Hollywood is the history of American cinema from the familiar locations shot there such as the Griffith Observatory most notable in the James Dean movie, "Rebel Without a Cause" to Sunset Boulevard where Gloria Swanson plays the swan diving former silent screen star Norma Desmond who continues to live in the past, a past that is long gone and has put her aside like a bag a forgotten trash on the curb. Memorable lines that define the "old" Hollywood utter from the aging icons lips.."I'm ready for my close up Mr. Demille" and "I'm still big, it's the films that have gotten small!"
The nightlife of Hollywood is unmatched anywhere except maybe some back alley in old Tangiers with smugglers and brothels, but here it's comedy clubs, live music, rock and roll, blues, and jazz. Shopping is for the rich of pocket book for the most part, but there are Salvation Army's in the area for us more retro hipsters who can't throw anything away and a used field jacket is treasured more than a Ralph Lauren. Ok, the devil may wear Prada, but the hipster wears used 1950's rockabilly bowling shirts!
Yeah, ok, you can take the typical tours that are favored by the suburbanite from the Midwest and tour the homes of the stars, or you can rock and roll it with one of the specialty tours. Buckle Up Baby! It's time to Helter Skelter! Yes, there is a Helter Skelter Tour that takes you to all the grisly locations where the Manson family perpetrated mass murder for no apparent reason except the insanity that infiltrated the mind of Charles Manson in an effort to incite a race war, and instead left innocent people dead including an unborn baby. The only rule on the tour is that there are "no weapons allowed!"
The Black Dahlia is one of Hollywoods greatest mysteries and has never been solved. The Tragic Tombstone Tour visits locations of some of Hollywoods most bizarre and infamous murders from the Black Dahlia to the assasination of mobster Bugsy Siegel. Horror fans will get a chainsaws worth of happiness on the famous Horror Films Tour Locations. Halloween, Zombieland, Scream 2 and the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The fun part is your guide is dressed as Michael Meyers so I suggest you do as he says and don't mess with him under any circumstances. You can also see the homes where some of filmlands famous "horror" stars died such as Peter (The Beast with Five Fingers) Lorre to Bela (Dracula) Lugosi! By the way..Bela's was buried in his famous Count Dracula cape!) Now that is even dying in "character!"
The Sunset Strip is still a live wire act of nightlife of all kinds. As Hendrix asked so eloquently, "Are You Experienced?" if not I suggest you make the street scene with someone who is. The Strip is home to the old Whiskey A-Go-Go, a venue predating the Filmore in San Francisco and gave birth to groups such as The Doors, The Byrds, The Who, Led Zeppelin, the Kinks and most notably, Buffalo Sprinfield. When the club was closed down and curfew imposed on the Strip in the Sixties, riots broke out and it was a police free for all busting heads. The film Riot on Sunset Strip is a cinematic interpretion of the events and Steven Stills wrote "Something Happening Here" ..what it is ain't exactly clear. Most think it was a Buffalo Springfield anti-war song...wrong! Stills in a Rolling Stone interview said he wrote it about the riots on Sunset Strip. One of the newest additions to the Sunset Strip is a piece of artwork that is sure to delight the nostalgia G-Spot. It's a rather large statue of Rocky and Bullwinkle!
Food too can be pricey as well as California spicey, but rest assured there are veggie palaces for the purists and hot dog stands footlongs for those of us plaid and proud originally from the midwest. There is so much more to take in, that one article will not do it. I decided to dispense with the usual tour of Hollywood and focus more on the insane underbelly, but for those with a penchant for the more down to earth activities, nearby in Anaheim is Disneyland..the hap, hap, happiest place on earth! If you're into talking mice and ducks that is. Hollywood...Hollyweird..Hollyweed...it's all wrapped up in a big phallic bag of sex, drugs and rock and roll...and Hooray for Hollyweed! Lights, camera's action!