family's » Los Angeles, CA

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Built in 1923 by Hollywoodland Real Estate Group with the intention of attracting developers, the Hollywood sign originally read … drumroll, please … “Hollywoodland.” In 1932, Peg Entwistle became the first of several dejected starlets rumored to have leapt to their deaths from the “H.” (So really, Entwistle did become famous – just not while she was alive. Does that still count as a “Hollywood ending”?) By the late 1940s, the “H” had toppled over, prompting the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to eventually offer a solution: They would get rid of “-land” and fix up the rest of the sign. Several decades and fundraisers later (including a notable effort by the playboy himself, Hugh Hefner), the Hollywood sign lives on. For locals, it’s simply part of the background. Drive up Highland Avenue and you have a decent view of it, but tourists craving panoramic photographs should take Franklin Avenue east then head up winding Beachwood Drive. Another option for a leisurely view is to take Lake Hollywood from Olive Avenue in Burbank. You might spy some celebrities walking their dogs in the park on the way. But don’t even try to reach the sign by foot; it’s fenced off and guarded with alarms.

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