"Hollywood? Hollyweird? Both?" a Hollywood Travel Page by Basaic

The world famous Grauman's Theater was designed by Sid Grauman and architect Raymond Kennedy. It was started in January 1926 and was completed 18 months later at a cost of $2,000,000. Grauman had to obtain special permission from the US Government to import the temple bells, pagodas, stone Heaven Dogs, and other artifacts used in the construction and design of the theater from China. The grand opening of Grauman's Chinese occurred on May 18, 1927, with the debut of Cecil B. DeMille's “The King of Kings,” which was preceded by "Glories of the Scriptures," a live prologue devised by master showman Sid Grauman.

On 30 April 1927 Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks placed the first hand and footprints in the cement in front of the theater. Since then about 180 celebrities have done the same. You can compare the size of your hands and feet to those of stars like Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne. There are also always people dressed like celebrities walking around outside. They will pose with you; but expect a tip. They usually want the tip before posing. Grauman's also attracts an interesting assortment of locals and tourists, attracting over 4 million visitors each year.

A can't miss attraction in Hollywood is the Hollywood Wax Museum. The museum opened in 1966 and the displays change often. The museum is open from 10 AM to midnight 365 days a year. Admission is $15.95 for adults (12-64); $13.95 for seniors (65 and up); $6.95 for kids (6 to 12) and free for kids under 6. You can save money by buying a combo ticket godd for the wax museum and the Guiness World Records Museum.

Another of the famous attractions in Hollywood is the Walk of Fame. The Walk started out in 1960 with over 2,500 blank "stars," and only about 2,300 of them have been filled so far. Celebrities of all types are nominated and several are selected to get added to the Walk of Fame each year. The stars do not have to be real people.