Hollywood

Hollywood Boulevard—Mann Chinese Theatre, Kodak Theatre, El Capitan Theater: There has been a renaissance of the heart of tinsel town. The glitzy new Highland and Hollywood shopping center houses the Kodak Theatre, home to the Academy Awards. You can easily recognize the spot where they unfurl the famous red carpet, threading its way through the indoor shopping mall past the pillars posting the names of Academy Award movies of the year. Tours of the sparkling theatre building itself are available, www.kodaktheatre.com. You can catch a distant glimpse of the famous Hollywood sign from the outdoor upper deck of the shopping complex. Next door visit the fantasy of Chinese pagodas and temples that comprise Mann’s Chinese Theatre. The courtyard is filled with famous cement hand- and footprints from legends such as John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe. For the price of a movie ticket (or tour) you can see the lavish interior. The Chinese Theatre may not be the best-preserved theater in Hollywood, that honor goes to the nearby Disney El Capitan Theater whose 1926 interior is now in fine fettle and comes complete with a state of the art projection and sound system, www.elcapitantickets.com. The sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard is inlaid with stars dedicated to the celebrities (some obscure, some that are household names) who made Hollywood great. Located at the junction of Hollywood and Highland Boulevards. Discounted parking (with validation) is available beneath the Hollywood and Highland complex, enter on Orange.