When it comes to free things to do in Los Angeles, the Hollywood Walk of Fame is one of the most popular. This attraction receives over 10 million visitors a year. It is only a short trek to experience the full walk of fame, but if you are interested in hunting down your favorite celebrities’ stars, then you may end up spending a lot of time as you stroll and search through the thousands of stars.
What It Is
This is not a tourist-only path full of celebrity stars; rather, it is a sidewalk that runs along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street and contains more than 2,500 stars of popular characters and actors.
It is maintained by a self-funding organization called the Hollywood Historic Trust. Each star costs approximately $30,000 and is paid for by the person or organization that is nominating the recipient; this helps to minimize the taxpayer’s obligation and keep the area maintained.
The attraction is a way to celebrate achievements in movies, radio, theater, and TV. Receiving a star is similar to receiving a Golden Globe award or an Emmy, except the star is permanently embedded into the sidewalk for everyone to see. Each star has the name of the celebrity and an icon to represent what genre they are receiving the star for. The walk of fame was established in 1958 as a way to maintain the glamour that the community represented.
Why Visit?
This is a very unique attraction. It is also a way to not only see achievements that stars have made, but also be at the same location that stars have been.
Celebrities attend the unveiling of their star, so you may even be able to catch a new star being unveiled during your visit. In addition, it is not uncommon for friends of the celebrity to show up at the unveiling. For instance, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, and Lucy Liu were present when Cameron Diaz received her star.
If you are a fan of celebrities, then this could be a great moment to get a glimpse into their life. You can actually find out what celebrity is going to receive a star during your vacation by visiting walkoffame.com. Make sure that you show up early to get a good spot to watch the event.
If you have a particular star on the sidewalk that you would like to see, you can find the specific address for it at the walk of fame website.
Considerations for Your Visit
Depending on what time of day you go, it can get quite busy. It is a popular place for tourists, and the busier it gets, the harder it can be to stop and take pictures without being in someone’s way. For instance, if you go at night or after work hours, you will likely find it very busy. Therefore, plan to visit the walk of fame during the mid-morning or mid-afternoon hours when foot traffic is at its lightest.
At night time, not all areas are well lit, so you may not be able to see very well. Considering that some stars are faded away and some can be dirty, it may be best to go during the day where you can really experience the attraction to its fullest.
Additionally, there are many people trying to make a living in the area selling various things or trying to charge for pictures while dressed as various celebrities. Therefore, you may experience many people approaching you or trying to vocally stop you as you walk. This can be annoying to many people, and it can definitely be a distraction as you walk along the sidewalk.
Other Things to Do Here
There are many attractions to see on the Hollywood Boulevard to keep you busy before or after your experience with the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. For instance, there is the Chinese Theatre, which hosts many film premiers. In its forecourt, it contains various hand and footprints of famous actors such as Marilyn Monroe and Jack Nicholson.
The El Captain Theatre, which opened in 1989, was founded by The Walt Disney Company and Pacific Theatres, and is the home of various special events and world premiers. In addition, the Guinness Book of Records Museum, Hollywood Wax Museum and Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum are all available to tour for a fee.
