Above the town of Hollywood the well-known Hollywood sign sits high on a hill. The original sign was placed in 1923 as an advertisement for a proposed housing development that was never built. Today high tech infrared cameras with radar-activated zoom lenses protect the site. Hollywood is part of the city of Los Angeles, northwest of the downtown district. Many of the old landmarks still stand.
The intersection of Hollywood and Vine was supposedly the spot were many stars were 'discovered.' Close by is the Capitol Records Building, which looks like a stack of 45 records on a turntable. Further along Hollywood Boulevard is Mann's Chinese Theatre where the tradition of immortalizing movie stars' foot and handprints in cement began, when actress Norma Talmadge accidentally stepped on the wet concrete of the construction site. The Hollywood Walk of Fame, with the names of celebrities set in the sidewalk, is close by. The Hollywood Forever Memorial Gardens is the final resting place for many of Hollywood’s stars. At present, much of the movie industry has moved to surrounding areas such as Burbank and the Westside of Los Angeles. Modern day Hollywood is a diverse, vital, and active community working to preserve its past.
