WHY NOW’STHE TIME TO EXPLORE LOSANGELES

KATIE

Wright Heads Stateside To Find Outhow Tinseltown Is Celebrating Avery Special Anniversary

The barrier keeping eager fans out of arguably the most exclusive spot in Los Angeles isn’t ared velvet rope.

It’s an unassuming metal gate on the side of adirt road, which swings open with ascreech to revealasteep slopeleading down to the world-famous Hollywood sign.

Clinging to aneonorange safety rope installed for my visit, Ishuffledown the gravelly path,landing afew metres behind the giant ‘H’ (justover 15m tall) and edge round to thefront of the iconic landmark.

Bathed in morning sunshine and silhouetted againstacloudlessCalifornia sky,the brightwhite letters –recently treated to their once-a-decade repainting

–are beaming down on LA like arow of (slightly crooked) teeth.

“This started as an advertisement to sell homes,” says Ferris Wehbe, trustee of the Hollywood Sign Trust (hollywoodsign.org), which has organised this special visit (members of the public shouldn’t attempt thesame –LAPD officers are stationed 24/7 abovethe sign to prevent trespassing).

Erected by areal estate company sometime in 1923 (the exact date has been lost in the sands of time), theoriginal wooden sign said ‘Hollywoodland’ and was illuminated with bulbs like adressing room mirror

“It used to be lit up, and there was a guy living here, changing thelightbulbs on an ongoing basis,” Wehbe continues.

While the real estate firm went out of business within adecade, Hollywood was fast becoming ameccafor moviemakers, so the ‘land’ was lopped off and astar was born.

Rebuilt in metal in the 1970s, those nine pearly white letters remain Tinseltown’s most recognisable symbol.

Now Los Angeles is enjoying ayearlong, citywide celebration to mark the sign’s centenary, so there’s no better time to soak up the LA sun and discover the behind-the-scenes historyofHollywood.

Here’s how culture vultures can make the most of the world’s entertainment epicentre…

Major museums

Opened at the end of 2021, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (academymuseum.org) is amovie buff ’s heaven, with four floors packed with costumes, props and other memorabilia tracing thehistory of the film industry

In addition to the permanent collections, current exhibition Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971 (until July) puts the spotlight on pioneering African-American entertainers and filmmakers, while in September,a new exhibit will celebrate director John Waters.

Entry is $25/£21 for adults,free for under-18s, andfor an extra $15/£12.50, the Oscars Experience lets you find what it’s like to accept acoveted golden gong, smiling (or fake sobbing) as you lift the 8lb statuette. Your award-winning moment is captionedoncamera then emailed over to share on social media.

Take awalk down memory lane at the Grammy Museum (grammymuseum. org), which pays tribute to hitmakers and award winners throughout thedecades.

Celebrating songwriters, rock’n’roll heroes and today’s pop greats, nostalgic exhibits will give music lovers all the feels. Adults $18/£15; children aged five to 17, $12/£10; under-fives, free.

Behind the scenes tours

Also marking acentenary this year,the Warner BrosStudio Tour (wbstudiotour com) is home to Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls, as well as the Friends fountain and couch, and is still aworking studio.

Opt for the last tour of theday on weekends and you might get to walk through ‘live’ sets (to use the industry lingo) when they’re not in use. Adults $69/£58; children aged five to 10, $59/£49.

More of athemepark than a studio,Universal Studios Hollywood (universalstudioshollywood.com) has sections dedicated to Jurassic Park, the Simpsons and HarryPotter (among others), plus a60-minute studio tour which ferries you round sets –old and new –ontrams, and includes three virtual rides.

New this year,Super Nintendo World is like stepping through your screen into Mario and Luigi’s technicoloured landscape.

Venture into Bowser’s Castle and you can ride areal-life version of Mario Kart, donning aVRheadset so you canthrow virtual shells to try and hit 100 points and defeat Team Bowser

Queues for thebiggest rides and rollercoasters can stretchtowell over an hour,so it’s arguably worth splurging on the Universal Express ticket, from $199/£167. Adults from $109/£91; children aged three to nine, from $103/£86; under-threes, free.

Hollywood history

Proving that, contrary to popular belief, you don’t need acar to get around LA, the three-hour electric bike tour from Bikes and Hikes LA (bikesandhikesla. com; $98/£82 per person) takes in La La landmarks like the Hollywood Forever cemetery,where the great and the good have been laid to rest, and theatre-lined Hollywood Boulevard, as well as the more upscale residential areas.

Stopping off at theOriginal Farmers Market (farmersmarketla.com), be sure to sample local favourites, such as amac and cheese-filled Nonna’s Empanada or a glazed Bob’s doughnut.

Fora more sedate option, stroll with LA Walking Tours (lawalkingtours.com; $28/£23 for adults; $16/£13for children) on the Downtown Architecture trail for a close-up look at the city’smost stunning 1920s buildings, like themuralled rotunda of the Public Library and theornate wrought iron staircases of the Bradbury Building, as seen in sci-fi classic Blade Runner.

The route winds up at bustling Grand Central Market (grandcentralmarket. com), where you’ll find authentic Mexican pork tacos at Ana Maria, breakfast baps at Eggslut, crispy fried chicken at Lucky Bird and awhole menu of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at PBJ.LA.

Where to stay

Quickly establishing itself as ahipster hotspot, Tommie Hollywood (hyatt.com) welcomes visitors with alaidback,artfilled lobby and is perfectly positioned for exploring LA’s main attractions.

Flash your hotel keycard to skip the line (and there usually is one) waiting to head up to Desert 5Spot, thebuzzy, western-themed rooftop bar that locals love.

Conrad Los Angeles (hilton.com) sits amongthe skyscrapers of Downtown LA, providing five-star service to stars suchas Olivia Rodrigo, who was spotted at the hotel on Grammys weekend.

Spacious rooms offer sleek décor in acalming colour palette, exceptional amenities and –if you’re lucky –a view of the Hollywood sign.

Factfile

ACCOMMODATION:

Roomsatthe Conrad LosAngeles start from $500/£413 pernight.Rooms at Tommie Hollywoodstartfrom$199/£164 pernight

FLIGHTS: Direct economyreturnflightsfrom Heathrow to LAXwithBritishAirways startat£392.

To findout moreabout LA,goto discoverlosangeles.com