Ovation Hollywood is a massive, modern complex bringing together shopping, entertainment, hotels, and events. Before exploring, I recommend heading up the steps to its inner courtyard. Today, it’s one of the busiest spots in Los Angeles, but it hasn’t always looked like this contemporary hub. Originally, the site was home to the legendary Hollywood Hotel, which opened in 1902 and hosted many early film pioneers. In the late 90s, it became a shopping center with a spectacular design inspired by D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance, complete with monumental arches and giant elephants. In 2019, the complex was purchased and fully renovated into Ovation Hollywood for over $100 million, creating a sleeker, more modern urban hub. One of its biggest draws, however, is the view it offers of the iconic Hollywood Sign. Head up to one of the platforms for a clear glimpse. Perched on the hills, the Hollywood Sign is now one of the most recognizable symbols in the world—but it wasn’t originally meant to be a landmark. In 1923, it was installed as a giant advertisement for a real estate development called “Hollywoodland,” designed to attract buyers to a new residential neighborhood, with letters over 13 meters tall and illuminated at night. The sign was only supposed to stand for a year and a half. But as Hollywood boomed and the film industry grew, the billboard slowly became an emblem. By the 30s, the sign began to deteriorate: some letters fell, the lights went out, and “Hollywoodland” started to look worn. That decade also saw one of the sign’s darkest stories: in 1932, actress Peg Entwistle took her life by jumping from the top of the letter H, adding to the sign’s shadowy legend. In 1949, the word “LAND” was removed, shifting the focus from a housing development to the entire film industry, officially turning it into a cultural symbol. Yet the sign continued to decay, nearly becoming a ruin. Its major restoration came years later, when a massive fundraising campaign rebuilt each letter in steel, with celebrities sponsoring individual letters—Alice Cooper funded an O, Hugh Hefner another—and replaced the old tin letters with much sturdier structures. The Hollywood Sign you see today comes from that reconstruction. It’s now protected, monitored, and off-limits to the public, both to prevent accidents and to stop vandalism. Over the years, it’s been parodied and altered dozens of times—from Hollyweed to Hollyboob and even temporarily restored as Hollywoodland—reflecting pop culture and current events. What began as a simple marketing tool has become a global icon. Take a moment to enjoy this space, which captures much of the Hollywood experience in one place: shopping, dining, catching a movie—and looking up at the world’s most famous sign.