TCL Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

It’s still a great place to catch a movie, particularly since reopening after exenstive renovations in 2013, but most people come to the Chinese Theatre for the hand and/or foot imprints of around 200 Hollywood stars. As legend has it, Norma Talmadge accidentally stepped into the wet cement outside the new building during construction; in response, theater owner Sid Grauman fetched Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks to repeat the “mistake” with their feet and hands, beginning the tradition. The courtyard is usually choked with snap-happy tourists measuring their own extremities against the likes of John Wayne and Judy Garland; it’s just a pity that its appeal is tempered by the tour hawkers and the ticket agents who clutter the courtyard. If you do come to see a film, the 932-seater theater—which is among the world’s largest IMAX auditoriums—offers architecture as stunning as the screen’s projection quality.