If you find yourself at Hollywood and Highland let me encourage you to make time to stop by the TCL Chinese Theatre. For years I stayed on the outside of the theatre due to lack of time to go inside but a few years ago I went inside for the first time and loved it. The theatre has the cement blocks with hand and foot prints from stars in front. The hand and foot prints date back to the very early days in Hollywood. The hand and foot prints of stars like Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe to George Clooney and the cast of Harry Potter.
Everyday visitors stop by and take pictures placing their hands and feet inside the prints of their favorite stars. Shirley Temple and I have the same hand size but that is the only hand print that mine comes close to fitting. At least a few times a year the theatre will host an event to honor different celebrities by having a ceremony and adding their hand and foot prints to the collection.
On occasion the theatre will hold contests through instagram and twitter where they will give out vip seats to the ceremonies. I was lucky enough to get selected through an instagram contest to be a vip for Gena Rowlands ceremony. Due to some technological issues I did not find out I had won till it was too late. So if you enter be sure to check your instagram or twitter account often so you do not miss out on any cool opportunities.
The theatre is home to several big movie premieres throughout the year so if you are near by you can show up and try to see some stars walk the red carpet. The theatre also plays hosts to different film festivals on occasion so keep an eye out on their twitter account for any information on that. I have yet to be able to make it down to the theatre for a red carpet event so I unfortunately cannot say what that experience is like but it is on my to do list. If you do decide to see a movie here please note that only one movie will be played in the huge impressive theatre, there are some smaller theatres to the side of the main theatre.
Two and a half years ago the theatre was celebrating an anniversary and held special screenings of old movies for 25 cents. My friend and I went there to see The Godfather which was an incredible place to see that movie for the first time. The screen is the second largest in the world and is quite impressive. There are always some props and costumes from various movies in the lobby which is nice to see as well. This place will truly give you a Hollywood experience.
Last spring my mom and I decided to take the vip tour of the theatre. At the time the tour was $13.50 and I will say that you do not see anything on the tour that you would not see if you bought a ticket to a movie. However, you get to hear a lot of cool stories about the theatre and Sid Grauman the man who created it all. If you are a huge movie fan the tour is worth the money to hear about the stories.
I encourage you to park underneath the Loews Hotel and the Dolby Theatre. You can get the ticket validated at the theatre or any of the shops in the area. You will pay around $2-$22 for parkingdepending on how long you stay. Also while you are in the area you may want to take a tour of the Dolby Theatre, home to the Oscars. Oh and if you get hungry I highly recommend 25 degrees, a burger place at the Roosevelt Hotel across the street.
For more information on the theatre visit their website: http://www.tclchinesetheatres.com
Follow me on twitter and I’ll be sure to retweet the theaters events: https://twitter.com/lovemichelle89
Sorry that you had technical difficulties and missed out on the opportunity but hopefully you will be able to go again!
This is very cool….something that I might definitely have an interest in
I haven’t been to the theater in a while. It is such a cool place.
Good luck with your auditions.
What an amazing place to visit. I would love to see this one day.
I’ve never been to the Chinese Theater. There are a lot of things to see there! So cool.
I havent see that before and it looks like a cool place i wish i can go there.
I’ve never been at TCL Chinese Theatre, but your post is so inspiring and informative! Beautiful photos!
I love places like this! Looks like a fun way to spend an afternoon. Wish I were closer to enjoy it!
I’d love to visit Hollywood one day. It would be a neat experience. I’ll be sure to check out 25 degrees when I am there. I love me a good burger.
If I’m ever in the area I’ll check this theatre out. I’ll also pop into the 25 degrees hamburger place because it sounds scrumptious.
How cool. I’ve been to Hollywood multiple times but I’ve never got a chance to get to that area. It looks like a blast.
I’d love to experience the tour myself – theaters have a distinct quality that you normally dont find in other places that you do the usual tours. The cement blocks are pretty cool, too.
Ahhhh I have been here several times!! Each time though I always do something slightly different. Crazy how one place can have so many things to do