West Hollywood

West Hollywood is a city on the West Side of Los Angeles, sandwiched between the Hollywood and Fairfax districts of Los Angeles to the east and Beverly Hills to the west. West Hollywood is home to the famous Sunset Strip, with its nightlife and its rock-music history, many prominent design institutions, and to the largest gay nightlife district in the Los Angeles area.

Understand
Sunset Boulevard through West Hollywood is the famous Sunset Strip, with its flashy billboards, nightclubs, and hotels famous for their Hollywood history. However, the main commercial area of West Hollywood lies along Santa Monica Boulevard, with many small shops, restaurants, and the center of the city's gay community. Though well known for its population of gay men, "WeHo" also has large numbers of Russian immigrants and a large Jewish population.

In the late 1960s, West Hollywood welcomed music clubs such as the Whiskey A-Go-Go and the Troubadour, venues that eventually became renowned launch pads for many famous musical acts. More music clubs soon followed, establishing West Hollywood as a linchpin of the music industry.

The area of Los Angeles immediately adjacent to the southeast of West Hollywood, the Fairfax District, contains some attractions mistakenly thought to be in West Hollywood (like Canter's Deli); that area is covered in that article. Similarly, the area surrounding the Beverly Center mall and the La Cienga corridor to the north is commonly thought of as West Hollywood although it is mostly in the city of Los Angeles; this area is however included in this article.

Get in
From I-405 or US 101, take Santa Monica Boulevard about 5 miles (8 km). From I-10, take Fairfax or La Cienega north about two miles.

By public transit, West Hollywood is served by many frequent Metro bus routes. Frequent east-west routes include the 2 on Sunset Blvd, 4 and Metro Rapid 704 on Santa Monica Blvd, 10 on Melrose Ave, 14 on Beverly Blvd, and 16 on 3rd Street. Frequent north-south routes include the 30 along San Vicente Blvd, the 105 and Metro Rapid 705 along La Cienga Blvd, and the 217 and Metro Rapid 780 along Fairfax Ave.

See

 * West Hollywood's main tourist draw is the Sunset Strip, a section of Sunset Boulevard lined with flashy billboards, restaurants, nightclubs, and hotels famous for their Hollywood and rock-and-roll history. Take a walk or cruise along the Strip and see what there is to see.

Buy
Robertson Blvd. runs through West Hollywood and is a trendy shopping district. It's famous for its many boutiques and for its celebrities and the trailing paparazzi.



Eat
Many of West Hollywood's favorite restaurants line Santa Monica Boulevard. Many of these are as much about "seeing and being seen" as they are about food.

Go next

 * Hollywood. West Hollywood's more famous neighbor to the east.
 * Beverly Hills. West Hollywood's more famous neighbor to the west.