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Hollywood

Map of Hollywood

Hollywood, like much of Los Angeles, is as much an idea as it is a place. Since the 1920s, Hollywood has lured us with its carefully manufactured images promising showbiz glitz and glamour. As visitors, we just want a glimpse of that sexy sophistication, a chance to say, "I was there!" Reality check: the magic of Hollywood takes place, for the most part, on soundstages that are not even in Hollywood anymore and in nondescript film-processing labs and editing bays. Go to Beverly Hills and look at jewelry-store windows if you want glitz. Hollywood is really a working town. Sure, many of the people involved in the concept of Hollywood -- actors, directors, writers, composers -- are among the highest paid and most celebrated workers in the world. But they'll often refer to their movie, TV, and recording studios as factories where they put in long hours.