Bus Stops: Look both ways before you explore Hollywood Boulevard

Last week, as I was riding the bus along Sunset Boulevard, it occurred to me that there’s another famous street just one block up: Hollywood Boulevard.

Home of the Walk of Fame, the Kodak Theatre and tourists as far as the eye can see, Hollywood Boulevard seemed like the place to be on a Saturday night.

Because Sunset and Hollywood Boulevard are so close together, I took the Metro Line 2 again, got off on Highland Avenue and walked up the street. For that reason, I would recommend making this a day trip, or at least a group trip ““ parts of Highland Avenue are very poorly lit, especially the stretch of sidewalk next to Hollywood High School.

I arrived at the Hollywood and Highland intersection at the southwest corner, next to the Souvenirs of Hollywood shop. Going clockwise from there, the intersection held a Gap, the Hollywood First National Bank Building and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium. To my left were stores and famous theaters and to my right were overpriced museums. Learn from my mistake and turn left.

This week I brought along a friend whose favorite movie is “Snow White,” so when we saw the Snow White Cafe next to the Hollywood First National Bank Building, that’s where we went to eat, no questions asked.

The cafe has murals painted all along the upper half of the walls, depicting different scenes from the film. The wall directly across from the entrance looks like the cabin in the woods and has a painting of Snow White accepting the apple from the witch. On the lower half of the walls there are portraits of the seven dwarves.

All of that aside, the Snow White Cafe gives off a rugged bar vibe. The lights were dim, there was Sportscenter playing in the background and the Sirius XM satellite Classic Rock station was playing loudly in the background. There’s a full bar at the far right corner of the place and their Happy Hour (a stein for $10, or a burger, fries and a beer for $10) lasts from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Alain Villeneuve, 45, said that the cafe gets a combination of tourists, regulars and Disney fans. They opened in 1946 as a waffle house and eventually evolved into an American and Italian style kitchen, he said. He recommends the cheeseburger, the pasta and the salmon.

My friend got the Snow White Breakfast ““ two fried eggs, a side of mushrooms, bacon and hash browns for $8. I got the $7 Classic Burger with cheese, which comes with a side order of fries. The portion sizes were small and could have been more generous with the seasoning, but the burger was cooked to perfection. Overall, I’d say it was a miss and I wouldn’t make a second trip.

The three main museums near the Hollywood and Highland intersection are the Hollywood Wax Museum, the Guinness World Records Museum and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium. Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum near Hollywood and Orange and the Hollywood Museum of old movie costumes between Sunset and Hollywood on Highland are both within walking distance, but the first three are owned by the same company.

And they all seem to be popular among the tourists. Whitney Alas, 21, works at the Guinness World Record Museum and thinks that visiting the museums is part of the city life and a fun experience for people. She said September is the quietest month and probably the best time to avoid crowds of tourists.

Since this column is about seeing Los Angeles on a budget, I don’t think spending $18 to see the Hollywood Wax Museum and the Guinness World Record Museum qualifies, though two museums for $18 is definitely a bargain compared to Ripley’s for $15. The best deal is a VIP special of $27 for all three.

If, like me, your original plans for Hollywood Boulevard fall through, then just browse around. The Egyptian Theatre was screening all three “Lord of the Rings” films and there are plenty of random shops, hookah bars and restaurants around. You could also just turn right onto Hollywood instead.

E-mail John at [email protected] if you would have gone to the Gap.