Hollywood & Chinatown

Had a good Valentine's Day riding the public transit systems to visit Hollywood and Chinatown in Los Angeles. The Metrolink train took us to Union Station, and the ticket you buy for the train is also good for either the Red Line subway, Gold Line train, or any of the Metro buses. No additional tickets necessary.

We stopped first in Hollywood to see what was going on with the Academy Awards just a week or so away. The bleachers are in place for the red carpet area which is on Hollywood Blvd. That's the Hollywood & Highland Center behind the bleachers which is connected to the Kodak Theater where the award show is held.

We stopped at the Chinese Theater where all the out-of-work actors dress up like various characters and pose for pictures with the star-struck tourists. From there we walked the mile or so down to Hollywood & Vine where we could catch the subway again. On the way I stopped to take a picture of one of the hundreds of stars on the Walk of Fame:

Why this one? Richard Arlen was an actor at the time my dad was born and he was named after him. He tells the story on his blog here.

We rode back to Union Station, grabbed a quick lunch, and the rode the Gold Line one stop over to Chinatown. I've been to Chinatown in San Francisco but not in L.A. (I may have gone there as a kid, but I don't remember much about it). My wife had seen an article in Sunset Magazine about this area and wanted to check out some of the recommended stores.

It's a very different area from the Chinatown in San Francisco. Not as compact or crowded, and not as much interesting stuff. More junk.

I got a couple of photos of some of the Chinese architecture down there. First, the Buddhist temple:

And the "official" Chinatown:

We walked a bunch and had a good time, though some of the most fun we had on the trip was sitting in Union Station watching the parade of humanity walk by. God sure does have a sense of humor.