For 12 years, I have lived with the Hollywood sign visible from my balcony. In October, I knew something was up when I saw two scaffolds hanging from the “h” and the “o”. For the first time in ten years, the panel was being painted.
The first reaction was to look for those responsible to write a story. Looking at the symbol of Los Angeles daily, I always wanted to write about the sign in more depth, but no one ever answered my emails and phone calls. Not this time.
The adviser to the Hollywood Sign Trust set the date for the interview with its president and asked me to go in boots. I figured it would be to do a trail, as I’ve done countless times to get to the back of the sign, at the top of Mount Lee.
The view is cinematic, and the panel appears from a lesser-known angle. On previous visits, I spotted a nest of crows behind a letter and heard the police loudspeaker dissuading people from climbing outside the official trails.
But no, this time, no trails, informed the advisor. I would have access to the base of the lyrics, something difficult to visualize. Will it be? As? With my cameraman husband, we drove up the hill on a road restricted to authorized vehicles and then descended to the base by a rope, wearing construction gloves.
It was almost like sitting on the toes of Christ the Redeemer, minus the vertigo of heights — I almost fell down the mountain and was held by the arm by a construction worker. The panel is at a 45 degree angle, and the terrain is unpredictable.
The weather was horrible, overcast as it almost never happens, and I even got a “rain” on my head when I passed under the last two letters that were being washed. I talked with the president and workers of the work. Deer, coyotes and hawks were often seen, they said.
When I was given the chance to do some brushstrokes, I already felt at home. I didn’t even care that he painted the “w”. I painted to make waves and record a video, but in the end the experience was surreal. I left a real mark on Hollywood, even if it’s a brush mark.
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
