Since its inauguration in 1958, the Hollywood Walk of Fame has grown into one of Los Angeles’ most legendary landmarks, attracting an estimated 10 million visitors per year. But recently, it ranked #8 on Preply’s list of the World’s Worst Tourist Traps. The list of 20 only had one other U.S. landmark listed: NYC’s Times Square, which came in at #1. As L.A.’s biggest fans, we’re taking a closer look at the Walk of Fame in light of this revelation… you know, for science.
What is the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
The Walk of Fame is one of the city’s busiest attractions, bringing visitors from around the world who love to explore the famous Hollywood sidewalk. For over six decades, the landmark has installed more than 2,700 stars honoring the entertainment industry’s biggest names in the categories of motion pictures, television, recording, radio, live theater/performance, and sports entertainment. Tourists are known to stroll down Hollywood Boulevard looking at the five-pointed terrazzo brass stars, seeking out popular names like Marilyn Monroe, Harrison Ford, and Michael Jackson.
While it can be fun coming across stars belonging to your favorite celebrities, it’s perhaps most exciting to encounter a live Walk of Fame star ceremony, a free event where you can see the celebrities being honored with their star in person. New stars are usually added every few weeks — some recent ones include Tim Burton, Batman, and Dr. Dre. For many celebrities, it’s an honor to join the legendary names memorialized on the Walk of Fame.
Why do people think the Walk of Fame is a tourist trap?
Language learning platform Preply created the ranking of the biggest tourist traps in the world based on the quantity of reviews using the terms “tourist trap,” “disappointing,” and “overrated.” They evaluated reviews of 81 famous landmarks around the world.
If you scroll through Google reviews of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, many users express joy at seeing their favorite celebrities’ stars. Tourists to L.A. are often thrilled to experience the city’s glamorous entertainment history, which connects with people in just about every country in the world. However, the reviews’ most frequent criticisms have to do with the neighborhood’s perceived safety, overcrowding by vendors, and homelessness. From nearly 50,000 Google reviews, the attraction has an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
Preply’s list ranks the Hollywood Walk of Fame is among many other bucket-list landmarks around the world, including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome, and the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. And while you’ll need to dodge crowds and watch out for pickpockets at all of these places, it’s hard to deny the allure of seeing a world-famous landmark with your own eyes.
So, what are your thoughts? Is the Hollywood Walk of Fame an overrated tourist trap?