in the summer, where you can sit outside on the grass with a picnic, lots of LA locals do this!). And the Paramount Studios VIP tour is excellent (Paramount is located on its historic site in the heart of Hollywood, right next door to Hollywood Forever, so both can be easily done in one day). Melrose Avenue's shops and restaurants seem to be on the rise. And the hike to the Hollywood Sign was great; the sign is now beautifully pristine after its renovation.
Most of Hollywood Boulevard's "walk of shame" is seedy, touristy and horrible, especially down the Highland end, as you accurately document. However I would recommend catching a movie on the IMAX screen at the Chinese Theatre, it's spectacular inside! And 10 blocks to the east at Hollywood & Vine/Argyle there is a much better vibe, with nicely restored historic buildings (check LA guides for this), the Pantages Theatre (another historical gem) and also the brilliant Amoeba Records store. The newly renovated (by Netflix!) historic Egyptian Theatre is also on Hollywood Blvd. Let's hope they can clean up the rest of the street before the Olympics.
Always look forward to your videos Michael. BTW, I checked out Culver City in March, inspired by your channel, really nice!
Hollywood seems to be resting on their laurels, once was, but ain't no more. Thats the vibe I got.
Someone could make a horror movie in that metro station👀
I'm in the UK. All you see on our streets are tattoo parlours, betting shops, vape shops, barbers, hairdressers and nail bars. We have lots of homelessness, drugs and stabbings too. All this is a global problem.
Hollywood *could* be super nice. They just need to pedestrianize as many streets as they can. Imagine Hollywood Blvd like an LA La Rambla.
45 years ago, Hollywood was my fun exploration playground! My best memories were at Flipper's Roller Disco, The Magic Castle, and watching movies at the various theaters on Hollywood Blvd. I appreciate seeing a glimpse of the subway system, as have wondered for years. Your question on making Hollywood better is interesting. Keep thinking of a pedestrian only section, like what was done in Santa Monica & Hermosa Beach but then think about the displaced traffic and the valid considerations found in an Environmental Impact Report.
Great video,Michael! I will visit CA one day, of course knowing that isn't the Perfect City the media portrays 😅 despite all that, it is a beautiful city,this beach at the end of the video😍 beaultiful! Grettings to all people from CA 😃
Thank you so much for your amazing videos. Can’t wait to visit LA! 4:15
Hollywood Blvd. was beautiful in the 1960s. In December of 1965 I got a Christmas season temp job at the old Broadway store on Hollywood Blvd and Vine Street. One day I went to the top floor, which was vacant, and stood on the fire escape eating my lunch looking down on Hollywood and Vine. I remember seeing the old Brown Derby restaurant and looking up the street to see Capitol Records. It was really nice back then.
Even the SM 3rd street promenade is dying, drug addicts and trash is all over the place, most businesses are closing down... Very sad
I’ve been there the past two weekends and saw no trash or drug addicts…
Lived there during covid. I think more people need to know exactly what it's like or it won't ever change.
I come from the tourist capital of Australia, Surfers Paradise - it’s super similar to Hollywood blvd so I was prepared for it not being as romantic. I still had fun though, Amoeba Records is amazing and in 2029 the Museum Of Death was awesome.
I had a few drinks at Tekila and chatted with a few people, it was cool!
I think people should go to Hollywood just to say they have been there, and it’ll help you appreciate the other nicer and more culturally rich parts of LA even more.
Great video! Thank you.
Interesting/informative/entertaining. Never had the opportunity to stroll down the boulevard. Thanks for the tour-!!!😉. Has an interesting past since 1853.
As long as law enforcement has their hands tied by local and state ordinances, things will never improve. (Not to mention the punitive taxes that have crushed the middle class.)
Hollywood has never looked good in my 60 years. 8 million would never fix it with what you just said will congested on the street and more foot traffic come back a few years later and see.
The 348 million people who don't live there couldn't care less.
