In and Around Hollywood in Los Angeles, US

Ahh, look at that beautiful California sky!

How stunning!

Here I am in Los Angeles, the largest city on the West Coast of the US.

And when in LA, we can't forget it's the home of Hollywood, the film capital of the world.

The world's popular trends of movies, music, entertainment - birthed in this city.

It's a city where people come to make their dreams come true.

And that office building houses the world's most popular streaming service.

Look, that's where they hold the Academy Awards.

Ahh, the stars who've walked the red carpet there!

Today, I plan to explore Hollywood!

It's 9 AM.

The streets of LA form such a nice grid on a map.

Right now I'm on Hollywood Boulevard.

I can hardly wait to see the sights the film capital of the world has to offer.

Oh, look! The Chinese Theater!

Handprints and footprints of honored celebrities are cemented in the forecourt of the theater.

This is a very popular tourist attraction!

Hmm, I wonder what movie is being shown?

Wow! Look at all those women!

What are they doing?

They look like models...

I wonder if they're here for an audition.

Excuse me!

Yeah.

Are you all here for an audition?

Yeah.

So we're at a networking event for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.

We're auditioning, getting to know the editors, models, and pretty much everything that goes into Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.

I see!

Yeah!

Good luck!

Thank you!

Ahh! An audition for swimsuit models.

How fabulous!

First thing in the morning, I get a taste of Hollywood.

And there's Spider Man!

Great pose!

Hope they got a good picture.

Wow, this street is packed with cars!

Ooh, look at that yellow sports car.

Hello there!

Hi, how are you? Yes?

What a fabulous car!

This is the best time of your life, my friend.

We do experiences for tourists or locals that want to be able to drive a Ferrari once in their lifetime.

Go to the Hollywood sign, take some nice pictures.

Like this, you know, with the Hollywood sign in the background, and come back.

Sounds great!

Ah, thank you.

We've been in business for seven years, making people happy, you know?

Making them smile.

It's a life-changing experience.

The type of experience you want to do once in your life.

People must love it!

It's Hollywood! Feel like a star, you know?

Has COVID affected things?

With the COVID, it's not as good as it used to be.

But we're still here, making people happy.

People need change, you know?

They need to release the pressure, you know what I mean, after two tough years of COVID.

I do understand. Thank you!

Thank you so much.

Goodbye!

Ah, giving everyone a chance to feel like a star!

This certainly is a magical place!

I think I'll take a left here.

Wow, this street has such a different feel...

Oh, what kind of store is this?

That's a skeleton, wearing a wig...

And over here, a skull with horns!

The sign says Memento Mori.

I wonder what that means.

I think I'll check it out.

Oh, look at all the things in here!

That's an animal skull!

These seem to be made of metal.

And look, another skull!

Oh, my! The shelves are full of colorful butterflies.

What kind of store, is this?

Excuse me!

Hi!

This is a very fascinating store!

Thank you. Welcome.

I have so many questions...

Hahaha.

Well this is an oddities and curiosities shop.

My wife and I started in 2014.

A lot of this is our own art that we create using bones and butterflies and spiders and beetles.

Oh!

This is a butterfly that's dead, but look how beautiful it is.

Gorgeous.

Everything must die eventually, so why not use it in a form of art and beautify it.

Interesting.

A rhino beetle.

A little mini scorpion.

Wow.

She's fastening some charms to a raccoon's skull.

A raccoon!

This is going to take a really long time to do.

And this is a coyote that's in the process of being crystalized.

This is what we're hoping it's going to look like after.

Oooh, that's very unusual...

The name of your store is Memento Mori.

May I ask what it means?

Memento Mori means "remember you will die."

And it's a mantra for us because we like to find the beauty in death.

And it helps you sort of remember that death is something that happens, but you're celebrating the life that you have.

So it's a reminder to sort of just you don't have a lot of time.

Just have a good time.

Enjoy yourself.

Say "I love you" to your loved ones, that sort of stuff.

Do you always say that to each other?

Yeah!

What a great couple.

Hahaha. Yes.

Your store is quite unusual, isn't it?

Haha yes.

Hollywood can be very scary.

It is. They call it "Hollyweird."

Oh really!

Some pieces are a bit frightening, but very fascinating.

Thank you!

