4th August 2016

We started today bright and early with us all up and showered by 7.30am and walking to the local metro station, Chinatown. One stop to Union Square and then changed onto the 'red line' towards Noho (North Hollywood). Around 25 minutes later we were walking out of the metro at Hollywood/Highland station. We were greeted with the stars at our feet on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood Boulevard. As it was still early, we were lucky enough to walk along unhindered by crowds and read out the names of the stars.

We later found out how you get a star, and why some famous people of stage and screen don't have one. I'll come back to it.

We found a Starbucks and settled down in the morning sunshine with a coffee and a bagel or pastry, and waited for our tour guide. We had a three hour tour booked with Starline Tours. A one hour tour of Downtown Hollywood, followed by a two hours 'Homes of the Stars tour'. The first hour was on an open top double decker bus, and there was only one couple on there other than us. The driver took us around the following areas: The Hollywood Sign, Chinese Theatre, Dolby Theater (home of the Academy Awards), Capitol Records, Paramount Studios, Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood Bowl and Hollywood Forever Cemetery. He was quite funny, in that he spent a lot of time moaning about the traffic (bit of a sticking point for a tour bus driver), but we learned a few funny facts. We got some great views of the Hollywood sign in the hills, each magnificent white letter measuring 45ft high and 35ft wide. It's wonderful to see something that you've seen a thousand times on TV and in pictures, but for you to finally see it in the flesh (albeit a long way in the distance).

Back to that information about the stars on the walk of fame. There are certain criteria you have to meet before being awarded a star. You have to have some longevity to your fame (no reality TV five minute wonders), you have to submit a written statement, you have to pay $30,000 and you have to commit to having an opening ceremony. Apparently that is why certain stars (such as Julia Roberts) don't have one - they don't feel they need the extra fame, so aren't that fussed.

Next we took a two hour tour into the hills of Hollywood, and saw the most beautiful homes - all massive, but tasteful, and the tour guide (this time a man named Michael from New York, who had moved to LA as his granddaughter had started acting for Disney, so they all moved to support her) pointed out houses belonging to Adele, Justin Timberlake, Pharell Williams, Bruno Mars, Paul McCartney - the list went on. We then made our way through other areas - BelAir, Beverley Hills, Sunset Strip, and the famous Rodeo Drive. Parts of Hollywood have so much money in them. Shops that you have to make an appointment to go into, restaurants that have valets to take your car for you, and the most beautiful homes. One shop owner has a yellow Rolls Royce that he parks outside his shop on its own yellow parking meter. Bijan is described on Wikipedia as the most expensive shop in the world. Won't be dropping in there then.

The tour guide kept calling out figures for the prices of the homes, and they are just like telephone numbers. Oliver was really interested in the cars that we kept passing by.

Best of all, we got to see some areas where Pretty Woman was filmed. The Beverly Wilshire Hotel, where Richard Gere is staying in the penthouse, the shop that Julia Roberts goes back to when she's dressed as a lady and tells the salesgirl what a mistake she made ('Big', 'Huge') and the best part, the hotel where Richard Gere pledges his love to Julia Roberts on the fire escape. One of my favourite films of all time, so I was in my element.

We then decided to be super tourists and eat in the Hard Rock Cafe on Hollywood Boulevard. By this time, the crowds were unbearable - it was almost impossible to read the stars on the pavement, so we decided to head back to our motel.

We stopped briefly at Union Square station, which was really nice. The hustle and bustle of commuters going about their journeys and probably not noticing how fantastic the stations looks.

We had passed The Beverley Hills hotel on the second tour, and the tour guide had suggested that it's worth a look inside, and that the public are free to go in. It was built in 1912, and has many famous guests. It has rooms in the main hotel and bungalows in the grounds in case you want to bring your family and staff with you. It's also famous for being on the cover of the album 'Hotel California' by the Eagles (one of my mum's favourite records). Andrew suggested that we brave the hideous traffic and go and visit. So we did. The traffic WAS hideous, but we made it and parked just around the corner (our hire car looking slightly out of place amongst the Bugattis and Range Rovers).

What a treat was in store for us. The most amazing place. Like we had stepped into a 1920s palace. It was spotless, and so beautiful. No one asked us where we were going (in fact all the staff said hello as we walked past them) and we explored this amazing place. We walked freely into the ballroom (empty but clearly being shown for prospective wedding planners), into the amazing toilets(!) and by the pool, the shops and even out to where the bungalows are. I've since looked up the room rate, and its $700 per night for a standard room, rising to $2,450 for a standard bungalow (per night). What a wonderful experience it must be to stay there.

We then thought that we had an hour before sunset, so we'd try to zoom (how naive) over to the Griffith Observatory to watch the sunset. Us, and half of LA. The traffic was awful, and with only two roads into the Griffith Park (narrowing to one as you get closer to the observatory) we realised that we were not going to make it up to the top before the sunset. So we quit at halfway, and drove down again - subdued, but being realistic at the prospect of sitting in the car for hours waiting to get out of the park having not seen what we wanted to.

Pizza in the now depressing hotel room (quite pleased to be packing up the bags again) and we are ready for bed. It's been a really interesting day. We've had loads of fun, but Hollywood is not a place to linger in (especially for a surfer dude like me) as it's crazy.

By the way - it has cleaned up since I last saw it 25 years ago, but I am sure it's 100 times busier.

Welcome to the Hotel California, such a lovely place, such a lovely face;
Plenty of room at the Hotel California, any time of year, you can find it here

Eagles 1976