THE name of the legendary TV series 77 Sunset Strip holds a new significance for one of California’s most famous boulevards.
For The Strip, the fashionable home of Hollywood’s entertainment industry and countless famous clubs and restaurants – some dating back to the ’30s – is 77 years old this year.
It form parts of Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood – itself only formally recognised as a district 12 years ago.
It is bounded on the west by Beverly Hills, on the east by the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, and in the north by the Santa Monica Mountains.
Famous nightspots include Whiskey A Go-Go, still turning out major bands after 30 years in operation, the Key Club and its high-tech dance floor, and The Roxy, a 27-year-old theatre staging nightly events including plays, comedy and rock performances.
Celebrities can be spotted at many night-time venues, especially around post-Oscars party time. These include Lola’s restaurant on North Fairfax, and the Kass Bah on Melrose Avenue.
Sunset Strip is the heart of West Hollywood, where life can be fun, fast and frivolous, and where more than 40 establishments contribute to 24hr entertainment and dining in an area of just 1.9 square miles.
However, even with such a famous icon as The Strip, the West Hollywood Visitors and Convention Bureau has a tough job in promoting the area as a destination within the Los Angeles region.
WH CVB president Brad Burlingame, in London on a West Hollywood sales mission to the trade, said: “People need to be aware that we are a separate entity within LA County.
“It is frustrating to hear people talk of the House of Blues, Spago’s [Wolfgang Puck’s original pizza house], and the Pacific Design Centre as being in LA – they’re all in West Hollywood, and we want this to be known.”
It was the WH CVB’s first mission to London in an effort to gain more tour operator support and exposure of the area in US specialists’ programmes.
“Although it is a very upscale area, there are more modestly priced hotels with rates at around $100 per room,” Burlingame added.