Theme Thursday Doors

These photos were taken in Hollywood, CA back in July 2013.

This particular photo is one of the doors to the TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.  Formerly known as Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

Door to the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

I am participating in THEME THURSDAY.

Theme Thursday - Candy

Let's see - Marilyn in wax or an Elvis impersonator. Who makes for tastier eye candy?

Both photos taken on Hollywood Boulevard in October 2009.




The theme for this Thursday is Candy
This was fun. Make sure to check out the other participants at Theme Thursday

Grauman's Chinese Theatre - Hollywood

Grauman's Chinese Theatre located on Hollywood Boulevard is the premier theatre and center of attraction on this busy street. It opened in May of 1927 and was THE spot for movie goers. It has been renovated since the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake and was declared and given historical landmark status in 1968.

The forecourt is a tourist friendly hub for shutterbugs. It is where the stars have their hand and footprints etched into the sidewalk along with drawings and notes. The theatre hosts inside tours during the day about every half hour. I did not take a tour during this visit but definitely will during the next visit.

The artwork and architecture of this theatre is just stunning. It is as authentic, colorful and rich in tradition as any of the temples I have seen in China yet with a more modern feel. I was just in awe of the intricate artwork as is obvious by all the photos I took. The photos you see below are just a small sampling and really do not do justice to the beauty of this theatre.

What struck me most about Hollywood and Los Angeles was all the rich history and flavor this city has to offer. While walking around downtown Los Angeles I found many a forgotten theatre and marquee tucked away amongst the city streets in desolate alley ways and forgotten corners. It was a walk through the past.

Walking along Hollywood Boulevard during the evenings means fighting the theatre going crowds along the streets. Movie lovers pack the boulevard for blocks on end to visit these theatres.

I know most of us think of Hollywood as a star studded fantasy land yet it offers so much more in tradition and history which are two aspects that I enjoy most. I hope you enjoy the photo montage. Remember to click the images to enlarge.



View from across the street on Hollywood Boulevard




Closeup of the theatre architecture




One of two stone lions outside the entrance




Forecourt artwork




Column artwork




Top side column view




Grauman's Chinese Theatre night view

For more information visit http://www.manntheatres.com/chinese/

Hollywood Boulevard Characters

Me and my Superhero :) Click photos to enlarge the image

The cast of characters roaming Hollywood Boulevard is really quite a novelty. I first thought that maybe these people were just dressed up for Halloween but when talking to my superhero in the above photo, I found out that these people are actually out there on a daily basis and make their living taking photos with and receiving tips from tourists.

Some are more popular than others and some are also more aggressive than others. Elvis was one of those aggressive ones. When I snapped the photo of him which you'll see below, he came over to me, put his arm through mine and asked some guy to take our photo with my camera. While I love Elvis, I did not like his particular aggressive nature and pulled away. However, superman was much more sweet, charming, young and flirty, not to mention those huge muscles so of course I posed with him and slipped him a few bucks.

From then on I tried to be sly getting photos without having to pay them but it is difficult. For the most part, they are all very nice and friendly and the kids love them. You can find them around the heavily visited attractions like Graumans Chinese Theatre and The Hollywood Highland Center.

Enjoy!


Elvis is in the house



Darth Vader was pretty lonely out there



Superman and ? - sorry I forgot his name sharing stories



Snoopy, Superman and some dominatrix who just happened to walk along as I snapped the photo. The dominatrix - not one of the regular characters out there