24 | HOLLYWOOD HIGHLIGHTS!


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HEIDI HITS HOLLYWOOD


Heidi McAlpin heads to the USA for two weeks with her husband Ray and teenage children Scarlett and Freddie. First stop… Hollywood!


AS pearly white as its namesake smile, no landmark screams LA like the HOLLYWOOD Sign. And it this instantly recognisable attraction that lured me back to the City of Angels, having visited two years ago but never got up close and personal with the world’s most replicated nine letters. That’s the weird thing about the sign. It may be 45ft high and globally renowned but, much like the cows in Father Ted, it’s further away than you think. Many tourists head for The Griffith Observatory, made famous as a film location in Rebel Without a Cause and La La Land, for the obligatory photo op. But I wanted to see the view from right behind the sign. Who, I ask, wouldn’t? Which lead me to hollywoodsign.org where a fascinating insight into its story and a suggested 90minute hiking trail lead me from Brush Canyon car park to that very spot. Joining us on our journey was Meghan who treks several miles daily to oversee the maintenance and safety of this century-old superstar. Dazzling views across the LA skyline and tantalising glimpses of those feted letters


June 2024


relief as the superrich showhouses beckoned. Our driver guide was wonderfully entertaining and refreshingly sardonic in equal measure as he pointed out gaudily- hued supercars - “$1million Lamborghini to our left… that’s gangster” – and celebrity mansions – “Whitney Houston’s house right there – rest in peace Whitney”. From Grease’s Rydell High School racetrack to


Selling Sunset’s Hollywood HQ, this super funny guy had all the bases covered. Back in the less salubrious surroundings


of the Walk of Fame, we rejoined Ray and Freddie to compare our hands and feet with those iconic imprints outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Generations of actors have literally cemented their celebrity status on these slabs which attract swathes of tourists keen to see how they size up. Marilyn’s feet are tiny, Trigger’s hoofprints are fun, and


eventually revealed my legendary script. Welcome to HOLLYWOOD! “When can we get a photo in front of the sign?”, my teenage children asked, out of puff from their walk. They may not have shared my enthusiasm, but I know deep down they were impressed. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of their lives. A direct 11hour Aer Lingus flight from


Dublin had spirited us across the Atlantic and USA to begin a two-week odyssey starting in LA, taking in Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon and ending in San Diego. Visiting LA to see the sign was my goal. For my 13-year- old son, it was to wonder at the majesty of Universal Studios Hollywood’s recently opened SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. Which was why I chose the Kimpton Everly


Hotel as our base. Not only was it a short Uber drive to the start of the Brush Canyon hiking trail, it was equally handy to Universal Studios. And, even better, we were a short stroll from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with over 2700 stars celebrating everyone from Lassie to Liberace, Maria Carey to Marilyn Monroe. The hotel’s super cool Lobby Living Room with mid-century furnishings and fab art, and rooftop pool overlooking the unique Capitol Records Building resembling a stack of 45s (younger readers, ask your parents) made it the perfect pit stop for our four days in Hollywood. With almost as many monikers as Stroke


City, perhaps the one that sums it up best is Hollyweird. And I mean that with affection.


This home to the movie industry is where stars of the big and small screen emerge from their mansions to gloat or grimace through Botox and gritted teeth at such glitzy events as the Oscars and Golden Globes. And starstruck tourists can add the Dolby Theatre, home of the Oscars and scene of that slap, to their celebrity pilgrimage. With the Hollywood Sign done and Universal Studios to come, Scarlett and I delved deeper into the lifestyles of the rich and famous with a trip round Beverley Hills led by the hugely popular Hollywood Bus Tours. Wending our way past the surreal sidewalks of Tinsel Town, where every street corner seems to boast its own bizarre act designed to part visitors from their holiday cash, we breathed a million-dollar sigh of


even our own Kenneth Branagh is among the megastar mix. Standing in the footprints of the famous ensures this attraction’s enduring popularity. Just like the celebrities it commemorates. Another must-see destination for fans of the silver screen is, of course, Universal Studios Hollywood. We’d visited this film-based theme park, set in a real- life working studio, in 2022 and had a blast. But in one corner we’d spied its latest attraction taking shape – SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. If my son was to go on Mastermind, his chosen specialised subject would surely be Super Mario. This was his Grauman’s, his Hollywood Sign, his Beverly Hills all rolled into one. Walking through the sparkly tunnel


and into the video game was everything he wanted it to be and more. The creatives behind Italian bros Luigi and Mario had cultivated a Mushroom


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