January 22, 2026

Today was a transit day (passengers were arriving and disembarking) in Los Angelas. I lived in California and when I worked with Fran Tarkenton, he filmed a very popular show in Burbank called That’s Incredible! Chongae has never been to Hollywood, so against my better judgement we did the most touristy thing you can do-we took an excursion to Sunset Strip.

Since the 1920’s, when Hollywood was still figuring itself out, the Sunset Strip (commonly referred to as “The Strip”) sat outside Los Angeles city limits, which meant looser laws. Celebrities could party unchecked without LAPD breathing down their necks. This “anything goes” reputation became the Strip’s DNA. The truth is that the Sunset Strip has always had a dark side. Fame, excess, pressure, and freedom all collide there—and sometimes the results have been tragic.

The Chateau Marmont has long been a refuge for stars but has a very dark history. In 1983, John Belushi died of a heroin and cocaine overdose there at the young age of 33. If any event, his death should have become one of Hollywood’s most infamous cautionary tales about addiction. Yet, 10 years later River Phoenix collapsed on the sidewalk outside the Viper Room, in full public view, after a drug overdose and died at just 23. The attraction of clubs, like the famous Comedy Club and the lure of fame still draw young hopefuls to this area. The Strip has always promised dreams—but it has also quietly broken many.

Now some may be asking “What about all the glamour I see on TV.” Camera angles can be very deceitful! Truth be told, the whole area is for lack of a better word “tacky” and “gimmicky.”

The famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre looks like a Chinese Buffet Restaurant you would see by a shopping mall. The story goes that a legendary actress accidentally stepped in wet cement while visiting the site. Theatre owner Sid Grauman loved the idea and immediately decided: Why not preserve stars’ handprints and footprints forever? And those stars you see on the Walk of Fame come with a price. Eighty Thousand Dollars to be exact. That’s how much stars pay the city of Los Angeles to be “selected” for inclusion.

The other reality is that few stars actually live in Beverly Hills. Old-school Hollywood needed visibility. Modern fame works remotely. Social media replaced geographic clout. If you want to try and see stars-go to Malibu. In Beverly Hills taxes are high, renovation rules are strict, traffic is brutal. Look at the price of gas! No matter how much the rubber ducky tries to convince you to visit, if you are in California, skip the Sunset Strip excursion.

Thanks for traveling with us…