Los Angeles Sunset Boulevard
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
To those who are not familiar with Los Angeles, Sunset Boulevard inspires images of mansions, expensive cars and movie stars. Those familiar with Los Angeles know it as a very long street that passes through a lot of neighborhoods.
Sunset Boulevard begins (or ends if you prefer) at Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles. Union Station (a train station) and the County jail are close to this end of Sunset. This has always struck me as ironic. Here is the freedom of the railroad ready to take you anywhere jeeringly close to those who no longer have their freedom.
Olvera Street borders "Old Town" the site of the original spanish pueblo for which the city is named. Old Town is made up of several genuinely old buildings and a lot of reproductions of even older buildings. The area appeals mostly to tourists although there are a few good restaurants and a small winery.
From here, Sunset Boulevard runs roughly west and ends at the Pacific Ocean about twenty five miles away. In between these two points are some of the greatest contrasts to be found in Los Angeles.
Immediately after leaving Olvera Street, Sunset passes China Town. Many of the businesses in China Town are now owned by Viet Namese or Korean interests and like Old Town, appeals mostly to tourists and only marginally to locals. The best time of year to visit China Town is during Chinese New Year with all the long dragons, the parades and the fire crackers.
Continuing west on Sunset, the environment becomes a bit shabby. For a mile or so, there are old store fronts in various states of decay, most of them catering the the city's spanish speaking population. One of these areas is called Silver Lake which gains its name from a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reservoir situated in the hills to the north. The area surrounding the reservoir is really quite nice with expensive homes and panoramic views of the hills but area along Sunset is somewhat reminiscent of the Hippie era.
Continuing west, Sunset enters the Hollywood area. Things don't really improve a lot although the restaurants tend to be a little trendier. Hollywood is a dense commercial area with awful traffic and nightmareish parking problems. Hollywood has been undergoing a lot of urban renewal, most of which has not worked very well.
Hollywood High School overlooks Sunset Boulevard where sex education classes are taught at the classroom windows where students observe the commercial activities of young ladies plying the 'pleasure trade'.
Further west, Sunset enters the region once known as the Sunset Strip, a portion of the county that was not part of any city. About twenty years ago, the city of West Hollywood was established, which includes the old strip. The strip is the dividing line between the plebian and patrician parts of the city, because just west of the Strip, Sunset enters Beverly Hills. Now the mansions begin.
One of my favorite sites was a huge estate which was owned by Saudi Arabian prince. The property was surrounded by a wall which was topped with classical statues of nude figures. The Saudi prince had tastefully embellished the statues by painting them in realistic colors. The prince was not there for very long and the great house was destroyed in a fire.
After Beverly Hills, Sunset winds serpintine-like through the Santa Monica foothills. This is my favorite part of the Boulevard with it winding roads and heavy forestation. The only problem is that people tend to drive too fast through here and it does not allow the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the area.
Finally, Sunset ends at Pacific Coast Highway south of Malibu. The best time to arrive at this point is on a smoggy day just as the sun sets. The smog does something to the atmosphere that produces spectacularly pyrotechic sunsets.
Sunset Boulevard begins (or ends if you prefer) at Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles. Union Station (a train station) and the County jail are close to this end of Sunset. This has always struck me as ironic. Here is the freedom of the railroad ready to take you anywhere jeeringly close to those who no longer have their freedom.
Olvera Street borders "Old Town" the site of the original spanish pueblo for which the city is named. Old Town is made up of several genuinely old buildings and a lot of reproductions of even older buildings. The area appeals mostly to tourists although there are a few good restaurants and a small winery.
From here, Sunset Boulevard runs roughly west and ends at the Pacific Ocean about twenty five miles away. In between these two points are some of the greatest contrasts to be found in Los Angeles.
Immediately after leaving Olvera Street, Sunset passes China Town. Many of the businesses in China Town are now owned by Viet Namese or Korean interests and like Old Town, appeals mostly to tourists and only marginally to locals. The best time of year to visit China Town is during Chinese New Year with all the long dragons, the parades and the fire crackers.
Continuing west on Sunset, the environment becomes a bit shabby. For a mile or so, there are old store fronts in various states of decay, most of them catering the the city's spanish speaking population. One of these areas is called Silver Lake which gains its name from a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reservoir situated in the hills to the north. The area surrounding the reservoir is really quite nice with expensive homes and panoramic views of the hills but area along Sunset is somewhat reminiscent of the Hippie era.
Continuing west, Sunset enters the Hollywood area. Things don't really improve a lot although the restaurants tend to be a little trendier. Hollywood is a dense commercial area with awful traffic and nightmareish parking problems. Hollywood has been undergoing a lot of urban renewal, most of which has not worked very well.
Hollywood High School overlooks Sunset Boulevard where sex education classes are taught at the classroom windows where students observe the commercial activities of young ladies plying the 'pleasure trade'.
Further west, Sunset enters the region once known as the Sunset Strip, a portion of the county that was not part of any city. About twenty years ago, the city of West Hollywood was established, which includes the old strip. The strip is the dividing line between the plebian and patrician parts of the city, because just west of the Strip, Sunset enters Beverly Hills. Now the mansions begin.
One of my favorite sites was a huge estate which was owned by Saudi Arabian prince. The property was surrounded by a wall which was topped with classical statues of nude figures. The Saudi prince had tastefully embellished the statues by painting them in realistic colors. The prince was not there for very long and the great house was destroyed in a fire.
After Beverly Hills, Sunset winds serpintine-like through the Santa Monica foothills. This is my favorite part of the Boulevard with it winding roads and heavy forestation. The only problem is that people tend to drive too fast through here and it does not allow the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the area.
Finally, Sunset ends at Pacific Coast Highway south of Malibu. The best time to arrive at this point is on a smoggy day just as the sun sets. The smog does something to the atmosphere that produces spectacularly pyrotechic sunsets.
