Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Hollywood Sign Visitors Irks Locals

USA Today: Note to Hollywood-bound visitors: If you're tempted to head up to the Hollywood sign to strike a movie-star wannabe pose against the iconic backdrop, don't expect the locals to lay out the welcome mat.

Weary of congestion on the narrow, winding streets near the sign, some neighborhoods are expressing their displeasure with signs of their own, including the latest, "Warning – Tourist-Free Zone – All Tourists Leave the Area."

LA Curbed, a blog about Los Angeles neighborhoods, ran a snapshot in June of a message inscribed in white letters (Hollywood-sign style) warning, "Tourists Go Away." But the issue appears to be heating up with dueling neighborhood associations taking down and posting signs directing tourists to routes that don't invade their particular home turf. Civic leaders and residents are meeting today to discuss how to best deal with the crowds, the LA Times reports.

Earlier this month, staffers of city councilman Tom LaBonge, armed with shovels and truckloads of gravel, descended on a local park to make it more user-friendly as a scenic viewpoint for tour buses and individuals seeking a good spot from which to photograph the sign, the Times says. That drew the ire of the Hollywoodland Homeowners Association, which said the improvements would only encourage more tourists.

"I wish tourists wouldn't drive up there," LaBonge told the Times. "But GPS has put people from around the world at the doorstep of people who live up there. The technology has ramped the issue up."

Meanwhile, the Hollywood Sign trust suggests best locales for photographing the sign.

What do you think? Should tourists have limited access to Hollywood sign views because it might disturb residents? Or should residents just get over it?

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