Bumpshack Exclusive: Many people often ask me what places they should see on their trip to Hollywood before they come out here. So I thought it would make a great excuse to come up with this list of the ‘Top 10 Places to Visit in Hollywood‘. Of course there are many more, so feel free to drop a comment with your favorite places and landmarks.

1. Hollywood Sign- A must see for any visitor to Hollywood. The sign, erected in 1923, originally said ‘Hollywoodland’ and was an advertisement for a housing development in the Hollywood Hills. Today it stands as the most recognized symbol and must see landmark for tourists. It is also the easiest landmark in Hollywood to see.



2. Paris Hilton’s Home- Located in the Hollywood Hills, on Kings Road, this has become the current day must see landmark for Parisites and the XY generation. Almost everything Paris related during the last three years, either started at 1467 N. Kings Road, or it ended there after one of her DUI arrests. The home recently went on the market for $4.25 million.



3. Grauman’s Chinese Theater- The most famous movie theater in the world where almost every giant premiere of the last one hundred years has taken place. It is located at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard and is very distinctive looking. In front of the theater of hundreds of hand and foot prints of the most famous actors of all-time. Many with personal notes addressed to Sid Grauman who opened the theater.



4. Laurel Canyon Country Store- A hidden treasure in the Hollywood Hills at 2108 Laurel Canyon. The store has been a hang out and throw back grocery store for residents of the Hills for decades. Once a year hundreds of Laurel Canyon residents meet in front of the store for the annual Canyon Country Store photo. In the basement of the building is Pace restaurant, which has become a hot place among celebrities trying to enjoy a quiet dinner. Right behind the store is Love Street and the house Jim Morrison lived at during the later years of his life.



5. Hollywood Bowl-Every major artist worth their weight in salt has played at the Hollywood Bowl. It’s an outside concert venue that is shaped like a bowl and fits snug in the Hollywood Hills at 2301 North Highland Avenue. Artists from Bob Dylan to Motley Crue to Frank Sinatra to Johnny Cash have played at the Bowl.



6. Hollywood Walk of Fame- Not many people make it to Hollywood without seeing the stars on the Walk of Fame. They are all up and down Hollywood Boulevard and one can’t really miss them. The ‘Walk’ is probably one of the most overrated places to see in Hollywood. It has been so copied at other tourists attractions around the world that it has diminished the allure of the original. Most celebs usually pay the $25,000 sponsorship fee before the release of a big project or film to be placed on the Walk of Fame.



7. Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles- This is the place for some good ole’ greasy southern fried chicken that comes with some syrupy waffles. A weird combination that goes down smoother than fresh buttermilk. Roscoe’s is mentioned in many pop culture references including The Notorious B.I.G. song ‘Going Back to Cali’ where he raps about “frequently flossing hoes at Roscoe’s”.



8. Mulholland Drive- A beautiful curvy and long road that sits atop of the Hollywood Hills and splits Hollywood from the San Fernando Valley. Mulholland Drive has been featured in several movies and is home to many movie stars including Jack Nicholson, Warren Beaty and the late Marlon Brando.  There is even a movie called Mulholland Drive that is actually pretty good.



9. Capital Records Tower- Easily recognizable to the average fan of Hollywood. It was the first circular office building when it was built back in 1956. A little known fact about the Capital Records Tower is a blinking light at the top that spells out Hollywood in Morse Code.



10. 8763 Wonderland Avenue- Home of the ‘Wonderland Killings‘ in 1981 that is portrayed in the movie Boogie Nights. The late porn star John Holmes was accused of the killings before being acquitted. The killings were the result of a big drug deal gone bad. Holmes was at the scene when the murders took place. His girlfriend at the time, said after his death in 1988, that John had come to her house the following morning with blood all over his clothes.

-Bumpshack.com