PARK Magazine

SUNSET
MARQUIS
THE
HOTEL IN HOLLYWOOD
BY GEORGE WAYNE
SO, THE SUMMER ITINERARY FOR THE HIPSTER NEW YORKER
swinging through L.A. begins right here with yours truly. And the coolest
hotel to lay your head as you go about embracing the role of astute Hollywood
insider (for a few days at least) still begins at the iconic West Hollywood
home away from home for legendary creatives for almost 60 years
-- The Sunset Marquis Hotel.
For the New Yorker-in-the-know visiting Hollywood,
it’s already a given that the base camp must
always be in the environs of West Hollywood. WeHo
for most New Yorkers offers the vibe we are accustomed
to because it feels like a community and a
neighborhood and because it remains the heartbeat
to the vibe and buzz -- and soul of Los Angeles.
And for New Yorkers who still love to walk wherever
they go, getting a room at the Sunset Marquis guarantees
that you can stroll the neighborhood and
not experience FOMO. Why? Because even to this
day many of L.A.’s iconic restaurants and bars
and buzz spots, old and new, are still very much
within a 15-minute radius of 1200 Alta Loma Avenue
where you will take up residence. ‘’Nobody walks
in L.A.’’ goes the refrain from a famous 80’s rock
anthem. But that doesn’t apply if you are smart
enough to know better.
So, what is Los Angeles like as we finally -- finally
-- re-emerge from this seemingly never-ending pandemic
era? Well, for the Sunset Marquis, unlike its
decades-long rival up the hill, the Chateau Marmont,
the vibe could not be more welcoming. If nothing
else, the Covid-era lockdown allowed for a jowly,