Hollywood

Hollywood has long enjoyed a reputation for glamorous nightlife. That rep was deserved in Hollywood's early days – when films were in black and white, the town was at its most vibrant. Actual celebrities could be seen drinking at the Roosevelt Hotel or listening to jazz at the Tiffany Club, and Hollywood became synonymous with class and exclusivity. Then that ended. Over the course of several decades, Hollywood came to be known locally as a tourist trap with little to offer after dark.
The luster of Hollywood Boulevard was steadily dulled by the teenage runaways sleeping on it. Hollywood's nadir as a social destination came in the 80s and early 90s. The most popular late-night establishments were 24-hour pizza places and the Hollywood Police Station. But this town loves a comeback, and Hollywood has made an improbable one over the last ten years. It began with the construction of the Hollywood and Highland Center, a monumental complex now home to the Academy Awards. Further east, the strip of Cahuenga Boulevard between Hollywood and Sunset is known as the Cahuenga Corridor and has helped make Hollywood hip again. There you'll find the Hotel Cafe, a small coffee shop that has emerged as Hollywood's premier showcase for emerging singer-songwriter talent. Cinespace is just off the Corridor on Hollywood. Tuesday nights at Cinespace feature club /record label impresario Steve Aoki DJing and performances from visiting bands. Dance fans should head to the popular mega clubs Playhouse and MyHouse. If you're looking for the classic Hollywood Boulevard of Sunset Boulevard, it still exists. The buildings do at, at least, and they’re no longer relics. The Roosevelt Hotel had slipped into irrelevancy prior to an extensive renovation in 2005. It is as glamorous now as it was during Hollywood's golden age. Its bar, Teddy's, is one of young Hollywood's favorite watering holes. And if you'd like a classier dinner than chicken at Popeye's, Hollywood's oldest restaurant, Musso and Frank's, has changed very little in its 90 years. You can eat chicken where Charles Bukowski got drunk – just sit anywhere.