To many people, the image of Hollywood, and of LA in general, is either a place that’s full of glitz and glamour, and positively swarming with celebrities - or as devoid of celebrities, with them hiding out in their mansions or at exclusive, elitist clubs where only celebrities themselves are allowed to go.

The reality is that neither of these extremes is correct. If you’re visiting LA, the chances are that you won’t see a celebrity. But equally, if you live in Hollywood, celebrity spotting is just another perk of living in glamorous surroundings.

Another nugget of truth that can be sifted out of the rumours of Hollywood is that there are specific places where celebrities go to do the things that everyday people enjoy - there are shops, restaurants, nightspots, even video stores that are favourites of the stars. But the fact is, everyone is welcome - not just celebrities!

Some of the stars’ favourite restaurants include seafood specialist Crustacean, where the key is to dress and act like a movie-star; Spago, famous chef Wolfgang Puck’s own restaurant, which many argue sets the standard for eating in Hollywood (which, when you consider some of the richest people in the world live here, is certainly saying something!); Patrick’s Roadhouse, a favourite spot for a celebrity breakfast (where now-governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger had a permanent table!); and of course The Ivy, favourite of Demi Moore and Kiefer Sutherland, which itself has made several movie appearances, notably in John Travolta and Danny DeVito’s ‘Get Shorty’ and 1992 smash-hit ‘The Bodyguard’.

The top nightspots where the stars choose to shine include music venues The Viper Room, which, although small and intimate, has seen stars of sizeable magnitude, including Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, The Counting Crows and Lenny Kravitz; The Roxy, which was once a second home to rockers Guns ‘n Roses; and The Troubadour, which has seen the likes of Elton John and Tom Waits performing. Favourite nightclubs include world-famous Whisky a Go Go (which itself has a impressive musical history), El Floradita and The Sky Bar.

And finally, if you feel you need to take something with you from the land of the stars, the shops that are best-loved by celebrities include Di Fabrizio Shoes, shoemaker to the likes of Frank Sinatra, Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli; Book Soup, a book store that often has star-signings as well; Illume Candles, candle makers that keep the stars’ homes glowing; and every celebrities’ favourite fashion store, Fred Segal, which is mentioned in fashion-obsessed films like ‘Clueless’ and ‘Legally Blonde’, and has a reputation for trend-setting and essential fashion.

LA has two Fred Segal stores, one in Hollywood and one in nearby Santa Monica, an area that is popular with celebs because of its beautiful beaches and relaxed way of life. It is home to Patrick’s Roadhouse, and as well as being the home of some of the best eateries and fashion stores and hotels in LA, is also home to many major stars, such as Bob Dylan, Anjelica Huston, Christina Ricci and Tobey Maguire.

There are also a great deal of top-quality hotels in Santa Monica, so if you feel like living like an LA star, this is the place to be!

About the author

Victoria Cochrane is a freelance writer for both online and print media. She lives with her husband and son, and enjoys travelling when not writing.

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Los Angeles ‘City of Angeles’- A cultural city full of life 24hours a day 365 days a year. When you come to LA, you will find a city full of fun, glamour & dreams. A City that redefined enjoyment, Los Angeles is a place you would like to come again & again not only because of the glitz & glamour of Hollywood or the attraction of the rich and the famous personalities but also because of the sun soaked beaches of Santa Monica and Venice Beach, this original Toon-Town has more to offer then you can ask for. It helps to know that what is commonly referred to as ‘LA’ is really ‘LA County’, a conglomeration of 88 cities of which LA is just one. The heart of the city of Los Angeles is Downtown, about 19 kilometers (12 mi) east of the ocean and hemmed in by the I-10, I-5 and US 101.

There are many places in Los Angeles to visit, few of them are list below:
Disneyland
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Los Angeles Zoo
Los Angeles Convention Center
LA Staples Center
LAX Airport
Burbank Airport
California Los Angeles Studios
–Warner Bros. Studio
–NBC
–CBS
Los Angeles California Beaches
–Venice Beach
–Santa Monica Beach
Los Angeles California Universities
–UCLA
–USC

Hollywood Area Attractions

Hollywood really is the land of dreams to its visitors from this site you can know every thing about Hollywood area attractions like- Universal studio Hollywood, Hollywood walk of fame, Paramount studios, Hollywood sign, Rodeo Drive, Farmers Market, Los Angeles Hollywood Streets & Los Angeles Hollywood Theaters. Know about past and present of these Hollywood attractions & familiarize yourself with Hollywood California.

