The Hollywood Christmas Parade and the party that took place in a sketchy motel

A parade that was once a Hollywood staple is now nothing more than a hang nail in Hollywood. The parade usually attracts well over 50,000 people, this year was reduced to maybe 10,000 or maybe less all around the parade route. So how did some of Big Wheel mag's people even show up to cover this? We get a call from some old school Hollywood Punks that said hey we are gonna have a party with booze at this thrashed on place that is on the parade route, you want to show up and do a story? While we were on the phone we looked up the place on the net and saw the review below and immediately said, yes, you can expect us. So as soon as we parked on one of the side streets and headed to Sunset boulevard we saw the brigades of lawn chair wielding housewives and their kids jockying for the opportunity to sit in the street and throw candy wrappers everywhere.

As you can see the excitement for the parade was building right before the parade was to start. Actually the level was just as lackluster all the way through the parade. The most excitement seemed to come when the cops would get a call on their radio and we would follow them around to see what they were doing. One of the radio calls they responded to to was a group of men cheering too loud?...we had to see this one, it turned out to be two guys wrestling around over a warm beer.

Now onto the review that led us to this evenings festivities. This is the actual review and nothing has been edited. We can only assume from the expression that this guy was from Australia.

Disgusting, unsafe and rude staff‎ at Hollywood Center Motel
This place is the worst residence I have ever stayed in (including some pretty dodgy places in India for a fraction of the price). Before checking in, I asked the man on the desk if I could see any photos or view a room. He dismissively said no even though there appeared to be noone and nothing else taking up his time. I decided to check in anyway (naive now I know!) and was then told I would have to pay extra to use a credit or debit card. On walking into the room we were hit by a musty dank smell that I struggled to cope with but my girlfriend talked me into staying. After coming back from a quick trip to the grovery store to get some ice, I found my girlfriend already asking for a different room as she had found urine stains on the toilet seat. An unapologetic woman then comes out with a towel, rubs around the seat and says it is now fine. Having seen the other room we decide we're leaving, despite it being now nearly midnight. The smoke alarm in the room was also dangling down, unconnected.

The desk attendant though refuses to pay back the full amount demanding a 20 dollars usage fee for the 30 mins we were there before my girlfriend spotted the urine stains. I told him I had taken photos (which I had) of the disconnected smoke alarm and asked him if that was legal. When I told him, I would pay but that I would also inform the local regulator of his hotels safety failing, he just shrugged his shoulders. I had no choice but to pay because otherwise he would not refund my card. I have checked google and tripadvisor for other reviews on this place but no one has even stayed it seems (all smarter than me no doubt!) This place is the worst residence I have ever encountered on my travels (including some pretty dodgy places in India!) -end of review

Totally absent was all the so called A-list celebrities from the parade in years past. The only people they could dig up with any name recognition was some city politician types YAWN.

Thankfully we were able to take refuge in the motel room from the boredom of the parade that had gaps of sometimes 3 blocks between a band, float or animal. They may have gentrified Hollywood, but this parade was may need the same gentrification they did to Hollywood and Highland.


The true A-Listers in everyone's book finally showed up, The Fire Department.


                   

                 

 See more photos of the Hollywood Christmas Parade and the motel HERE



-R. Hood-