Now all the shops are closed and run down. I just visited, it is not the same. this video is showing the best bit.
I don't know why but I get this disgusting feeling everytime I visit that place its like it has a toxic atomoshere about it that I can't stomach.
Satan?
@@jenniferhorstmann2279 Idk its just a gross feeling
I was an older teen in the late 70s and lived in a small LA suburb not too far from Hollywood. Almost every Saturday night, my friends and I would drive to Hollywood to catch a movie and just hang out. At the time to us, Hollywood Blvd had an air of excitement to it, much different to the quiet town we lived in. Were we just too "young and dumb" to be aware of any dangers that might be lurking on the streets? Or was it really not that bad? I don't know, but we had fun.
This City, my beautiful LA, or at least this part of her, has completely changed after 2020. I used to come every year, for over a month, I even lived there for a while. I have always considered LA the custody of my Soul. I last went in December 2022. I was scared. I felt a sense of loneliness and despondency like never before. I miss her like air. But for the moment, given the situation and the prices, I will continue to watch her on videos.
And I remember listening to a graduation speech made by legendary author Ray Bradbury. One brief story: “When I was 10 i remember rushing down Hollywood Blvd on my bicycle hopefully to find a movie star who entertained me so much. To my shock I discovered W.E. Fields. ‘Oh Mr. Fields,’ I said ‘You made my childhood. Can I have your autograph Sir??” W.C. Fields begrudgingly signs the piece of paper I’m holding. ‘There you go now get out of here you little son of a bitch’” *students erupted in laughter*
Hopefully one day Hollywood, surrounding areas, return to those days. A person can ride their bicycle down the street off chance of meeting their favorite celebrity, saying how much their work meant bc celebrities, like all people, need positive affirmations now more than ever. Keep posting my dude!!
Hey, interesting video👍🏼
Can you please investigate LaBrea area, would be great to know the area from your perspective.
Thanks
We need 4 more years of this!
I live here... everything you said is true. The politicians and the Chamber of Commerce has to know it's like this, but, what are they doing about it? Nothing as far as we can see. There's like a six or eight block stretch of Hollywood Blvd that's full of nothing but boarded up and vacant storefronts. Why? This place has such potential. The neighborhoods are nice. If they invested in fixing the cracked stars along The Walk of Fame and set up tax incentives to bring business back, it could be one of the nicest areas in L.A.. Hopefully videos like yours get seen by the people who can restore/resurrect it and do just that.
I took my only trip to LA 13 years ago and stayed off hollywood blvd thinking it would be a nice location after growing up hearing about celebrities and the stars. The second i got there I immediately realized I was conned, it was a total dump! It was less enjoyable than most 3rd world countries I've been too.
The end of the video made feel serene instantly
I lived on Carlos and Gower behind the Palladium for 10 years from '77 to 88 and walked those streets every day and it was always bad but exciting. I love it there and got to know the bums, street people and weirdos just from my travels to work or to the Ralphs grocery store on Franklin and everywhere else. You dont have to get involved with street nonsense if you dont want to and HORRAY for HOLLYWOOD!
They used to hold the Hollywood Teenage Age Fair in the parking lot of the Palladium way back in the 1960s.
They have to prohibit street vendors as a first step!
I worked location security with film crews in the past and did lots of extra work, for me it was fun, we got a full meal catered to the whole cast & crew everyday during filming, 🍔 there was allways a craft services truck we had access to with coffee, snacks, & drinks, and there was also a table set up with coffee, soft drinks and snacks for extras. ☕ On set there's a lot of joking around until rolling a scene. As for the casting couch and persuit of stardom I'm oblivious cause I never really persude it.
We visited back in 1999 and stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel, at this time it was a nearly a run down place. Okay-ish but nothing special. I always dreamt of visiting LA and maybe one day I'll visiting again but not in the near future. There is no glamour or sparkle it's all a created illusion. Reality hits hard...
