Gambling Built the Sunset Strip

Name: Gambling Built the Sunset Strip
Brand: VoiceMap
SKU: 122
Price: 6.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.6 (17 reviews)
Author: Aric

(17 reviews)

Los Angeles, California audio tour: Gambling Built the Sunset Strip

This is a 1.5mi walking tour

It takes an average of 60 mins to complete.

Los Angeles, California

The United States

$6.99

Access all 22 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

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About the Tour

For 80 years the Sunset Strip has sparked the culture of America with behaviors that have now become normal, like dancing to rock music, gambling at casinos, smoking Marijuana and same sex marriage. And while the heat that the Strip generated from its nightlife sparks have spread out across the entire country, the sources of those sparks – the original ignition points that heated the action on the Sunset Strip – all came from gambling. This tour takes you through the Strip's transformation.

Tour Producer

Aric Allen

1 tour

Telling campfire tales on the internet since geocities was a thing.

Preview Location

Location 1

Intro

Are you standing at 8000 Sunset Boulevard? That's where this tour starts, on the lip of the Sunset Strip. At the turn of the 20th century this was just an unpaved trail between two communities, Hollywood and Beverly Hills, and that's why it's called the strip, it was just a di... Are you standing at 8000 Sunset Boulevard? That's where this tour starts, on the lip of the Sunset Strip. At the turn of the 20th century this was just an unpaved trail between two communities, Hollywood and Beverly Hills, and that's why it's called the strip, it was just a dirt strip of road. For 80 years it sparked the culture of this country with behaviors that have now become normal, even legal, like smoking Marijuana and same sex marriage. But the strip has been abandoned by the artists, actors and musicians that made it famous.

The heat that the strip generated from its nightlife sparks have dissipated out into the entire country. But the sources of those sparks, the original ignition points that heated the action on the Sunset Strip all came from gambling. By the 1920s casinos sprouted along this route because it wasn't in the city Los Angeles, when you walk this strip you leave the city limits and enter county land. It wasn't until the 1980s that the land was incorporated as the city of West Hollywood.

So, back in the day, the County Sheriffs were easier to bribe, not that the old time LAPD cops were any harder to bribe, it's just that the LAPD was tied deeply to "the syndicate", a group of local Los Angeles business men, politicians, and police officers who also supplied Los Angeles with the things usually delivered by the mafia; gambling, drugs, prostitution, protection. But just past Hollywood and just before the city limits of Beverly Hills, this strip became an oasis, feeding your darkest desires.

Let's start walking. If you're facing Sunset Boulevard, you'll have Crescent Heights Boulevard on your left. Can you see the traffic island on the other side, with a bus bench and three palm trees? Make your way over to it now.

VoiceMap uses your location to play commentary automatically, and you’ll hear my voice again when you get there. Stretches of silence are normal, and you can just put your phone in your pocket and focus on your surroundings. But if you do start to feel lost, take a quick look at the map on your screen. Read More

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How VoiceMap Works

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Major Landmarks

Viper Room Los Angeles

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046, USA
Total distance

2km
Final location
9022-9016 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069, USA
Distance back to start location

2km

Directions to Starting Point

Out front of the shopping plaza at 8000 Sunset Boulevard.

Show Directions

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Best burger is at Burger Lounge (8539 West Sunset Blvd). Also, Book Soup (8818 Sunset Boulevard) is a wonderful bookstore filled with great art, film, and music sections.

Best time of day

Sunset Boulevard is good at sunset, as you might expect, but early Sunday morning is best. The Strip is empty like a ghost town, like an abandoned movie set.

Precautions

In mid-afternoon the sun will be intense with little shade. Also, Los Angeles is the hit and run capital of the United States, so always look both ways.

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

Google Play Store

Questions and Reviews

4.6 / 5

17 Ratings

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