There is only one place in the world where you can see the stars on the Walk of Fame. That place is Hollywood, attracting over ten million tourists a year. The heart of the Walk of Fame is an area known as Hollywood and Highland. On its own there is much to sight-see at this famous intersection, which is easily accessible by Los Angeles’ metro red line subway.
What may not be common knowledge is that there are many interesting sightseeing opportunities in a one mile radius of Hollywood and Highland. This adjacent sights series is about sharing some of those sights with you. So…if you are willing, put on your walking shoes and travel along with your Los Angeles (LA) sightseeing examiner on a Hollywood street hike adventure.
Leaving Highland Camrose park, continue walking north on Highland to reach our fifth point of interest on this northeast of Hollywood/Highland loop of sights for this series: the Hollywood bowl.
The Hollywood bowl encompasses eighty-eight acres of land, which includes the actual amphitheater or what most would equate as being “THE” Hollywood bowl. Yet, there is more to the bowl than that. For this series, three articles worth more: Hollywood bowl amphitheater area, Hollywood bowl muse and Hollywood bowl museum.
To begin the three-article bowl series, we start with the Hollywood bowl museum. One reason: it is located more at the front of the property before you get to the amphitheater. Another reason: if you are like your SoCal gal who had attended many events at the bowl without ever once noticing there was a museum on the property or the gals having trouble finding the museum that she helped the day she photographed the front of the museum; the photo with this article may help you “see” the museum easier.
A Los Angeles Times article from May 4, 1986 states, “the 65th season of outdoor concerts in the landmark amphitheater–will offer two cosmetic changes and the promise of expansion. Last year, through the good offices (that’s a pun) of County Supervisor Edmund Edelman, in whose Third District the Bowl sits, the Hollywood Bowl Museum was opened.” You may recall Mr. Edelman’s name is on the signage outside the Highland Camrose park.
After a remodel of the museum, which doubled the space, the Hollywood bowl museum reopened in July 1996. “It’s essentially a completely new museum’, says Anne Parsons, Bowl general manager. Only the fireplace and the ‘footprint’ from the museum’s original building on the exact spot, a single-level 1930’s-era stone-and-stucco structure, remain.” This quote is from a Los Angeles Times article from August 10, 1986.
At the time this article is being written during 2012s 91st season, the museum is featuring an exhibition with a lot of Latin sabor (flavor) spotlighting the many contributions from Latino communities that have enriched the Hollywood Bowl over the years.
As mentioned, admission at the museum is FREE year-round. During the summer hours, the museum is open from 10 a.m. to show time Tuesday through Saturday and open from 4 p.m. to show time on Sunday. Off-season hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, Saturday by appointment, closed Thanksgiving and closed from December 22 through January 1.
The museum offers a self-guided walking tour. To learn more about this, please click here.
To end, you may have been wondering why would one visit the Hollywood Bowl without actually having tickets to see a concert or if there is really much to see while on our shared street hike. Free entrance to this multilevel, interactive museum would certainly be a great reason why.
Next up: Hollywood Bowl
