West Hollywood – the gay capital of Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, the small independent city of West Hollywood has an unusual back story and a penchant for partying under the rainbow flag.

Santa Monica Boulevard

On Santa Monica Boulevard, a sign says: “Car wash to the stars”. It is underneath a billboard advertising, for reasons that remain largely unexplained, “gay beer”.

It’s a snapshot that seems to sum up West Hollywood rather neatly. This Los Angeles gay capital should be a nothingy kind of place – somewhere you drive through between Hollywood and Beverly Hills. But it’s precisely that blank canvas quality that has ended up giving it such a strong personality.

Why there are so many entertainment venues in West Hollywood

Until 1984, West Hollywood simply didn’t exist. It was just an unincorporated patch of land within Los Angeles County. That didn’t mean it was empty – quite to the contrary, an awful lot of apartment blocks ended up being built there – but it did mean that it was largely ignored by police.

This, it turned out, was mighty handy for entertainment venues. Being able to go for all hours and allow all manner of bacchanalian behaviour without fearing police raids on a regular basis was good for business.

The bars of Sunset Boulevard

And, strangely, a lot of that business cropped up. Particularly on Sunset Boulevard, which became something of a mini Las Vegas Strip, with several hotels, bars and nightclubs springing up along it. Some of the names instantly strike a chord – Chateau Marmont, Whiskey-A-Go-Go, the Viper Room – while others have evolved into something 21^st century but still enjoyably rowdy. It’s a place where mock saloons, sports bars and boisterous piñata-filled taquerias happily co-exist, and the weekends are all set for monstrous hangovers.

Gay bars in West Hollywood

Santa Monica Boulevard, running parallel, is a little more eclectic. But it is also flamboyantly gay. It goes beyond mere pride into utterly revelling in camp. West Hollywood gay bars such as Hamburger Mary’s are sloshing in rainbow flags and pumping out what may as well be a playlist of 101 Entirely Predictable Gay Anthems at wake-the-neighbours volumes.

This theme continues in the shops. A yoghurt shop boasts a rainbow-striped ‘Selfie Wall’, while Block Party WeHo brags about being ‘The Gayest Store On Earth’. Inside, there’s plenty of leather gear and feather boas. But there’s also #RESIST T-Shirts and toilet roll with pictures of Donald Trump on the sheets.

Anti-Trump America

And this is where West Hollywood’s anti-Trump history comes in. It is the archetypal liberal America, and largely the complete opposite of everything Donald Trump and the cavalcade of hardline conservatives behind him stand for. In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton received almost ten times as many votes as Trump in West Hollywood. It’s a place that has signs in the window welcoming all religions, genders, sexualities and races, and is proud to make a show of this.

Why West Hollywood exists

But this isn’t just a recent approach to life in this progressive enclave – the City of West Hollywood wouldn’t exist without it. In 1984, when Los Angeles County was threatening to remove rent controls and the AIDS epidemic meant a significant chunk of the gay population needed social care, the residents of the area voted the city into existence.

When a city is born through a desire to ensure affordable housing and look after the ill, that tends to strike through in the personality.

Things to do near West Hollywood

Hollywood Walk of Fame – Just east of West Hollywood, Hollywood Boulevard provides an easy way to combine the neighbourhood’s history with one of Los Angeles’s best-known visitor attractions.

Hollywood Museum – Housed in the historic Max Factor Building, this museum is packed with film and television memorabilia and is a practical addition if you are exploring Hollywood after visiting West Hollywood.

Griffith Observatory – Around 20 minutes by car from West Hollywood, the observatory has astronomy exhibits and panoramic views across Los Angeles, with the Hollywood Sign visible from the grounds.

Runyon Canyon – This popular trail in the Hollywood Hills provides an opportunity to get into the hills without travelling far from West Hollywood, with views across Hollywood and central Los Angeles.

Petersen Automotive Museum – On Wilshire Boulevard, the Petersen explores automotive history and design through historic vehicles, motorsport exhibits and changing displays.

Alternative attractions

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures – On Museum Row, this museum explores the history and art of filmmaking through costumes, props, technology and exhibitions about the people who make films.

Autry Museum of the American West – In Griffith Park, the Autry examines the history, art and cultures of the American West, with collections spanning Indigenous, Latino and frontier histories.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) – On Wilshire Boulevard, LACMA has a large collection spanning ancient, modern and contemporary art and can be combined with the Petersen as part of a Museum Row visit.

California African American Museum – In Exposition Park, this museum presents exhibitions covering African American art, history and culture, providing another perspective on the diverse communities that have shaped Los Angeles.

Museum of Tolerance – On Pico Boulevard, this museum examines the history of prejudice, discrimination and human rights, with exhibitions that place the history of the Holocaust alongside wider questions about intolerance.

More Los Angeles travel

Other Los Angeles travel articles on Planet Whitley include:

• A first-time visitor’s guide to the Page Museum in Los Angeles.
• Complete guide to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda.
• How to visit the USS Battleship Iowa at the Port of Los Angeles.
• A practical guide to visiting the Petersen Automative Museum in Los Angeles.
• Planning a visit to the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.