And the metro station would freak me out. Check out pictures of the metro station Berlin Museumsinsel - it's like being under a roof of stars...
In the subway.Is the sound to discourage homeless?
Love your videos calming and stay away from bad spirits stay In positive vortex only
Thanks, Mike, for the helpful tour. I’ll be staying at the Roosevelt in two weeks to attend the Beverly Hills Film Festival. I stayed there on a previous visit to do the same in 2019. It was pretty bad then… can’t imagine what I’ll be faced with this time around. This video certainly helps! Thank you. HA! “SINFUL” PIZZA!!! : )
Did you experience any ghostly things?! I had friends who went expecting to be scared shitless but said it was nothing of the sort and more of a gorgeous time warp to the 30s lol.
No ghosts. Enjoyed my stay. Fun Fact: As an award-winning screenwriter, the setting of my latest feature script, a horror screenplay called HORROR-FEST, takes place at The Roosevelt! How cool is THAT?
I always stay in Hollyweird when I am in LA (from New Zealand). It is central to everywhere we need to be. Usually at the Roosevelt and is a great place to introduce new comers from overseas to LA.
@Michael Martello Enjoyed your video. Smoke shops, tattoo parlors, junk stores…sounds like my city lol
Been to LA and Hollywood once years ago. Other than the Chinese Theatre, I can honestly say the city is awful..full of smelly, unkempt people wandering around in unwashed costumes wanting money for photos, homeless people everywhere, and seedy shops selling crap. I will never bother to go back!
I grew up in Hollywood during the 70s and went to Cheremoya school. It’s completely changed and I steer clear of that area at all costs unless it’s absolutely necessary. Long gone are places such as the Pickwick Store (the most amazing bookstore I had ever seen!), Wallach’s Music City, Villa Capri, etc. Hell, I even miss the porn theaters. It’s just a congested tourist trap. I think the last movie I recall seeing at the Chinese theater was The Naked Gun. The glamour is gone.
Oops pretty woman had some scenes filmed at George's (where Richard Gere bought flowers at the ende of the movie). The Blvd was great then -into the 70s. Went back years later --- Last time 5 years ago. And it was horrible. Dirty, mostly tourists and scary people. Just drove dowy the Blvd -- made a quick left on Melrose, then down Sunset to the beach. Out of there quick. Ahhh memories. 😢😢😢😢😢
It’s sad and disheartening to see Hollywood Blvd in the state it’s in. Doesn’t exude that Tinseltown vibrance and magic that every out of state tourist expects to see and experience. Wish there was a way to get city leaders out of their comfy offices and transport them all to Hollywood Blvd. And make them walk the entire length of it. Have them take in that glorious “Hollywood Experience” like everyone else. Maybe that’ll get them to fast track a plan to clean it up.
6:17 I just watched your la transit video, and was confused when you bought the tap card lol😂
omg you’re right, I made that vid like 2 years ago and honestly totally slipped my mind LOL
I visited Hollywood Blvd. in the late 90s. We took an LA tour by bus and were let off to explore on our own.
Much different than I expected - but in a good way. My image of Hollywood wasn't much about glamor but shaped by 70s and 80s TV and movies.
Expected it to be bad,. But wasn't. No homeless, panhandle, street peddlers etc. Annoying doormen at some shops trying to get you in was about the only negative.
After watching this and a couple other videos, have no desire to return.
