Where is the Hollywood Stars at?

[Rita1965]

I am so excited. We are going back to DL. We were there the last week of February, and now we get to go back for the 1st week of June.

When we were there in Feb, we stayed at the DL hotel, and it was nice. This time we are going back to our favorite the Candy Cane. Love the rooms, the breakfast, the price, the pool, and the location. This time we are staying a whole week. This will be our longest trip.

In addition to DL, we are thinking of going to Knottsberry and Universal again.

Here is my question. My son wants to see Hollywood, and he wants to see the stars on the sidewalk. Can somebody give me an adress or streetname where those stars are. I want to mapquest it, so I have a map. Anything else my son should see when it comes to Hollywood?

 

[Michelle]

Hi Rita! Here's a website with information on the Hollywood Walk of Fame:

Walk of Fame

Be aware, though, that Hollywood is actually a pretty seedy area...I'm sad to say. I don't recommend walking around at night, although during the day it is relatively safe.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Snow Brite]

I took my daughter to go to Mann's Theatre in the afternoon and we were a bit uncomfortable. There were a lot of people just hanging around, crowding the sidewalks, and in "unusual" costumes. We found Walt's star and Mickey Mouse's and looked at the stars handprints in the sidewalks and left. There was a gay day parade or something so maybe that was why there were so many, but we did not stay long and only stopped in because we were on our way to see The Lion King play. I would NOT say it was worth a special trip.

Jennifer

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

<font color=navy>If you're going to Universal Studios, then you can stop at Hollywood Blvd. on the way home, and see Mann's Chinese Theater (originally Gramman's Chinese Theater). Across the street from that is the El Capitan theater where Disney shows its films (great theater). We've been there in the early evening many times, and had never had any trouble. Yes, there are a lot of "strange" people there, but there are a lot of lights, and it's pretty busy. Another street you can just drive up, if you wish, is Barham Street - just a couple of exits from the one that takes you to Universal Studios -- there you'll see the famous Warner Bros. Studios and NBC Studios, where the Jay Leno and other shows are filmed. The ABC studios are on Prospect Ave, and you get there by taking the Vermont exit (that also takes you to the Observatory, but the Observatory is closed till 2005, I think). (Can you tell I've spent some time in that area? We have friends who are twin brothers - one works at ABC, and the other at NBC - in fact if you have ever seen Soundman Allen on Jay Leno (has also dressed up as the Pillsbury Doughboy & other characters in skits) that is one of the twins... I used to go watch game shows & rehearsals back in my younger, single days).

If you want to visit the Hollywood area on a day other than the day you visit Universal, then I'd recommend going to the La Brea Tarpits (that's where the volcano erupts in the movie "Volcano"), then going west another two blocks to Rodeo Drive, and check out that short, yet famous street - at the end is the famous, pink Beverly Hills Hotel. I think the hotel is on the corner of Rodeo Drive and Sunset Blvd. Go north on Sunset till you get to Fairfax (near where La Brea Tarpits are), and you'll see I think it's Paramount Studios, and you can also visit the famous Farmer's Market (I think early morning is best to visit the market, though. From this location, you can go past Sunset to Hollywood Blvd (or Hollywood Blvd may run in to Sunset - would have to check that out, and go west towards the Mann's Chinese Theater, etc..... just be prepared for a lot of really eccentric people.

 

[Rita1965]

Thank you for all the suggestions. We will make sure to visit in the morning, between 9am and 10am, before we go to Universal Studios. Glad it is on the way to Universal. I really don't have a desire to see it, but my 12 year old wants to see it bad, so I am going to take your suggestions and head for the are of Mann's Chinese Theatre. My 12 year old wants to see where Chris Tucker took Jackie Chan to in Rush Hour. Hope I got the actors names right.

Thanks for telling me about Barham St. We love Jay Leno and will drive through there so we can see where he tapes, and also see the Warner Bros. studios. We won't stop, but it will be fun to drive by it.

Thanks Michelle for the website.

 

[Another Voice]

If you want to see “real” Hollywood, skip Universal and go to Warner Brothers Studio. They offer a two hour tour that is geared around actual production on the lot that day. The chance of seeing “real” stars and “real” movies is much greater and the tour is limited to about a dozen people (reservations are required I think). Most days include a stop on real soundstages housing whatever movie is shooting that day. Several months ago I took some visitors and we watched Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg shooting ‘Minority Report’. Slightly better than watching a rubber shark “attack” a tram.

 

[Rita1965]

Would the 2 hour tour at Warner Bros be appropriate for a 4 year old? My 4 year old is a very active little girl, and if it is too much sitting around she would not enjoy it. She does like the tram ride at Universal, but then again it has a lot of entertainment.

 

[Another Voice]

Sorry, I didn't know about your four-year old. The WB has an age limit (I think it's 10).

 

[poopie]

a web site or a phone number for the Warner Brothers tour? I would like to take that.

Rachael

 

[Planogirl]

I found this WB link: http://wbsf.warnerbros.com/home.html Note the VIP studio tour link in the list.

It seems a little pricey but interesting. Thanks for the info.

Don't some of the other studios also offer tours?

 

[Another Voice]

NBC's west coast studios are located about two blocks from Warner Brothers. It's probably best known as the location for the Jay Leno Show and the location for any NBC News report about Los Angeles (they like to use The Disney Channel building as a backdrop for some reason). At one time they did offer tours of the studio and the adjacent studios for the local NBC Affiliate station (KNBC-TV) but for some reason I can't find any information on them.

About two blocks beyond NBC is The Walt Disney Studios. They do not offer any kind of tour but many sights are available by just simply driving around the block. You can see the "temple" Team Disney Buildings (with all the dwarves), the new Animation building (home of the original BAH), the glittering new ABC Headquarters Building (already being labled the Temple of Doom) and the original Walt-era water tower (the one the old icon at Disney/MGM in Florida was modeled after, but this one doesn't have ears).

One the other side of the hills in Hollywood, Paramount Pictures has offered tours of their large lot but they have been suspended because of the war. Hollywood tends to think of itself as the center of the universe and their egos have driven up the "security" to rather bizzare levels. You might want to check close to the time of your trip to see if they've resumed their tours.

My personal favorite is still the Warner Brothers Studios because they seem to always have the most production and because of their very large back lot area.