Hollywood Boulevard is a boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States, beginning at Sunset Boulevard in the east and running northwest to Vermont Avenue, where it straightens out and runs due west to Laurel Canyon Boulevard. West of Laurel Canyon it continues as a small residential street in the hills, finally ending at Sunset Plaza Drive. On the east side of Hollywood Boulevard it passes through the neighborhoods of Little Armenia and Thai Town.

The famous street was named Prospect Avenue from 1887 to 1910, when the town of Hollywood was annexed to the city of Los Angeles. After annexation, the street numbers changed from 100 Prospect Avenue, at Vermont Avenue, to 6400 Hollywood Boulevard. In 1946 Gene Autry rode his horse in the Hollywood Christmas parade and was inspired by the children yelling "Here comes Santa Claus, Here comes Santa Claus," to write the song "Here Comes Santa Claus" along with Oakley Haldeman. Then, the boulevard was nicknamed "Santa Claus Lane". The Hollywood Christmas Parade passes down Hollywood Boulevard every Sunday after Thanksgiving.



In 1958, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which runs from Gower Street to La Brea Avenue, was created. The first star was placed in 1960 as a tribute to artists working in the entertainment industry. Joanne Woodward was the first performer to receive a star. The Walk of Fame recognizes celebrities and icons such as Walt Disney, Paula Abdul, Hugh Hefner, and many more. (The walk was later extended onto Vine Street.)

The Hollywood extension of the Metro Red Line subway was opened in June 1999 . Running from Downtown to the Valley, it has stops on Hollywood Boulevard at Western Avenue, at Vine Street and at Highland Ave. Metro Local lines 180, 181 and 217 and Metro Rapid line 780 serve Hollywood Boulevard. An anti-cruising ordinance prohibits driving on part of the boulevard more than twice in four hours.

The largest collection of photos of Hollywood Blvd. is on the Bruce Torrence Hollywood Historical Collection.

Revitalization

In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001. With many housing and lofts conversions and a future entertainment complex on the corner of Hollywood and Vine owned by W Hotels. Also various nightclubs have opened up with many celebrities and Hollywood Starletts coming in to party such as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Jamie Foxx including a new Tex-Mex restaurant on the corner of Hollywood and Ivar by Eva Longoria called Beso. The street remains one of the major tourist draws in Los Angeles.

In the past several years alone, more than $2 billion has been spent on projects in the neighborhood, including mixed-use retail and apartment complexes and new schools and museums. This Hollywood renaissance represents a potential future for much more of Los Angeles, a sprawling, horizontal city where vertical, dense and mostly walkable neighborhoods with public transportation are increasingly in vogue.

In February 2006, it was announced that the clothier H&M is opening a location just across the street from Hollywood and Highland, and in May 2007, it was announced that the Spanish retail chain Zara will be opening nearby the new Madame Tussauds scheduled to open in 2009.

Landmarks include

• Bob Hope Square
• Grauman's Chinese Theatre
• Grauman's Egyptian Theatre
• El Capitan Theatre
• Hollywood Sign
• Frederick's of Hollywood
• Hollywood and Highland
• Hollywood Pacific Theatre
• Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
• Hollywood Walk of Fame
• Hollywood Wax Museum
• Jane's House
• Kodak Theatre
• Madame Tussauds 2009
• Hollywood Masonic Temple- Home of TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live!
• Musso & Frank Grill
• Pantages Theatre
• Pig 'n Whistle
• Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Odditorium
• Capitol Records Tower

In popular culture

• Red Hot Chili Peppers' song "Californication" mentions Hollywood Boulevard.
• Jackson Browne's album Hold Out refers to Hollywood Boulevard in the song "Boulevard".
• The Kinks' song "Celluloid Heroes" is about Hollywood Boulevard and the personalities engraved therein. A number of landmarks are referred to.
• The 1979 film Hardcore was shot here as the first of California's sex districts George C. Scott's Jake Van Dorn looks for his daughter in.
• The 1984 film Angel and is about a teenage prostitute who works on Hollywood Boulevard at night, while attending high school as an Honors student by day.
• In the film Pretty Woman, Richard Gere "picks up" Julia Roberts on Hollywood Boulevard.
• In the Black Eyed Peas music video I Gotta Feeling, the video starts out with some scenes in Hollywood Boulevard.
• The System of a Down song "Lost in Hollywood" references Hollywood Boulevard and the unscrupulous nature of Hollywood itself.
• Hollywood Boulevard is mentioned in the song "Rock Star" by Nickelback.
• Ryan Adams has a song titled "Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd" on the album Gold.
• The Boulevard was featured in the film Singin' in the Rain (1952).
• Hollywood Boulevard was featured in an I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ethel attempt to steal the block with John Wayne's footprints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre as a souvenir.
• Grauman's Chinese Theatre, which is a major attraction on the Boulevard, is also featured in the Walt Disney World theme park, Disney's Hollywood Studios.
• Australian singer Tina Arena has sung a song about Hollywood Boulevard on her French album 7 vies.
• Craig Ferguson often knows where to get stuff down on Hollywood Blvd for $20, most of the time with special side deal.
• Danity Kane filmed their music video for "Show Stopper" on Hollywood Blvd, which was closed down in order to do so.
• Hollywood Boulevard is mentioned in Melissa de la Cruz's book, Angels of Sunset Boulevard.

See also

• Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Hollywood

References

1. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/26/news/hollywood.php
2. Hollywood & Highland Center - Press Releases