With the annual Hollywood award season in full swing, perhaps it’s time to revisit a favorite stop of the stars.

The Electric Fountain in Beverly Gardens Park, seen in the movie, “Clueless,” is located at the corner of Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards in Beverly Hills, California. Photo by Gene Korte.

Beverly Hills is a dazzling movie set that’s open to the public. That palm-tree lined avenue, isn’t that from “Beverly Hills Cop”? Didn’t we see Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman” walk through the Art Deco lobby of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel? Surely that was Cher who realized she loved Josh in “Clueless,” as she walked by the Electric Fountain in Beverly Gardens Park? Cinema deja vu, it’s everywhere here. The Hollywood district itself is only a few miles away, but perhaps lackluster in comparison.

About a hundred years ago this 5.7 square mile piece of land was mostly a giant lima bean field. Today’s hometown industries are beauty and fashion, celebrities, their homes and their hangouts. The grass is greener and the flowers are prettier here. There are thousands of private and public gardeners in this small town of about 35,000 souls. And there are definitely a lot of high heels and cleavage. Your fingers will go numb googling through all the cosmetic surgeon listings in its three zip codes. The best known being 90210.

The streets are full of stretch limos, of course, Mercedes and BMWs, Bentleys and Ferraris, but it’s so walkable here, as the central business district is measured in blocks not miles.

Denver Post edited excerpt. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, INC. for World’s Fare Syndicate

© 2011-2013  Diana and Gene Korte