Thanks for stopping by.

Thank you.

- Thank you.
- Thank you. Come again.

Goodbye.

Good to see you again.

Have a great day.

Bye.

The preciousness of living can be easy to forget, but it is so important.

I've headed over to the east side of Hollywood, away from the hustle and bustle.

Loolk at that brightly painted building over there.

Huh? There's something on the roof.

Something on a bicycle...

It looks like they're repairing bicycles inside of that fenced in area.

Is this a bicycle shop?

Ah, it's called... the Bicycle Kitchen.

Interesting name...

I'd like to take a look inside.

I'm going in.

Look at all those bicycle tires.

Those two are working on a bicycle.

They're both so focused.

Um, excuse me!

Hi!

Hello.

Is this a bicycle shop?

Well, we're not a shop.

We're 100% volunteer-run non-profit organization.

So, you repair bicycles for people?

No, we help people fix their own bike.

You help?

A lot of volunteers know how to use the tools and fix bikes.

Varying skill levels are welcome.

Really?

Inside is where all of our used parts and all our tools are.

Is it okay if I take a look?

Oh, it's alright.

Come on in.

Thanks!

So these are our other volunteers.

They're either organizing or fixing things as well.

All of these are actually donated by people in LA.

And they want us to use it for other people.

They usually say they hope it goes to good use and other people can use it.

So how did this all begin?

In 2002, someone named Jimmy Lizama, who used to be a bike messenger, was living in a shared community apartment.

And there was an unused kitchen, an empty kitchen.

He decided to turn that into a bicycle repair place where anybody can come and he made pizza there, and he brought his friends, and they would work on bicycles.

Through word of mouth, it became a bigger thing, and that's how it started, this bicycle kitchen.

And that's why it's called the Bicycle Kitchen.

But what about the repair fee?

They can make donations for it.

But if they can't, we can always work something out.

We don't want money to be a hindrance when they ride bikes.

So we try to help them if they can't make any contribution.

That's wonderful.

And you pull this chain part off?

Yep.

Is that person here for a bike repair?

There you go.

Oh, look at that!

I know, I'm a professional.

Getting a little dirty.

No problem with getting your hands dirty, eh?

Yeah definitely.

I'm an artist, so that's what I do all day.

Get dirty and gross.

So that's why you came here?

Yeah, well.

You have to learn by doing, you know?

There's no other way.

Right!

You good?

It's all fixed!

Whoa!

Are you ok?

Almost...

You're ok?

Yeah I'm ok.

Good.

Is anything missing?

That's it.

Oh my god. So exciting.

Thank you so much!

All done!

Look at this.

Beautiful bike.

Look at the air in these tires.

Looks like new!

Exactly.

This guy.

Thanks for letting me watch the repair!

Thank you.

Bye.

Goodbye!

She seemed to be so pleased that she was able to fix her own bike.

More customers?

Wow, they keep coming.

Looks like they are in for a very busy day.

And look, they're unloading bikes from the back of a truck.

Hello!

Hollywood has an image of being a place of glitz and glamour, but today I got to meet people who enjoy connecting with each other and exchanging helpful information.

Fascinating place!

Hello everyone.

My name is Michael Raines, and I'll be your guide today.

We're here in Hollywood today to tell you a little secret about how Hollywood became the center of the film industry.

The stars of the silver screen embody the hopes and dreams of people who are drawn to Hollywood because they consider it to be the global center of the film industry.

In the beginning, there was no industry here at all, it was just a small country town.

However, during the late 1800's the development of film production was taking place on the East Coast.

And then, many of the film professionals decided to leave the East Coast and made their way to California.

You ask why?

We have perfect weather.

The perfect temperature.

The greatest locations anywhere in the world to shoot any kind of film.

We have a lot of talented people.

Great economy.

Where else would you start Hollywood, but here in Los Angeles?

However, there was one big problem.

Hollywood is a dry climate, which meant there was not an abundance of water.

So, when people flocked to the area, there was an urgent need to find a better and more consistent water supply for the residents.

The local government diverted water from the mountains and valleys and created over 20 reservoirs in order to make the area inhabitable.

This is Silver Lake Reservoir.

It was built in 1908.

It provided 60 thousand homes in Los Angeles with water.

