Scene & Seen: An Iconic Hollywood Weekend
Hollywood has always been equal parts glamour and grit. Nearly a century after its golden age, you can still find the places where stars gathered, studio deals were made and a night out could become part of Hollywood lore: grand movie palaces, martinis in legendary dining rooms, poolside cabanas and, after dark, a private séance.
Welcome to Old Hollywood.
The Tropicana Pool at The Hollywood Roosevelt, a palm-lined Hollywood classic.
Friday: Set the Scene
Arrive before check-in and begin at the TCL Chinese Theatre. The theatre opened in 1927 and quickly became one of Hollywood’s great movie palaces. Its 30-minute guided tour takes you inside the theatre and through the famous Forecourt of the Stars, with stories behind the premieres, ceremonies and hand-and-footprint tradition that has recorded generations of Hollywood history.
Then head to The Formosa Cafe for lunch. Open since 1939, the red-and-black Hollywood institution became a haunt for Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, Elvis Presley and John Wayne. Its restored interiors including the original trolley car still carry plenty of old-Hollywood swagger.
By mid-afternoon, settle into The Hollywood Roosevelt, one of Los Angeles’ defining hotels for nearly a century. The first Academy Awards were held here in 1929; Marilyn Monroe once called it home. The room to book is an upper-floor Cabana overlooking the Tropicana Pool. Below, David Hockney’s painted pool, music and the afternoon scene; above it, a private perch from which to take it all in. Leave the afternoon to the Tropicana Pool. Claim a cabana, order a drink, let the music and enjoy one of Hollywood’s most iconic poolside scenes.
Dinner stays at the hotel with Shirley Brasserie, followed by a martini at Musso & Frank.
Musso’s has been serving Hollywood since 1919. Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Rudolph Valentino, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Steve McQueen all passed through. It also had Hollywood’s first pay phone, keeping actors, agents and studio executives connected while deals were made over lunch and martinis. More recently, the dining room returned to the screen in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.
TCL Chinese Theatre, just across Hollywood Boulevard from The Hollywood Roosevelt, remains one of the neighborhood’s most recognizable Old Hollywood landmarks.
Saturday: Hollywood Legends and Houdini
Begin the day with coffee at The Hollywood Roosevelt, followed by a late morning at the Tropicana Pool.
Lunch at The Tower Bar at Sunset Tower Hotel. The 1929 Art Deco landmark has long been associated with Hollywood’s inner circle, and the Tower Bar. It is housed in Bugsy Siegel’s former apartment and still carries the discretion and glamour of another era. Former residents included Howard Hughes, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra and Errol Flynn.
The Main Event: Private dinner.; The Magic Castle and its Houdini Séance.
The Houdini Chamber is The Magic Castle’s most exclusive private dining room, designed for groups of 10 guests. Dinner begins with a welcome glass of Champagne and a three-course menu before the evening moves into the séance itself.
The room is filled with genuine Houdini memorabilia and artifacts from his life, including the extraordinary set of cuffs he was famously unable to open. As the evening unfolds, the stories move through his legendary escapes, his battles with fraudulent mediums and his fascination with the possibility of communicating beyond the grave.
Then a world-class medium joins the table.
With the group gathered together around the séance table, the lights disappear and the attempt to contact Harry Houdini begins. The Magic Castle describes the experience as a recreation of a 1920s-style séance, complete with unexplained sensations, strange surprises and the possibility—at least for the evening—that Houdini may still have one last trick left.
The 1920s-style Houdini Chamber, lined with authentic Houdini memorabilia.
SUNDAY — BRUNCH AT YAMASHIRO
Sunday brunch at Yamashiro is the finale to an Old Hollywood weekend, with sweeping views across Los Angeles from its perch high above Hollywood. Completed in 1914, the Japanese-inspired estate was built by brothers Adolph and Eugene Bernheimer to house their remarkable collection of Asian art, furnishings and architectural treasures. The property later became home to the glamorous Four Hundred Club, associated with names including Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson, before evolving into the restaurant it is today.
Make some time to explore the grounds. Down near the pool stands an extraordinary 14th-century Japanese pagoda, brought to Yamashiro in 1914 and often described as the oldest structure in Los Angeles—a 600-year-old piece of Japan hidden high above Hollywood.
Silent-film actors pose beside Yamashiro’s historic Japanese pagoda during a Century Comedies production, circa 1921.
HOLLYWOOD, STILL IN THE PICTURE
Hollywood’s best addresses haven’t been preserved simply as relics. The Roosevelt is still putting on classic film nights, live music, magic and contemporary art events, while just across Hollywood Boulevard, the TCL Chinese Theatre remains a working movie palace as well as one of the great landmarks of film history. The appeal of staying here is having one foot in Hollywood’s golden age—and the other very much in Los Angeles now.
THE ARRANGEMENT
This weekend is designed around 10 guests: The Hollywood Roosevelt as home base, Saturday evening reserved for a private Houdini Séance at The Magic Castle, and Sunday brunch high above the city at Yamashiro.
The details matter here. The right rooms, the right timing and the private Magic Castle arrangements turn three legendary Hollywood addresses into an iconic weekend.
The Marilyn Monroe Suite at The Hollywood Roosevelt. A private Houdini Séance behind the doors of The Magic Castle. Sunday brunch above Los Angeles at Yamashiro. Inquire About a Bespoke Hollywood Weekend →