In our next posts about visiting Los Angeles, we’re taking a look at what you can see and do in the city’s world-famous Hollywood Boulevard.

Hollywood Boulevard is a must-see destination for anyone visiting Los Angeles for the first time. One of its best-known attractions is Grauman’s Chinese Theater (6925 Hollywood Boulevard), and this is a great place to head first. Grauman’s Chinese Theater (also sometimes referred to as Mann’s Chinese Theater) was designed by Sid Grauman and opened in 1927. On its opening night, it hosted the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille’s “The King of Kings“, and it hosted many more film premieres in years to come. It now attracts more than 4 million visitors each year.

Look out for the two giant Heaven Dogs at the entrance - these were flown in from China, along with other items such as pagodas and temple bells. There is also a 30ft stone dragon between the theatre’s red columns.

Probably the most famous aspect of Grauman’s Chinese Theater is its forecourt, which is known as “Forecourt of the Stars”, where you can see the footprints and handprints of many of the world’s biggest stars. The first stars to leave their prints in the cement outside of the theatre were Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in a ceremony held on the 30th of April, 1927.

Over the years, celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, Bing Crosby, Clark Gable, Fred Astaire. Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen, Marilyn Monroe, Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson, Richard Gere, Johnny Depp and Samuel L. Jackson have added their prints. It’s not just prints of stars’ hands and feet that you’ll see there, either - look out for some more unusual prints, such as the tyre treads of R2D2 from “Star Wars”, the imprint of Groucho Marx’s cigar and the hoofprints of Trigger next to the signature of Roy Rogers.

Grauman’s Chinese Theater is still used for many film premieres. Recent screenings include the premieres of “Drag Me to Hell”, “The Hangover” and “Bruno”. You can also see a movie at the cinema or take a VIP tour if you book in advance.

The forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theater is usually packed with tourists and you’ll notice a number of people dressed up as characters from movies, who will try and persuade you to pay to have your photo taken with them. There are also usually representatives from some of the companies that operate tours of the movie stars’ homes selling tickets for their tours.

In future posts, we’ll take a look at some of the other attractions that you can see on Hollywood Boulevard.

Image: American Eagle of LA