Locals Annoyed by Hollywood Sign Tourists

[Tomasso]

I know I'm pretty happy here.

Well sure, you're not under siege by an unrelenting flow of knucklehead tourists who aren't truly happy unless they actually touch the frigging sign. In recent years there has grown a bizarre attraction to the sign.....and now here a bizarre attitude that not only condones it but then blames the residents for their reaction to the inanity .:eusa_doh:

 

[MissMittens]

Grumpy

He's right though, lol

 

[BigFitz]

Maybe the fed up residents can go to city council with a request to sell the sign on ebay. The city I live in would love to have such an attraction but since our pockets aren't deep, it would probably end up in Japan.

There, no sign, no knucklehead tourists.

 

[fortworthgal]

Well sure, you're not under siege by an unrelenting flow of knucklehead tourists who aren't truly happy unless they actually touch the frigging sign. In recent years there has grown a bizarre attraction to the sign.....and now here a bizarre attitude that not only condones it but then blames the residents for their reaction to the inanity .:eusa_doh:

But, you still didn't answer the question - is the back access something that has always existed, and now people are upset that word's gotten out about it? Or is it a totally new road that was put in that is causing the tourist traffic?

If it is a totally new road/access point, then I can understand the anger and I'd be upset with whoever built it... but frankly, if it is something that has existed all along and that the homeowners had knowledge of, I'm having a tough time feeling sorry for them. Any homeowner in the area would have been well aware that their neighborhood provided access to the sign. It is logical to believe that at some point, that information would probably become public and tourists would come. With the internet and GPS, they could have seen this coming 10 years ago. If they didn't know their neighborhood provided access, then they weren't very well-informed homeowners. I don't think anyone is "blaming" the residents, but I admit it is tough to comprehend this violent reaction to something that they could easily have predicted would happen.

It just doesn't seem right to me to be so begrudging about a local landmark, i.e. "people aren't happy unless they touch the friggin sign" "under siege by knucklehead tourists" etc. Because you live there, it is commonplace to you, but for tourists it isn't and I'm sure many want a closer look. This is an internationally known landmark. Naturally people are going to want to see it up close. Let's not forget all those "knucklehead tourists" are a nice chunk of your state's economy.

 

[MissMittens]

Maybe the fed up residents can go to city council with a request to sell the sign on ebay. The city I live in would love to have such an attraction but since our pockets aren't deep, it would probably end up in Japan.

There, no sign, no knucklehead tourists.

And everyone wins :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[fortworthgal]

I like the ebay idea. :lol:

 

[Edward]

When one day I visit the sign, I will be sure to minimise my impact upon any locals who object to my presence. There's no law says I have to spend any of my money in their area, after all.

There was a World Cup?
Last one I remember was in 1966.

Yeah. And the English have never let the rest of us bloody forget it either.....

 

[Connery]

But, you still didn't answer the question -

I hope this helps in you. GPS notwithstanding, "tourism"/trespassing has been a problem for many years.

Pre 1978

"Over the years, the Sign nearly disappeared forever due to the combined efforts of vandals, pranksters, and neglect. Footpaths up the slope became jagged, unsightly erosion sites that ate away at the side of Mt. Lee. Nearby residents in the Hollywoodland community had to deal with unwanted foot traffic through their properties, sometimes by dangerously intoxicated groups of people. Joke additions to the Sign or changes to the letters, which might seem harmless enough, created hazardous work for city workers who had to restore the Sign back to normal.

"The Hollywood Sign Trust was established in 1978 for the specific purpose of making sure the Sign and its delicate hillside site were preserved to be enjoyed by future generations. This work extends beyond the physical care of the Sign to the maintenance of an airtight, high technology security system.

The security system for the Sign was developed in concert with city officials, police and fire authorities, park rangers, and the Department of Homeland Security, and it includes the following features:

• A tall perimeter fence with razor wire
• 24 hour electronic surveillance by City of Los Angeles authorities
• Infrared lights and cameras that can see equally as well in the day and on a moonless night
• Monitoring microphones and bullhorns
• Web cameras
• Motion sensors
• Regular patrol visits by city police and park ranger helicopters"

Rigorous Enforcement, 24x7x365
Walking into the protected Sign area is trespassing and violators will be cited by police. Anyone who makes an attempt to do so will be buzzed by a park helicopter, ordered off the slope through the bullhorns, and find a police cruiser waiting for them at the bottom of the slope."

On January 1st 1976, Danny Finegood and friends climbed to the top of Mount Lee and used stones, rope and sheets to change the Hollywood sign into reading Hollyweed. This was done to celebrate that a new marijuana law had been implemented by the state of California. It changed the charge of possession of marijuana from a felony to a misdemeanor. The changing of the sign made front pages around the world.

 

[rue]

I think the guy in the center is my dad

 

[fortworthgal]

^ :lol:

 

[ButteMT61]

^ :lol:

x2 lol