Chakmakchyan 1

Anush Chakmakchyan
English 113B
Professor Lawson
23 February 2015
Word Count: 1324
The Significance of Hollywood Boulevard to Many Cultures and Subcultures
The place I visited to observe and analyze was the world-famous street, Hollywood
Boulevard. Hollywood Boulevard is located in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It splits off
Sunset Boulevard in the east and goes northwest to Vermont Avenue then it straightens and goes
west to Laurel Canyon Boulevard. It carries on as a residential street west of Laurel Canyon and
ends at Sunset Plaza Drive. The eastern end goes through Little Armenia and Thai Town
(Hollywood Boulevard). Hollywood Boulevard is best known for its unique places and is the
home of honoring celebrities. Prior to Hollywood Boulevard, the street was named Prospect
Avenue until 1910, when the town of Hollywood was annexed by the City of Los Angeles. After
annexation, the street numbers changed from 100 Prospect Avenue, at Vermont Avenue, to 6400
Hollywood Boulevard (Hollywood Boulevard). The Graumans Chinese Theater, Wax Museum,
and Vegas Buffet attract all types of cultures and subcultures because they each provide their
own cultural significance.
The Graumans Chinese Theater is a Chinese culture inspired movie theater with handand-footprints of the stars in its forecourt. Resembling a giant, red Chinese pagoda, the theatre's
architecture features a huge dragon snaking its way across the front, two stone lion-dogs

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guarding the main entrance, and the silhouettes of tiny dragons racing up and down the sides of
the theatre's ornate, copper roof (Graumans Chinese Theater). The forecourt has hand-andfootprints of the stars imprinted in cement which is one of the very unique figures of the theater.
Its interior decor is a dazzling blur of exotic Asian motifs (Graumans Chinese Theater).
Hollywoods Chinese Theater is the most famous movie theater in the world (Graumanss
Chinese Theater). Grauman's Chinese Theatre opened over 70 years ago, with the 1927 debut of
the original silent version of "King of Kings," produced by Cecil B. DeMille. Since then, the
Chinese Theatre has been the site of more gala Hollywood movie premieres than any other
theatre (Graumans Chinese Theater). I noticed many people from the Chinese culture at this
particular place. Also, there were many other races as well. I noticed tourists from different parts
of the world. Since the newest and most popular movie that was playing at the time was Fifty
Shades of Grey, there were a larger amount of adults than teens and kids. The Graumans
Chinese Theater is pricier than regular movie theaters, and there is an extra fee for tours,
therefore the people there were probably from the middle class or higher. This theater is
significant to many people of the Chinese culture, not only in the country, but world-wide. The
Graumans theater gives these people a comfort of back home and an experience of their culture
in America, even though it is only a stereotypical figure. Other cultures get a taste of the Chinese
culture and get a chance to experience something new. The hand-and-footprints also play a huge
role in the significance of this theater because it is very unique and hard to find elsewhere.
The Hollywood Wax Museum is a place where imitations of celebrities, made out of wax,
are displayed. This museum brings people the closest to celebrities, recreated so realistically that
they almost look alive. The Hollywood Wax Museum is the longest running wax museum in the
United States and has been under the same ownership since 1965 (Hollywood Wax Museum).

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This wax museum is the only wax museum in the country dedicated to celebrities (Hollywood
Wax Museum). It was very interesting to see life-sized figures of my favorite celebrities made
out of wax. I noticed people of all races in this particular place. The Wax Museum is also one of
the things tourists from everywhere find appealing. The museum carries models of all kinds of
celebrities from film and music, therefore there were people of all ages from about early teens to
senior citizens. This museum also has life-life figures of classic entertainers like Marilyn
Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, John Wayne, and Elvis Presley which the elderly found most
appealing. Most teens were there to see the sculptures of One Direction. It was remarkable to
see the excitement in those teens, as if they were face-to-face with the actual celebrity.
Hollywoods Wax Museum has a great amount of significance to those who have love and
interest in entertainment and its pop culture. The museum gives people a chance to experience a
life size look-a-like of their favorite celebrity and creates a closer connection with that celebrity.
If the museum were to not exist anymore, those who have love for movies and music would miss
the chance to come as close as possible to an admired celebrity/character which would be an
experience that they would carry on for a life-time.
Hollywoods Vegas Seafood Buffet is a sin city inspired, all you can eat buffet. The main
foods they serve is seafood, teppanyaki items, sushi & Brazilian meat. The interior of this
restaurant has plain walls with a few random pictures hanging from them, which, for me, didnt
demonstrate any Vegas vibes. When someone hears the word Vegas, they automatically get an
image of luxury hotels, lights, and a place full of life, but the interior of this restaurant failed to
meet those expectations. I believe it was given that name only to get peoples attention. They
also have televisions hanging from all around with the sports channel playing. The food variety
was plenty and tasted incredible. The quality of the food was great as well. The employees at this

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particular restaurant were from the Asian culture for the most part, and the customers were as
well. There were also a few another ethnicities. Vegas Seafood Buffet is a family place, therefore
there were infants, children, teens, adults, and senior citizens as well. For the most part, people
had come in large groups. There were a few that were a party of only two and there was this one
guy that had decided to come by himself. The pricing is not too expensive at this buffet, so for
the most part it was middle class people. Since Hollywood is full of tourists, there were many of
them as well from different parts of the world with families. This place represents a subculture of
seafood and sushi eaters, therefore, for the most part, it mainly attracts people who like to eat
those types of food. The significant thing about this place is that it has a huge variety of food
from different cultures, at an affordable price. Seafood is usually expensive, so for people to go
and enjoy all you can eat, quality seafood is great. Another importance it has is that people get
that Hollywood, Sin City, and Asian vibe all in one affordable place.
Hollywood Boulevard is full of spectacular places that each have an importance to many
types of cultures and subcultures. The Graumans Chinese Theater, Wax Museum, and Vegas
Seafood Buffet are just a few out of many remarkable places on Hollywood Boulevard. They all
attract people and tourists from various ethnicities, all ages and mostly from the middle class.
These buildings each create a space that represent different types of cultures and subcultures and
give people a chance to experience something amazing which is why they play an important role
in each of those peoples lives. If either one of those places were to demolish, many would be
missing out on something that can mean a huge amount to them and memories that they would
carry on. People would also loose the chance to experience something so significant that could
perhaps shape their world.

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Bibliography
"Hollywood Boulevard." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015.
"Hollywood Wax Museum Los Angeles CA - Top LA Attraction." Hollywood Wax Museum.
N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
"Grauman's Chinese Theatre." Grauman's Chinese Theatre. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.