Hollywood's Biggest Tourist Trap
Written: Apr 30 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Theatre is beautiful, lots of things to see and buy
Cons: Bad neighborhood, giant tourist trap, expensive parking.
The Bottom Line: While Grauman's is a Hollywood staple and therefore a must-see, it is really nothing more than a giant tourist trap.
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| The_T_Meister's Full Review: Grauman's Chinese Theater |
While Grauman's Chinese Theatre is an architectural piece of beauty, it's also become commercialized beyond imagining.
Let's start with parking. While we were able to find parking, it cost over $10, which I thought was outrageous. However, it was right next door, so I guess it was worth it.
There are, of course, the handprints of many famous movie stars encased in the cement in front of the theatre. Some of these have become cracked over the years, but they're all still quite legible. That was pretty neat.
However, you can't even walk down the street without being accosted by someone wanting money, basically for free. As an example, while we were walking down the sidewalk, a clown accosted me and shoved some huge balloon sculpture on my head. He then took my camera without permission, and asked for money for having taken my photo. I was astonished at his rudeness, but couldn't help but laugh at his chutzpah. If he hadn't been dressed in a clown costume, I would have thought I was being mugged.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame runs in front of the theatre, so you can see parts of it as well. What surprised me was that there were stars on there for, as an example, "Godzilla". I had always thought stars were given to entertainers for achievement, but obviously I was wrong. Nevertheless, it's interesting to see what stars have earned a place on the Walk of Fame.
They had a Marilyn Monroe impersonator there, as well as an Elvis impersonator. They didn't do anything but pose for photographs for a fee, but I can see where some folks might enjoy that.
There are a lot of souvenir stands there - in fact, you can't possibly miss them. The problem is that they all sell the same thing! The cheeziest thing by far is a little Oscar statue, emblazoned with plaques which say things like "World's Best Mother", etc. The only unique souvenir I saw was a stand wherein you could encase your own hand(s) in cement to take home as a keepsake in a Grauman's Chinese Theatre frame. I had my son do it. It takes a while, but the end result was a pretty neat souvenir.
However, there were some rather shady looking characters there, and more than once I heard police cars rushing by at full speed, sirens on. Obviously, this was not a very good neighborhood to be in, especially at night.
Overall, I would not suggest taking children there unless they are over the age of 12 and you can trust them to stay nearby.
The theatre itself is beautiful, almost indescribably so. It looks like what you'd expect to see in Hollywood (unlike most other things in Hollywood), so it's really something you should visit if you're in the area despite the drawbacks.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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Epinions.com ID:
The_T_Meister
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Location: Huntington, West Virginia
Reviews written: 84
Trusted by: 16 members
About Me:
Memberships: National Writers Union, Society of Professional Journalists, The Author's Guild
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