It also allowed Hollywood to expand and proliferate.

The first major Hollywood studio was established in 1911.

And many others followed in its wake...

Disney's first studio was located in the Silver Lake area where it produced a number of hit animated programs and features.

This is Walt Disney's Silver Lake home.

The area around Silver Lake and Hollywood attracts a number of musicians, artists, actors and of course other film people.

It was reservoirs like this that provided water to Los Angeles and the film industry which allowed Hollywood to become the capital of the film industry.

Hope to see you here in Los Angeles soon, so for right now, we'll see you later.

It's eleven now.

I'm in the Silver Lake area, home to the reservoir that provided water for the people of Hollywood.

It's a very popular area with the LA young creatives.

These cafes with their patio seating are famous social hubs for these creatives.

There's also a large food truck here.

Hello.

Look at how creatively this shop is painted.

Totally different from my image of Hollywood.

This area is so laid back!

Hmmm? I wonder what's in that cart?

Hi.

How are you?

I'm good, yourself?

Good.

Thank you for bringing this over.

Yeah no problem.

You're from the grocery store next door?

Yes.

I wonder what they're doing?

Um, excuse me.

Hi.

Hey, how are you?

May I ask what you are doing here?

So we are loading up the Silver Lake community fridge.

This is a mutual aid efforts where anybody can come and drop off food, whether it be dry goods or dairy, meats, produce.

And then anybody who's food insecure, somebody who might be experiencing homelessness, or, you know, families who need a little bit of extra.

Anybody's able to come and use the fridge and take whatever they need.

Anybody is welcome to access it?

Anybody can take this.

It's free for anybody who needs it.

That's amazing.

And you donated these items?

We bring it from our store next door.

Whatever we don't sell, we bring it to donate.

Better to go to somebody than go to the trash.

That's great!

That painting on the fridge is so cute!

You know, I'm trying to match the fridge. Yes.

I see! You look great too.

And the great thing is a lot of people use this fridge.

They rely on the fridge.

Every time I come to organize it, there's always a whole new stock of food.

That means that, you know, people are donating and people are also using it.

So it's really a community effort.

Wonderful.

We've got all the fixings to make a really good sandwich in here right now.

We've got some veggies, some meat, some bread.

So we're not the only neighborhood that has something like this.

There are many community fridges all across Los Angeles.

There's one next door in East Hollywood.

There's one in Echo Park.

I would love to see a community fridge in every community.

At least one, if not multiple.

Just because food waste is such an issue, and food insecurity is such an issue.

I feel like we can sort of, you know, blend those together to try and alleviate hunger in Los Angeles.

It's such a great idea!

Absolutely.

I hope you do too.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Come say hi to the fridge if you're in town.

Got it!

Thank you!

What a great thing to do!

How wonderful it would be if this kind of thing became more and more popular.

And I'm back on a major road.

Wow, from the corner, I can see way down the street.

Wait a minute...

That's the Hollywood sign over there.

That means that Hollywood is in that direction.

So, this direction takes me to Silver Lake.

This street is really steep but I bet the view is fabulous!

I'm now in a residential area.

The houses and yards are so eye-catching.

Huh! That's quite a crowd up there.

I wonder what's going on?

Wow. There are a lot of people there!

Hello!

The guy in the red shirt seems to be a guide.

There's kind of a mountain scene going up the stairways.

And then at the top we'll gather together and actually take a group photo.

Sounds nice!

So are you guys...

Oh, what's going on here?

Oh, I'm sorry, I'm curious about this group.

Is this a tour?

We're doing what's called a painted stairways tour.

It turns out that there are about 14 painted stairways in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles.

And we had this 6.7 mile loop that visits all of them.

Oh, are these stairways famous?

They are now.

In fact, where we're standing right now, if I were to draw a two-mile radius circle around us, there would be about 100 stairways in it.

That many?

Because it turns out, back in the early twenties, this was the suburbs being developed for Los Angeles.

People in these suburban hillside homes needed shortcuts to get down to the valley streets.

So the stairways... back at that time, most people in the early 20s did not own cars.

Cars back then were about as expensive as private airplanes are now.

So you'd typically walk to the bus or the train.

Took it to work, took it back, walked up the stairs to your house.

So that's the short story of it.

Ah, I see.

