Date Night at Hollywood & Vine

I have a confession to make. I double majored in International Relations and French. [This is not the confession.] I’ve lived in three European countries, 12 American cities and towns, visited about a million others, speak a few languages, and figure I’d be able to hold my own just about anywhere.

And yet – here’s the confession – over the past four years, I seem to have developed an aversion to driving 40 miles up the road and exploring one of the most famous cities in the world: the City of Angels.

Could I be turning into a Housewife of Orange County? Horrors! In an effort to counteract this potential danger, I recently took a deep breath and invited my husband to a date night in LA.

Ignoring my inner voice (“but you’ll be driving during rush hour!”) off we went, seeking… something new? Something different? Something…urban? Yes, yes, all of it, please.

We made a beeline to where it all began: Hollywood & Vine. In the 1930s, this crossroads of the movie industry, where the backlots and studios we all grew up with scrambled for prime real estate, was crazy popular, and it lasted for decades. Then, in the ‘60s, it all went to pot. (Perhaps literally, but that’s another blog.) Panhandlers replaced studio execs, the “business” moved to greener pastures, buildings sagged into disrepair, and the famed intersection shrank to a small, historical dot on the map.

On a balmy Tuesday, after a not-so-scenic drive from Laguna Beach, we showed up at the porte-cochere of the sexy new W Hollywood Hotel. Even though it wasn’t yet dark, we were taken with the hundreds of twinkling lights strung along teensy wires overhead, as well as the living room-like space heaters flanking the entryway.

But time was a’wastin’, and we had dinner to attend to, followed by a show at the Pantages Theatre across the street.

On a Tuesday evening, the place wasn’t packed, but it took little imagination to picture this homey, no-frills eatery filled with locals and tourists eager to eat, drink and be merry after a fun night at the theatre – or a long day at the office.

As night fell, we slid into the back row of the Pantages Theatre just in time for the start of a rousing performance of the contemporary musical, In The Heights, which won Broadway’s 2008 Best Musical Tony award. Now I must also confess that I generally prefer to see the A-team on stage, and not the second stringers, who are often sent out on the road. [I know, this is politically incorrect in every way, but I’m just being honest.] So I was excited to learn that this road show actually starred the creator, composer-lyricist and original star of the show, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Turns out he brought along a super cast, and we, along with the rest of the 2,700 fans in attendance, enjoyed some very fine singing and a heart-warming love story that almost felt like a modern-day sequel to West Side Story.

I’d recommend the Pantages Theatre for any production. Its stately architecture and Romanesque interior take visitors back in time. Seated in the last row of the orchestra, we gazed over the buzzing, multi-ethnic crowd, the art deco columns, and the crystal-laden chandeliers.

The Pantages Theatre is located at 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. For more information, log on to broadwayla.org or call 213-468-1770.