General Information
NFT Map: 3
Address: 6801 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028
Phone: 323-817-0200
Website: www.hollywoodandhighland.com
Shopping
Hollywood & Highland opened in late 2001 to much fanfare. Like the Strip in Las Vegas and the “new” Times Square, it’s exceptionally clean, well lit, and family friendly. The center is most famous for its state-of-the-art Kodak Theater, which hosts the Academy Awards each year (right across from the Roosevelt Hotel, where the first Academy Awards was held in 1929). Yes, you heard correctly, the Oscars are held at a shopping mall! It’s also home to Lucky Strike, a very glossy bowling alley serving a whole lotta top shelf liquor. The complex provides a safe haven from panhandlers and impersonators of Spiderman and Charlie Chaplin on the Boulevard out front.
But let’s be honest here: Hollywood & Highland is a gajillion-dollar complex built for the amusement of tourists who come to shop, take pictures of each other, and take pictures of each other shopping. Hollywood & Highland makes little effort to cater to the local set, which is why you won’t find many locals here. At this point you have no doubt flipped to the front of this book to confirm that the title is “Not For Tourists.” Understandable. We include it here, because eventually we all must entertain our paler friends from the eastern parts of the country who show up to visit in February for what seems to be the express purpose of telling us that California has neither weather nor seasons. But we digress.
Yeah, they’ve got a Hot Topic and an interactive candy megastore, SWEET!, but this mall tries to provide a little something else: a calendar of events like the wine & jazz summer series keeps the culture alive. Besides, the convenience of the Metro, along with shuttle services to the Pantages Theatre, Hollywood Bowl, and Griffith Observatory makes H&H an unavoidable convenience. Even Spiderman has to get home after a long day.
Food
Two high-profile brands raise the meaning of mall food to an unprecedented level: CPK for pizza and Johnny Rockets for burgers. Cho Oishi and Chado Tea Room are reliable choices for a lunch date. Green Earth Café serves up specialty coffees and iced blended drinks. The cream puffs at Beard Papa’s will have you asking, “Krispy Kreme who?” The clever (and discreet) visitor might venture up to the Loews Hollywood Hotel rooftop pool for a spectacular view and a cool drink. On the elevator ride up be sure to practice your straight face when you tell the guards that you “totally didn’t see the ‘For Hotel Guests Only’ sign.”
Drawbacks
The drawbacks of Hollywood & Highland are pretty much the same as those of the Strip or the “new” Times Square: it’s crowded, air-brushed, fabricated out of whole cloth, and devoid of organic materials—but that’s why you moved here, right? Then there’s the mind-boggling traffic in the area around the complex. The streets surrounding the place get distressingly backed up on weekends. Also, the entrance to the never-crowded Mann Chinese 6 Theaters (not to be confused with the Grauman’s legendary Chinese Theater next-door) is not well marked. Parking at Hollywood & Highland costs $2 for up to four hours with validation. For an additional five bucks, you can splurge on valet.
How to Get There
If you’re using mass transit, take LADOT DASH Hollywood, Metro Bus 156, 212/312, 217, 222, 656, Metro Rapid 780 or the Red Line to the Hollywood & Highland station. From the 101 S, exit at Highland Avenue/Hollywood Bowl and merge onto Cahuenga Boulevard. Cahuenga becomes North Highland Avenue. Stay on Highland until Hollywood Boulevard. From the 101 N, exit at Highland Avenue/Hollywood Bowl and keep right at the fork in the ramp. Merge onto Odin Street, and turn left onto Highland Avenue. From 405 in either direction, exit onto Santa Monica Boulevard. Head east on Santa Monica Boulevard through Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and into Hollywood. Turn left on Highland. The bus lines that stop at Hollywood and Highland are LADOT DASH Hollywood, Metro Bus 156, 212/312, 217, 222, 656 and Metro Rapid 780.