Is everyone enjoying the tour?

Woo! Yay!

Your guide is great, isn't he?

- Yeah!
- Thank you.

Um, would you mind if I tag along?

Not at all.

You're welcome to follow us up.

So you want to come with me?

Ok, come with me.

Thank you!

The steps are definitely brightly painted!

Wow everybody is so enthusiastic!

Whew...

Having a little trouble here...

Do we need a little breather?

Yes please.

Oh, there's a painted stairway here too.

I love LA.

"Je t'aime LA."

It's French.

Looks great!!

OK, let's do it!

Break's over?

Ah, they are so full of energy!

They're running up!

Excuse me!

Yes.

Is there a great view from the stairway?

Oh yeah.

A perfect day.

Ooh. That's exciting.

Well, if you turn around about three quarters of the way up, you'll get a great view.

Before you get into the shade.

Oh, so just a little further.

Hoo.

Here we go.

OK. Let's stop right about here.

Turn towards the city.

Turn towards the city.

Ok...

- See the view?
- Oh!

Downtown Los Angeles. Tall buildings.

Stop everybody, for a sec.

Let them get a view.

Ah, look to the right.

Those tall buildings at downtown.

What a great view!

Yes. Beautiful.

Gorgeous views.

That's our city.

Haha.

Everybody is so fit!

I'm exhausted.

Almost there.

It's the top!

Finally!

Very good.

How did you learn about this tour?

On Facebook, I saw the ad, and I like stairs, so here we are.

This is quite a workout!

Is everyone feeling fine after the climb?

Oh yeah.

It's a good workout.

It's great.

It's perfect.

It's a beautiful day.

Are you all friends?

No no.

We are now.

We just met.

So, you're becoming friends now?

We will.

Great.

Make sure you get a nice cold drink after this!

Thank you!

We will.

We're gonna go this way.

See you later.

Thanks!

Bye-bye!

"Arigato."

Thank you.

All those people, having so much fun.

So, now heading back down to the residential area.

Ah, the weather is so fabulous and the area is so beautiful.

The green grass looks so inviting.

A great day to enjoy a beautiful afternoon!

People are walking their dogs!

And over there, some people are dancing!

I think I'll say hi!

Hello there!

Yeah?

You all seem to be "feeling the beat."

Because it's a Saturday!

It's a beautiful day.

Feeling good.

Do you come here often?

Yes, every weekend.

Everyone that wants to dance and sing, we all come to the meadow.

Are you all students?

We just finished.

Just fresh out of school.

Er, a couple of us are.

- Almost everyone is in music or some kind of art form.
- Mid-20s.

Work is hard?

Yeah, real jobs.

We can't believe it.

So, you enjoy your weekends!

Yeah, exactly.

It's really nice here.

Totally, yeah.

Like this view of the water and the hills and everything.

This is THE Silver Lake.

Yeah, it's beautiful.

It really is.

I know.

None of us are actually from LA, so we like to get as much vitamin D as possible.

You're not from around here?

No.

London.

Toronto.

Chicago.

Houston.

San Francisco.

Bay Area.

Toronto.

Which city is the nicest?

LA!

Drive like 45 minutes to the beach, 20 minutes to the hikes and stuff.

Easy.

People are nice though.

They're in a good mood.

It's because of the sunlight, everyone's in a good mood.

Even if they don't want to be, they're in a good mood.

Makes sense!

Thanks everyone!

Thank you.

Bye!

Bye!

Enjoy your weekend!

Let's take a walk.

My name's Britney and I'm from Los Angeles, the entertainment capital.

I'm going to show you three amazing healthy vegan restaurants today, because it's also known for its amazing food.

Let's go see.

First up is this burger joint!

But it's not your average burger.

Hello.

I'm gonna have one please.

You've got it.

Number 3 is a plant-based burger!

Animal proteins and meat are not used here.

The patty is made of grains and soybeans, "plant-based burgers!"

Created due to the investment of entrepreneurs, this health-conscious restaurant chain is attracting attention.

Add some vegan cheese, fried onions, organic veggies, and It's ready to eat!

Umm. This is so good.

The meat's not even real meat.

It's vegan.

And the lettuce and tomato? Fresh.

So good.

Let's go.

Up next is a fusion dish that is very LA.

