is where the famed Schwab's Pharmacy once stood at 8000 W. Sunset.

Hotel was a complex of small cottages and bungalows which once covered the area southwest of Crescent Heights at 8152 W. Sunset. This was home to many movie stars, and the location of many a legendary Hollywood party! A small remnant, including the ornate gateway can still be seen at 8210 W. Sunset.

as shown here was one Hollywood's fabled nightspots, located next to what is now the Sunset Plaza at 8610 W. Sunset. Now, this namesake's restaurant resides at 8280 W. Sunset.

(8433 W. Sunset) as shown here was probably the most famous restaurant in L.A. in its day. Today, it's the location of the equally famous Comedy Store.

was the fictional address from the 60's TV show "77 Sunset Strip" which was filmed here from 1958 to 1964. The actual location was Dino's Lodge, at 8524 W. Sunset, a bar owned by Dean Martin. There is a marker carved on the sidewalk in front of the present building, as the lodge no longer exists, and 8524 Sunset is now simply part of a large, nondescript office building, next door to the Tiffany Theatre (8532 W. Sunset Blvd.). In 1999, The Tiffany revived a new musical version of "The Rocky Horror Show". During the 70's crowds would flock, every weekend, to midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Right in the middle of the Strip, Sunset Plaza has been a favorite shopping spot for the stars since the 30's. High-end boutiques like Armani Exchange, Billy Martin's, H.Lorenzo and Tracey Ross, sidewalk cafes like Chin Chin, Cravings, Clafouti's, Cafe Med and Le Petit Four make Sunset Plaza one of the nicest places to shop in Southern California, not to mention a great place see where the stars shop!

Click here or more information.

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Sunset Boulevard is one of the best known thoroughfares in the world. Sometimes referred to as the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". It has been the home to some of the most renowned and some of the most notorious people of the not too long ago.

Sunset starts it's long winding trail in downtown Los Angeles near the Grand Central Train Station which once was the scene of milling paparazzi hoping to glimpse the arrival of noted screen stars on the way to Hollywood from the Great White Way in New York and other less known centers. Where it starts at Alameda, it borders on Chinatown and makes it's way northeast through lower income areas, past Echo Park, Los Feliz and opens it's doors to Hollywood. The most famous land of make believe since Alice fell through the Looking Glass.

Another famous boulevard, Hollywood, branches off from Sunset and parallels it through the heart of Hollywood itself. At this point, Sunset is the home to Children's Hospital and Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest HMO's in the U.S.

Eventually, Sunset Boulevard winds it's way through less than affluent areas, Hollywood proper, West Hollywood, and on through the more affluent neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades. Not long after passing the Polo Field which belonged to Will Rogers, Sunset comes to a glorious end at Pacific Coast Highway and the majestic Pacific Ocean.

But the section that made this Boulevard synonymous with celebrity and stardom is one relatively short stretch of road that has become known as Sunset Strip. This was the playground for the famous and all the "wannabe's". All the movie greats of the 30's, 40's and 50's romped around in the night clubs that were made famous by Hollywood gossip columnists. Places like Ciro's (where the Comedy Store is today), Mocambo, Scandia, Villa Nova (where the The Rainbow Bar & Grill is today) The Garden of Allah and of course, Schwabs Drug Store which was erroneously believed to be the place where Lana Turner was discovered. Today you can find swinging places to pass the night and wee hours of the morning like the Whiskey, The Roxy, House of Blues, The Viper Room and The Comedy Store. You can dine with the stars at Le Dome, Spagos, the Rainbow, Mirabelle or a cluster of restaurants some of which feature sidewalk cafes in the fashionable Sunset Plaza.

Some of the all time greats have stayed at Chateau Marmont, The Argyle, Le Mondrian, The Continental Hyatt and many others.

Sunset Boulevard runs through four different Los Angeles Police Divisions, three different Major Police Bureaus and a section of the county which is policed by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. More interestingly, though, is the fact that in an effort to protect the tourists and the rich and famous from elements of organized crime which had tried unsuccessfillly to gain a foothold in the area, the LAPD established what they called, The Strip Car. This was made up of highly skilled Detectives who were well versed in Organized Crime. These were the guys depicted in the movie Mulholland Falls known as the the Hat Squad.

The Strip has changed over the years, but it is still the center of the entertainment world. It is still the place for people from all over the world to come sneak a peek at the stars while they go about their everyday lives. It is still unparalleled for glamour and excitement.

written by James J. Docherty ©1999 Cool Streets

One of the defining features of the Strip is the presence of the oversized, self-indulgent billboards. Click here to see some of the most current ones.

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