Its no secret that make-believe is a thriving industry in southern California and style is often deemed far more important than substance. Against that background, the City of West Hollywood, California, is comfortably at home, clearly cut from the same cloth of reality mixed with fantasy.
First, you have to realize that this is a small community with a population of just 37,000. But unlike most such tiny towns (villages??), it exists to fulfill the dining, shopping and leisure pleasures, not necessarily of its residents, but of its visitors. No prize for guessing that it is the wealthy, powerful and trendy of all ages that make this place their playground. Until 1984, the area was a patchwork of land in an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County. That year, the legal and legislative incorporation process was completed and the City of West Hollywood came into being.
Within its 5 sq. kms, there are no fewer than 120 restaurants, pubs and side-walk cafes along with jazz, comedy, R&B, pop and rock clubs – probably the largest concentration of such entertainment establishments in a community of this size anywhere – rivalled,perhaps only by the M-block market in GK2, New Delhi which has over 20 restaurants / pubs / cafes in a ½ a sq km are!!!!
Most buildings in small towns are found along along both sides of the towns main street. In West Hollywood, that thouroughfare is none other than 3.4 km stretch of the famous Sunset Boulevard. For the distance it runs through the town, the boulevard is called the Sunset Strip.
Concentrated here, the entertainment spots come alive when the sun goes down. Be ready for high decibel music and flashing strobe ;ights across jam-packed dance floors. Outside, you’ll be a part of a river of fun-seekers, flowing in and out of clubs and restaurants. The boulevard itself is filled with traffic that often includes stretch limos. Behind their dark-tinted windows are probably celebs from the film and pro-sport world on their way to yet another party. For those who love celeb watching, here’s a tip – Hang around where the paparazzi gather and perhaps you’ll spot some of the ‘A’ list crowd yourself.
Visitors who come looking for fine dining, high-end shopping and non-stop entertainment are rarely disappointed. The place is vibrant, a kaleidoscope of things to do and see. It claims that its not an amusement park or a typical tourist attraction but something distinctive, a one-of-a-kind. Spend just a day here and you’ll quickly agree.
While things around the Sunset Strip are rather hedonistic, just a few blocks away the atmosphere suddenly changes. Here is the quiet world of art galleries, antique dealers, studios for interior decorators and stores featuring contemporary furniture. The streets here are informally known as the Avenues of Art and Design. While these are mainly small, even intimate shops, there’s nothing modest about the pacific Design Center. Given its size and colour, it has been irreverently dubbed as the Blue Whale. With over 200 showrooms, the complex also boasts of Museum of Contemporary Art which also includes a Digital Gallery.
Its fair to say that if you’re looking for something that's not the same as anywhere else, you’ll find it in West Hollywood.
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