Hi there.

I'd like the usual.

Sure!

Number 2! Tofu chilaquiles.

It's a traditional Mexican dish with tofu as a healthy twist.

Tofu, tomato, cilantro, and fried tortilla chips are added to the pan.

Add a special habanero sauce... heat it well, mix it and it's done!

It's flavorful, it's healthy, and it's so light.

It's really good.

Let's go check it out.

Hello!

I think I'm going to try... that one.

Sure!

Number 1 are these smoothies.

Packed with fresh and nutritious fruit and vegetables these are wonderfully healthy drinks.

The ingredients are organic.

Add some ice and coconut water, and then blend it up until it's nice and smooth.

Top it off with banana and strawberry, and you've got a nutritious sweet treat.

There are over 10 colorful varieties available.

This is so good.

You can really taste the kale and the coconut.

You just feel so refreshed in the morning after having a smoothie like this.

All of these places have the most popular items that even celebrities come and try them out.

Hope to see you in Hollywood so you can try all these amazing places.

Bye for now.

Bye.

Bye, bye!

Bye.

It's 2:30 in the afternoon.

I'm now west of the park overlooking Silver Lake.

The warmth of the afternoon sun is so relaxing.

And the palm trees lining the streets are so fabulous!

I wonder where those three girls are going, and what are they carrying?

Hello there!

May I ask where you're going?

We're going to our farm.

You have a farm?

Yeah, would you like to come see it?

Really?

Yeah, of course!

That sounds great!

Wow, look at that house.

Is this the entrance?

I love the brick road.

Oh, it's called Little City Farm.

What a beautiful urban farm.

Sorry to drop in like this...

No problem.

Hi!

Hello!

I'm Jenny.

This is Little City Farm.

Welcome.

These are my daughters, Marian and Lucy and our friend Olivia.

Hi!

And this is our small farm.

We have a small organic farm.

Ben is our farmer.

Hello there!

He knows everything about everything that's planted here.

So I started this experiment for my family to see if we could grow our own food and be off the grid here in LA.

Space for growing and flowering and we're picking stuff now for our Super Bowl meal.

What's ripe and ready for eating?

So mostly winter crops, although it seems like it's summer right now here in LA.

But we have a lot of edible flowers, like all the plants have gone to flower.

All these guys...

He just ate it!

They're so good.

And now you're eating again.

Will there be anything left for dinner?

I mean, maybe it'll get to the plate but, you got to be kind of semi-full before you start cooking your meal, you know?

I wonder if there will be enough for dinner...

What's this?

Oh! There's one cauliflower.

Looks great.

We can just break this off, and eat it.

He's eating again!

I have to roast that!

Oh dear.

Sorry.

How do you pull it?

You want to help me?

Oh my god.

Yeah, now shake off the dirt.

Wow, freshly picked lettuce.

It's so delicious.

And Marian, this little one, she helps me with the chickens.

Oh, you raise chickens too?

Yes.

Really? I'd love to see them.

Oh, are we going there?

Slow down, Marian.

She's off!

Is the chicken house over here?

The little pup has come to help...

This chicken is named Eagle Black, and she is a silkie chicken.

Lovely!

And she lays eggs every day.

Every day?

Yeah!

Look, the eggs are over there.

Egg!

Oh, just look at those!

They look great!

I bet those eggs are really delicious!

One of the things that I found here is that you understand in a different way how hard it is to actually grow food.

I'll go out there and pick tomatoes for an hour and I'll have a small basked of tomatoes.

And then you think, wow, it's really a lot of work.

You realize how much time and labor and love goes into all the food we buy at the grocery store.

I don't know if you feel that. Do you feel that?

There's a lot to learn from the farm, huh?

Looks like there's a party going on here?

Everyday.

After working in the garden all day...

Cheers!

This is for dinner, you guys.

Swiss chard.

Looks delicious!

There we go.

And this is our first cauliflower of the season.

- Welcome, cauliflower!
- Haha, that's exciting!

I'm surprised you didn't eat it all!

Well...

Are you related?

No.

But we're like family.

Family?

Gardening does that to you.

Parenting does that to you.

All of our firstborn sons are the same age, and we've all known each other since they were little.

Nice! You really do seem like a family!

