BLOG: At Home Here In The World's Home Town

It has always by my observation that whether you are from Los Angeles or Boise, or Stockholm, Hollywood is everybody's second hometown.  As the epicenter for worldwide entertainment production and cultural trends, from the time we are old enough to hold a channel changer, we seek out info about Hollywood.  We read about it (the first fan magazine, Motion Picture, was founded in 1911!).  We watch movies and TV about it.  We go online to gossip sites about it.  We pass on current and historical nuggets of gossip about it with our friends, families and acquaintances.  In short, we probably have spent more time in our lives on keeping abreast of the goings on in this town than we ever have about the town we are from.

Every year thousands upon thousands come here for verification of all of the things that they've learned and read and watched and heard.  They want to see, firsthand, these glamourous (?) surroundings.  When they come for a visit, in a very real sense, they are coming home!

And without even realizing it (because it's kind of an unspoken honor/duty) we often go out of our way to make their journey and their discovery a pleasant one.  I can't count how many times I've been on the street and a car stops and I hear, "excuse me! can you tell me how to get to.....,"  or while walking by an important location, "excuse me! could you take our picture."

I always oblige (and I'm sure you do too) no matter how late I'm running because in wanting to help them, it's really me who receives the gift.  In that brief moment they are giving me the reminder of what an incredible place it is that I call home!  (It's why, I suspect, I have as many locals that take my tour as I do visitors.)

You know, when you live in a place like Hollywood, or Washington DC, or Niagara Falls (and I've lived in all three), you know that you share your town with many vistors every day. It's understandable then that locals will create 'off-the-beaten-track' areas of town as well as the better known areas.

And this brings me to a question that I would like to put before all of you, my Patches.  It is a question that came up once in the comments section of an earlier post, and our wonderful Editor, Lindsey Baguio, suggested it was post worthy by itself. 

So here goes:  Do you ever use the Hollywood and Highland Center as your local shopping mall?

I would love it if you could leave an answer in the comments section.  A 'yes' or 'no' will be fine but, by all means, feel free to amplify any thoughts on the answer.

I do appreciate your time, neighbors.