Hollywood remix worth a visit

The Hollywood Vinyl District is an exciting new addition to one of the world's most popular and picturesque cities.Credit: Visit California and Los Angeles Tourism

This is sponsored content for Visit California and Los Angeles Tourism

Hollywood's bright lights, even brighter stars and blockbuster movies have long been the basis upon which the district of Tinseltown is known.

Those movies and indeed movie stars are nothing, however, without the sound and music that accompanies them.

An effort to pay tribute to the sounds of Hollywood is what led to the creation of The Hollywood Vinyl District, a stunning new addition to one of the world's most popular and picturesque cities.

The exact date the district was formed is tricky to determine. What is well established is the vast improvement that has been undertaken to an area that once consisted predominantly of empty lots and generic, unappealing buildings.

A plot of land that is bordered by Hollywood, Sunset and Schrader Boulevards, plus Vine Street on the east side, is now buzzing with sought-after bars, clubs, hotels and restaurants while still paying homage to its heritage.

From the first movie to ever include sound, The Jazz Singer released in 1927, through the birth of commercial radio, the emergence of television and a number of prominent record labels, sound has been a critical element of the best of Hollywood.

Hence, The Vinyl District was born, aiming to separate itself from the rest of Hollywood, with pandemic shutdowns helping to facilitate the remodelling of the area from early 2020.

So, where do you start?

An ideal place to kick-off your exploration of the area could be Grandmaster Recorders, appropriately located in a former recording studio. Think brown leather, wood-panelled stairways and a display of classic records.

The cuisine is Italian with a modern Australian influence, with the restaurant ably supported by a rooftop with stunning views and the 71 Studio Bar, a name that tips its cap to the 1971 opening of the original recording studio.

Two words that can sum up certain areas of The Vinyl District are "art deco", a style that personified Citizen News, a restaurant and event space that once housed the Hollywood Citizen-News newspaper between 1931-1944.

While the Vinyl District is a homage to LA’s past, emerging star chef Evan Funke has paid his own tribute to the Italian capital of Rome at Citizen News with Mother Wolf, his 350-seat restaurant at the vast 30,000 square-foot venue, complete with its high ceilings and gorgeous decor.

There is a lot more to do at Citizen News than just fine dine, with a 10,000-foot flexible space, private dining and meeting rooms, and a speaker and projection system meaning you could host all manner of events at this slice of Hollywood history.

If browsing music across every possible genre and taste is a passion, visitors need to make a stop at Amoeba Music. Part of the scene since 2001, Amoeba has literally thousands of vinyl and CDs on hand, along with live music and special album listening events.

Accommodation fit for a movie star

Particular attention has been paid to accommodation options in this new part of town.

A Vinyl District venue that's been generating headlines is Tommie Hollywood, a boutique hotel and restaurant that opened in December 2021. With a heavy Mexican theme throughout the hotel, restaurant Ka'teen offers meat and seafood that honours the historic Yucatan region.

Boutique hotels embody the unique atmosphere of Hollywood.Credit: Tommie Hollywood

Tommie Hollywood also has a rooftop bar, called Desert 5 Spot, with palm trees, frozen margaritas, a mechanical bull and an in-house honky tonk band all helping to provide the atmosphere to a fun night out. With a range of rooms and suites available, you can also comfortably rest your head here at night's end.

At Mama Shelter, while the rooms start from a Medium size (their terminology, not ours), the entire experience is EXTRA - from the playful, comfy rooms and colourful rooftop dining to the free comedy and music nights.

Thompson Hollywood, Tommie's brother venue, is another hotel offering, this time with a French-inspired brasserie. Then there are The Dream Hollywood and The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood, ultra-modern newcomers with their own rooftop pools, separated only by West Sunset Boulevard.

There are countless locations across the globe that have undergone major transformations or attempts at beautification, with varying degrees of success. But the time and effort that has gone into creating The Hollywood Vinyl District is hitting just the right notes.

To plan your trip to Los Angeles visit discoverlosangeles.com or visitcalifornia.com