Yes, Hollywood Boulevard has been a mess for at least 40 years and every year you hear somebody saying we need to clean up Hollywood Boulevard well guess what doesn’t look like it’s happening anytime soon so get used to it
The last time I was on Hollywood Boulevard was in September 2000 during the time of the Metro Transit strike
Me and my family stayed at the Loews hotel and ate burgers at 25 degrees in the Roosevelt which has still kept its scary gothic chic vibe, but it was late at night and on our walk back to Loews we were practically assaulted by these two guys who were following us and literally FOLLOWED US INTO THE HOTEL but right as we got to our elevator a young man and his wife got out and saw how it was suspicious and told us to ride with them instead and the other guys left now that we were a group. Still enjoyed my stay cause I’m a Hollywood buff and adore the history but bleh it was bad it was just so creepy
Sadly, Hollywood deserves to become a wasteland, instead of a societal magnet. In the mid 80's, I stayed at The Mark Twain Hotel and also The Hotel Gilbert. Both were ratholes, but cheap ones at least. But I had to open the room's door with a popsicle stick because they didn't have any key for them. Those were the hotels the welfare office in Glendale would send me to with a nightly voucher because I was homeless, and they wanted to get rid of me. Anyways, one day I walked down Hollywood Blvd. to get something to eat, and I saw a young girl, about age 14, getting carried away by a group of about 8 gang members. She had a very worried look on her face. Me and her made eye contact. She was about 20 feet away from where I was. Her eyes were pleading with me. She couldn't walk or talk. She was silent, and limp. She had probably been given a date r@pe drug at the Greyhound bus station right down the street on Vine. That was all happening at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine. Well, since there was hundreds of business people on the street who had just gotten off work at the time. I grew very bold and yelled, "Hey look! They're kidnapping that young girl, let's save her!". I honestly thought that a group of strong men would back skinny-little-ole me up, too. Instead, lots of people turned their heads and saw what was happening, then they just turned and went on their way again. One of the gang members pulled out a pistol and walked right up to me pointing it at my head. He stood 5 feet in front of me and then he said, "I could shoot you dead and nobody would do anything fool! Better you turn and walk away before I do it too!" By that time the rest of the guys had disappeared down the block and then around a corner. There was zero I could do but turn and slowly walk away, hoping the angry guy didn't shoot me in the back. Another time before that happened, two guys robbed me in broad daylight on Hollywood Blvd. One guy grabbed my arms and the other guy went through my pockets. I was defenseless, they were huge angry guys. I only had a dollar and forty cents on me, just enough to afford a hamburger and fries at the corner deli. They laughed and let me keep it. But they did tear up my driver's license that was in my wallet. They told me that anyone that broke wasn't even an American. Then they pulled out wads of cash and flashed it in my face as they threw my wallet on the ground laughing at me. Yes, Hollywood deserved to become a wasteland instead of a magnet for poor innocent runaway girls, or a spot to dump people wanting a welfare check so they wouldn't have to be homeless long before being homeless got to be so common a thing. I often wonder what ever happened to that poor girl. They probably hooked her on drugs and sold her at will... every single day they could. Well, after they had sexually abused her into broken-spirited compliance first. And that was back in the 80's when Hollywood was just a little bit dangerous. Those streets used to be mostly teaming with regular normal people until the sun went down. Businesses were all thriving too. Well, thanks for letting me share all that. "Maine" says "hello".
I visited in 1995 and it was a dump then. Can’t imagine it’s better now. A few bike lanes and wider footpaths will do nothing to improve it.
I went there for the first time in 2004 and it was actually decent. There wasn't anything fancy, some things looked worn down, but you could walk at night and not be bothered and I didn't get bothered by anybody. One night I took the train, went to North Hollywood and came back. There wasn't garbage anywhere on the streets in Hollywood, there was just a lot of gum spots but there wasn't trash all over the place. Compared to downtown Detroit at that time it had life.
Only two reasons I ever go to Hollywood, and they are both excellent: The Magic Castle (Nope, not a magician but this place has the best vibes) and Musso and Frank Grill. Honorable mention: the people watching at the Trader Joe’s on Vine.
It's funny I live in Hollywood and this guy is spot on. when Im out jogging I always go the opposite direction and I never stroll on the walk unless I have to. Too many tourist annoying.
Not for long
So daring of you,to profile the boulevard.Hope you didn't get hurt;(cat on a leash,OMG).Take a shower,after that nightmare.💙