We are a family, yeah.

Cheers!

I'm so glad we got to meet! Thank you!

Bye! See you.

Bye-bye! Bye!

Those fresh vegetables looked so good.

It's so wonderful how this farm has brought these people together.

And the children can learn while they play.

How fabulous!

Oh, a kitty.

Are you here to play or learn?

It's 4:30 now.

I'm in another residential area close to Hollywood.

What an interesting house this is.

Look, there are so many art objects in the yard!

Those people seem to be working on something.

I wonder if they live here.

Um, excuse me?

Oh, hey!

This is a very unusual home.

It's like an art gallery of Mr. Gordon.

He lives here.

He owns this place.

All this right here, that's all his works.

One of artists here.

An art gallery?

Yes.

Is Mr. Gordon around?

Yeah, he's somewhere up there.

Mr. Gordon! He's over there.

You can come up this way.

Thanks!

Hello.

Welcome to the Hollywood Sculpture Garden.

It's very interesting.

Yeah, you like it?

May I look around?

Yes, please come in.

There are more than 60 different sculptors, I'm one of them.

But there are sculptors from all over the world here.

Ehh, art from all over the world!

This is from Sweden.

Sweden!

This is from a lady, 94 years old and she's still sculpting.

Wow!

You see all the stones and plants growing out of the stones.

Reminds me of Japan.

This is going to be installed today.

Oh, a new sculpture!

Yeah this is one of the artists, she's installing.

Hi, my name is Mila.

Nice to meet you.

I'm going to install "the watchtower," it's going to be 12 feet tall.

May I ask where you're from?

I was born in the Soviet Union and I've been in America for almost 30 years.

This is called "The Castle where the Moon Sleeps."

Interesting the way it's set-up.

I don't actually know how Japanese woodmakers, how you connect pieces.

For example, this piece, you see the triangle piece going down but it connects over here.

Like traditional wood joinery.

There's another artist, from Japan.

Maybe you'll come up and tell them about you.

Hi.

Hello, hello.

Eh, an artist from Japan?

Here she is.

Nice to meet you.

Yes, I'm Nao Yamamoto, nice to meet you.

Have you known each other for long?

I've been friends with him for about three years now.

First time, I met him in Seattle.

I see.

I go to all the art shows all over the world.

My dream was to have a place for other artists to show their art.

I have artists from all over the world: Japanese artists, Russian artists, there are artists from Italy, from Belgium, from Mexico, from Chile, from countries in South America.

Why did you decide to reach out to artists all around the world?

Because I believe in getting all the people from all over the world together.

So for me, it's important to get people that are from different places that will work together.

Because it's one world, we're one.

We are all one.

Yes, the arts do seem to be able to transcend cultures and borders, which allows people all over the world to connect with each other.

I have a lot of art inside.

Inside I have only my art.

I'd love to see it!

You're welcome to come.

Thank you.

This is my house.

Outside is the Hollywood Sculpture Garden, and this is the Hollywood Gallery.

It's like a museum.

Wow!

There is so much...

Here, everything is only me.

From the collages of stone, to the blinds.

Incredible, everywhere I look is art!

Is everything here your work?

Everything.

You can come to the viewing balcony.

This was one of my dreams, to be able to see the city.

Oh, what an amazing view!

It's just gorgeous! Gorgeous.

This view is also a work of art!

I love LA.

LA is LA and Hollywood.

It's a verb, it's a noun, it's everything.

LA represents so much art, so much life.

It's now COVID too, it's different.

But there is every kind of art, every kind of artist, everyone that you can imagine is here.

They all come to Hollywood, and they all come to LA to show their art.

And it's just wonderful.

You feel part of it.

You feel that you're part of it.

The celebration of the creative process in film making and creating art here seems to attract visitors from all over the world.

Ah, it's all lit up at night!

What a fabulous art gallery.

Thank you for showing me around!

- Thank you!
- Good night!

Goodbye!

Bye! Adios!

The house all lit up like this is definitely one of his works of art!

Oh, the lights are on in the city as well!

I met so many great people today.

Here I am back on Hollywood Boulevard.

It looks so different at night!

Ahh, the film capital of the world!

People who live here are there for each other and work to build great relationships, it seems.

I will never forget the warm welcome I received from everyone.