SUNSET BOULEVARD

Description

Essentials about Sunset Boulevard in brief

Sunset Boulevard is probably the most famous street in Los Angeles. Over a good 35 kilometers, it leads from hectic downtown LA right through the dream factory Hollywood and along the magnificent mansions of Beverly Hills and Bel Air to the Pacific Ocean, where it flows into the Pacific Coast Highway. No other street in Los Angeles embodies the spirit of this city like Sunset Boulevard. This street is all about movies, music, wealth, beauty and dreams. If you really want to get to know LA, you should drive down Sunset Boulevard at least once.

The course of Sunset Boulevard

Sunset Boulevard begins just a short distance from Olvera Street and Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. The last part of the boulevard east of Interstate 110 was renamed César Chávez Avenue in honor of the trade unionist César Chávez. Sunset Boulevard first traverses the Echo Park, Silver Lake, Los Feliz and Hollywood neighborhoods. It then continues through the two independent cities of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills before returning to Los Angeles, where it continues through the neighborhoods of Westwood and Brentwood before finally joining the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades. Sunset Boulevard has at least four lanes along its entire length and is very busy.

Sunset Strip

The most famous section of Sunset Boulevard between Havenhurst and Doheny Drive is also known as the “Sunset Strip”. The Strip can look back on a very eventful history. It was the site of counterculture protests in the 1960s and the decadent hotspot of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1970s and 1980s. Many greats like Alice Cooper, Guns’n’roses and Led Zeppelin rocked the stages in the clubs on the Sunset Strip. After years of decay, Sunset Strip has experienced a renaissance in recent years and is now once again home to many luxurious and cool restaurants, bars, hotels, clubs boutiques.

The highlights on Sunset Boulevard

If you drive down Sunset Boulevard, you should definitely make a stop at two places. First, at Guitar Center, to see the Hollywood RockWalk, a kind of rock star version of the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame. And second, at the Chateau Marmont, a castle-like luxury hostel where many a Hollywood star has taken up residence. If you go for a drink in the hotel bar, you might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a Hollywood star.