There are many places in Hollywood to visit, few of them are list below:

Universal Studios Hollywood
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Paramount studios
Hollywood Sign
Rodeo Drive
Farmers Market
Los Angeles Hollywood Streets
–Sunset Boulevard
–Hollywood Boulevard
–Highland Ave
Los Angeles Hollywood Theaters
–Hollywood Bowl Theater
–Grauman Chinese Theater
–Kodak Theater
–Pantages Theater

You can visit these beautiful places & enjoy your vacation with your family. You cab get the information related to rooms, facilities, booking and other details of selected Los Angeles Hotels and Hollywood Hotels. If you find most comfortable hotels in Los Angeles and hotels in Hollywood area that are guaranteed to make your stay that much more relaxing and enjoyable during your vacation or business trip. Visit here to know more about Los Angeles Hotels

We all know that Americans watch too much TV and since the writers are going on strike and re-runs are on their way, why don’t we boycott all TV and Movies for the next year? This way the writers will have no where to go back to work too. This is a fitting lesson to those who mess with the TV viewing consumer, let us vote against this strike and the writers by turning off the TV and taking our minds back.

The Hollywood Movie and TV writers strike is hurting many small businesses on the Westside of LA and also definitely hurting the West Hollywood area, which is primarily considered a gay population. The Hollywood Writers are now impacting their own communities and taking a toll on the local economies there.

The West Hollywood mayor recently made a statement to the hope that the Hollywood Writers strike would end quickly and to the mutual benefit of all, because it is causing economic hardship on the community, something that they do not need or want. One has to ask why Hollywood Writers feel it is acceptable to take down an entire community or hurt the economy in Los Angeles, when they are already amongst the highest paid writers in the entire World.

Being a Hollywood Writer is indeed a dream job for many a struggling writer, of course the current Hollywood Writers feel entitled and are taking for granted their stellar opportunities, without regard to consumer TV viewers or their local communities and that is one writer’s opinion.

The Hollywood film industry is an amalgamation of technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking. It generally consists of film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, actors, directors, and film personnel.

Today the Hollywood film industry is positioned across the world. In this 21st century, the major business centers of filmmaking are concentrated in United States, India and China. Hollywood is a district in Los Angeles, California that is situated in west- northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural individuality of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a connotation for the cinema of United States which is popularly known as the Hollywood film Industry.

The history of the Hollywood Film Industry probably started in the hands of D.W. Griffith when the Biograph Company sent him and his crew. They started filming on a vacant lot in downtown Los Angeles in early 1910. Soon the company decided to explore new territories to find that the region was quite friendly and enjoyable for shooting.

Therefore, Griffith filmed the first ever movie shot in Hollywood. The title of the film was “In Old California”. The movie company then stayed there for months to shoot several of their films and returned to New York.

Starting in 1913, this wonderful place came into the limelight when moviemakers started heading to the west. The first feature film made in Hollywood was called ‘The Squaw Man” This resulted in the birth of Hollywood Film Industry.

Nestor Studio, founded in 1911 was the first movie studio in Hollywood. Fifteen other small studios also settled in Hollywood. Gradually, Hollywood came to be so powerfully associated with the film industry that this term began to be used as a synonym for the entire industry.

During the time period of the first World War, Hollywood become the movie capital of the world. Previously mentioned, Nester studio became the Hollywood Digital Laboratory. By the year 1950, music recording studios and offices began moving to Hollywood, though much of the movie industry remained there.

The world famous Hollywood Walk of Fame was constructed in the year 1958 and the first star was placed in 1960. The Walk of Fame was placed as a tribute to the artists working in the entertainment industry. It is embedded with more than 2,000 five pointed stars featuring the names of celebrities, as well as fictional characters.

Self-financing Hollywood Historic Trust maintains this Walk of Fame. The first star to receive this honor was Joanne Woodward. The artist received a star based on career and lifetime achievements in motion pictures, live theatres, radio, television, and music.

The famous Hollywood symbol, originally read Hollywoodland, was constructed in the year 1923 as an advertisement of a new housing development. The sign was left to worsen until in 1949 the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce repaired and removed the last four letters.

The sign located at Mount Lee, is now a registered trademark hence cannot be used without the permission of the Chamber of Commerce.

The Hollywood Film Industry can be called the Mecca of film industries. Though geographically it is located in Hollywood, it resides in the hearts of millions of film lovers and film related personalities. Hollywood remains and will remain a king, without a scepter.