Travel Guide

Lax Parking and the Hollywood Sign

Ice-cream cones without ice-cream, a CD player without headphones, these are just some things that you cannot imagine being complete without each other! As a LAX parking customer visiting Hollywood, your trip will not be complete without visiting the famous Hollywood Sign! This sign is not only one of Los Angeles Cultural-Historical Monuments, but also a symbol of fame and glamour in the world's movie capital!

Facts

Before visiting the famous Hollywood Sign, LAX parking customers should read up on some facts and history of this famous landmark! Located in Los Angeles, California, The Sign sits at the southern side of Mount Lee in Griffith Park (north of Mulholland). The Hollywood Sign is 450 feet long and the letters are 45 feet high! Back in 1932, a young actress named Peg Entwistle jumped to her death from the sign's "H"!

History

The Hollywood Sign dates back to 1923 where it was erected as an advertisement sign for a real estate development in Beachwood. Originally the Sign read "Hollywoodland", but the last four letters were removed in 1945 after Hollywood became the world's movie capital. In 1978, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce replaced the deteriorated sign with a more permanent structure. Donors put in a total of $27,700 USD to buy replacements letter made of Australian steel! The new version of the Sign was unveiled live on Hollywood's 75th anniversary on November 17, 1978 and in November 2005; the letters of the Sign were repainted a new coat of white. The Hollywood Sign is now a registered trademark and can't be used without permission of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

Places to See the Sign

There are a number of ways for LAX parking customers to see the famous Hollywood Sign! Perhaps the best way is to drive up Beachwood Drive (north of Hollywood Boulevard). To reach Beachwood Drive from Hollywood & Vine, take Hollywood Boulevard east (a quarter mile), to Gower Street. Turn left (north) up Gower (three blocks, under the freeway) to Franklin Avenue. Turn right (east) on Franklin, then immediately turn left (north) up Beachwood Drive, into the hills. If you want to park your car at the Johnny Park LAX parking lot and view the Sign on foot, come to the Beverly Center Mall! Here you can view the Sign while riding the exterior escalator tubes on the mall's east side! If you want to take a great picture, head over to the Hollywood Bowl to see the Sign from its upper bleachers. LAX parking customers can also head to the gate at Hollywood Memorial Cemetery for another great view of the Sign! Other great places to view the Hollywood Sign include the parking lot at Griffith Park Observatory and the entrance at Lake Hollywood located on Weldlake Drive.

Altering the Sign

Although the Sign is located atop an undeveloped hillside, this has not stopped the vandals that have made various alterations of the Hollywood Sign over the years! It is illegal and dangerous to make alterations and decrease the incidences, the area around the sign has been fenced and a new high-tech alarm system has been recently installed! The installation of this $100,000 security system that is fully equipped with video surveillance and motion detection was prompted then the Sign was altered into "Go UCLA" for the annual UCLA-USC football game in fall 1993! Some famous modifications include: "Hollyweed" in January 1976, "Perotwood" during both the 1992 and 1996 Presidential elections in favour of candidate Ross Perot, and "Holywood" when Pope John Paul II came to visit in September 1987. The Sign has also been decorated in flashing colors in celebration of the new millennium in January 1st 2000! We do not advise our LAX parking customers to try this when making their visit!