2013 media guide - LA Marathon

ABOUT THE RACE
ABOUT THE RACE
Mile 9:
Ending at Hollywood Boulevard and Edgemont Street
(Elevation change: +48, from 362 to 410 feet)
The route transitions onto Hollywood Boulevard at North Virgil Avenue/North
Hillhurst Avenue, and includes a 3.20-­‐mile stretch on Hollywood Boulevard (miles 8-­‐
12), moving through the City’s Los Feliz district.
Barnsdall Art Park is located at 4814 Hollywood (at Vermont Avenue) and was
donated in 1927 as an arts center by Aline Barnsdall. It includes Frank Lloyd
Wright’s famed Hollyhock House (1921).
Mile 10:
Ending at Hollywood Boulevard and Wilton Place
(Elevation change: -­‐14 feet, from 410 to 396 feet)
Situated along Hollywood between Normandie Avenue and Western Avenue are
both “Thai Town” and “Little Armenia.” Los Angeles has the largest number of
people of Thai descent of any city in the world outside of Thailand. The area was
designated “Thai Town” by the Los Angeles City Council in 1999; the Council later
recognized the area from Vermont Avenue on the east end to Van Ness Avenue on
the west as “Little Armenia” in 2000.
Mile 11:
Ending at Hollywood Boulevard at Wilcox Avenue
(Elevation change: -­‐10 feet, from 396 to 386 feet)
“Hollywood” proper begins at Gower Street, where the Hollywood Walk of Fame
begins; the Walk continues west to La Brea Avenue. There are nearly 2,500 stars
today along the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. Most
recently, late actor Richard Burton received the 2,491 st star on March 1 st , 2013.
Hollywood landmarks are scattered along the route: the Museum of Death (6031
Hollywood), opened in Los Angeles in 2009 with memorabilia from the Black Dahlia,
Charles Manson and other infamous cases; the Music Box @ Fonda (6126
Hollywood), which opened in 1926, was known for many years as the Henry Fonda
Theater.
At the center of the Walk of Fame is the intersection of Hollywood & Vine, which
became famous for its concentration of radio and motion picture-­‐related
businesses in the 1920s. Just north of the intersection is the Capitol Records Tower
(1750 Vine Street), the world’s first circular office building, which was designed by
Welton Becket and opened in 1956.
Continuing on Hollywood Boulevard is the Pantages Theater (6233 Hollywood,
between Argyle Avenue and Vine), an Art Deco-­‐style performing arts venue that
opened in 1930 as a vaudeville and movie house. It was home to the Academy
Awards from 1950 to 1960; it is now a conventional theater and underwent
renovation in 2000.
Mile 12:
Ending at Sunset Boulevard and LaBrea Avenue
(Elevation change: -­‐35 feet, from 386 to 351 feet; 2 turns)
The route now moves through the heart of Hollywood, with many historical
locations, including the Musso & Frank Grill (6667 Hollywood, between Cherokee
and Las Palmas Avenues), which opened in 1919 and is still in operation, covered
with photos of diners from the Golden Age of Hollywood like Charlie Chaplin,
Douglas Fairbanks, Orson Welles and many others.
Other landmarks along this mile include the American Cinematheque, including the
Egyptian Theatre (6712 Hollywood), the first Egyptian–style theater in the United
States. It opened in 1922 under Sid Grauman (of Chinese Theatre fame) and was
refurbished in 1998. Next door is the Pig ‘N Whistle restaurant, which opened in
1927 to serve diners who were not allowed to eat in theaters at the time. Finally,
runners will also pass the original Frederick’s of Hollywood (6751 Hollywood), which
opened in 1947.
Near the intersection of Hollywood and Highland Avenue is the Hollywood Wax
Museum (6767 Hollywood, opened in 1965) as well as Ripley’s Believe or Not!
Odditorium (6780 Hollywood). This is also the site of the El Capitan Theatre (6838
Hollywood), which was opened by Grauman in 1926, and refurbished by the Walt
Disney Company in 1991.
The massive Hollywood & Highland retail and entertainment development,
decorated with movie history themes, in 2001. It includes the Dolby Theatre
(formerly the Kodak Theater), which has been the home of the Academy Awards
since 2002. In 1958, the first eight stars of the Hollywood Walk of Fame were
installed at this intersection.
Grauman’s Chinese Theater (6801 Hollywood) was the third of Grauman’s themed
theaters, and opened in 1927. The theater is well known for the 200+ handprints,
footprints and signatures immortalized in the concrete in front of the building,
beginning with actress Norma Talmadge in 1927. The theater hosted the Academy
Awards from 1944 to 1946, and is still in use today as a movie theater.
Madame Tussauds Hollywood (6933 Hollywood) opened in 2009, and today has a
collection of more than 100 wax figures in its three-­‐story building. In June 2012, the
museum unveiled its wax figure of 90-­‐year-­‐old Betty White, the oldest celebrity
depicted in its collection.
18 ASICS LA MARATHON
MEDIA GUIDE
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