It's a rare day when the streets of Hollywood get closed down for a major event. Either Santa is waving his jolly way down the Boulevard or Oscar nominees are telling reporters who they're wearing. In short? It has to be major.
But sometimes Santa takes a day off while many, many runners take to the streets of the Tinseltowniest neighborhood in all the land, and they do it at the non-glitzy hour of dawn (well, morning people might disagree with that description, and we're with them; dawn's nice). The runners're out for the Hollywood Half Marathon, which gears up for another 13.1 miles on Saturday, April 7.
If you're thinking that they're sticking "Hollywood" in the name even the route skirts the heart of the city, take a look at the map. Participants'll wend their way from Universal Citywalk, down onto the Boulevard, and back up to Universal, or nearly, on Cahuenga. The 10K and 5K runners have a different start and finish (think closer to Hollywood and Highland).
We make note for four reasons. One? Hollywood before the bustle. The light looks nice on the hills, right? Two? Good exercise. If you didn't do the recent LA Marathon, maybe a halfer is what you're looking for. Three? If you have to drive anywhere early Saturday, think about avoiding Hollywood if possible.
And four? It isn't often you get to be right in the center of the Boulevard sans automobile. Usually you have to be Santa or last year's mega movie star. It's a treat.
Follow NBCLA for the latest LA news, events and entertainment: Twitter: @NBCLA // Facebook: NBCLA
