Hollywood Bowl Tour

Side Story:  When I first moved to LA I applied for a job at the Hollywood Bowl Museum.  I went into the interview and the lady in charge told me that I was over qualified for the job.  I didn't get it.  They didn't even bother calling me .....

The Hollywood Bowl is an interesting place to attend.  I've technically only gone twice.  It is a place that has its own culture.  Everyone picnics around the park before a performance.  It's a funny sight to see people with blankets laid out on the cement sipping their wine.  I had heard they had a walking tour around the park so on a whim we stopped by when visiting downtown.

You can start the tour at the museum, which unless you are into music, has little interesting value.  The thing I enjoyed the most was the upstairs gallery which showcased various rooms affected by music (in its technological form).   It started with a 1800s woman's dressing room (exhibiting a phonograph) and ended with mannequins decked out in iPod gear.  In between, representing the 60s and 70s, were a bachelor pad with some awesome turntables and a wood paneled bedroom room with a small TV.  Oh how technology has changed.

After picking up a little map from the front desk at the museum we headed up to the entrance of the theater.  We entered one of the side entrances of the lower section and realized that the symphony was actually practicing.  We didn't realize that that night was opening night.

The largest attendance was in 1936 when 24,000 people came to hear an opera singer (more than even the Beatles!).

 

The walking tour is a little misleading and a little anti-climatic.  The (inaccurate) map leads you to a dozen large panels, each with their own theme.  There are a few pictures and very little text.  The themes ranged from Floral and Fauna to Folklore and Picnicking.  The panels are multipurpose too--they point the direction of the restrooms and restaurants.  My favorite was the one on picnicking.  I learned that it has always been part of the culture of the bowl.  They had pictures from decades ago when people brought their own food.

These were the panels throughout the park.

If you've never been to the bowl, this would be a good tour.  If you've been there, its nothing special because it's not like you have access to anything you don't have access to during a show.  I did learn that during the summer months on Tuesdays and Thursday from about 10 to noon, the symphony practices and you can come in and listen and sit where ever you like.  And it's free.  That's kinda cool.