Travel Tips

"Hollyweird". "Hollyhood".

Hollywood has had many incarnations. From farmland, to religious commune, to suburb. Then, came the heyday of "Hollywood". Theatres, red carpets, starlets and studio players. But, it was shorter lived than most realize.

Homeowners drifted west and the neighborhood descended into very tough times. Drugs, gangs and prostitution reigned supreme. The only bright spot was the rise of the LA punk scene of the late 70's and early 80's that originated in Hollywood clubs and became influential in the worldwide music scene.

Attempts at urban renewal continued through the 90's, but most failed. Eventually, the combination of rising rents in neighboring communities, the completion of the Hollywood & Highland Complex, the advent of the subway and the city's generous doling out of liquor/dance licenses led to a renewed interest in Hollywood.

Artists and young professionals forced out of Los Feliz and West Hollywood by high rents moved into the central district, mostly north of Sunset Blvd. and west of Vine. Bars and nightclubs were welcomed by the city, as they were the only ventures willing to take a chance on the neighborhood. The streets began to buzz after sundown.

The "Hollywood Revitalization" exploded.

The first boom centered around Hollywood and Highland, and began to spread east to Vine. Cahuenga Blvd. (Cah-when-gah)became bar-hopping central & was re-branded "The Cahuenga Corridor". Nightclub impresarios had taken the lead, and the chains began to follow. Retail and Restaurants, historically skittish on the "renewal", jumped in. The desolate stretch of Hollywood Boulevard between Vine and Highland began to fill in.

Sadly, many longtime residents began to be forced out by development and rising rents. The areas south of Sunset and east of Vine continued to be left out of the rebound. Many of the locals migrated to these areas in search of new homes. The Los Angeles Housing Department's failure to enforce rent protections raised the ire of City Hall and resulted in internal investigations. However, it was too little too late.

The AMDA performing arts school settles down in The Yucca Corridor in 2003. It's its first Los Angeles branch, and brings with it a fairly large student population. The school buys up many adjacent buildings for student housing, inviting further local development, and a larger police presence. In the years between 2003 and 2008, crime drops 23%.

The rise of Downtown LA begins to affect Hollywood. Business owners press for a police crackdown on skid row, which sends many of the destitute homeless looking for new digs. Many migrate to Santa Monica - and many migrate to Hollywood. Even as crime continues to drop, the homeless population rises.

And, in a sign of uncertain economic times, many of the completed condo developments revert to rentals. Initial rental rates flounder and monthly rates come down. As of January, 2009, home prices had tumbled 18.4% vs. the previous year. Ouch.

Still, the W Hotel development moves forward at Hollywood & Vine, hoping for brighter economic times upon its completion.