Crossroads Of The World on Sunset Blvd - Why It Exists & Tour Inside Gates of Hollywood Landmark
A visit to Crossroads of the World on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood California to check out the history of an age old landmark . So much music and movie history as well as an interesting backstory .
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Transcript
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today's adventure brings us to Sunset
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Boulevard to a very iconic Hollywood
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landmark one that I have passed many
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many times but never properly sat foot
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located at 6 671 as the address the
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crossroads of the world always enjoyed
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the backstory of this place it's
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something that we're gonna dive right
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into the nooks and crannies
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welcome everyone added me the woo here
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as always I'm inviting you to join me
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shall you just a few feet away is this
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very impressive church building
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and where this Halle sits used to be an
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Ivy coded building that was an office of
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the property owner of the entire block
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he spent his last moments right here a
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crime that's still to this day is
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unsolved
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transpiring in 1931 Charles H Crawford
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and another man who were shot that
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building was eventually demolished
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making way five years later for this in
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order to remove the memory of her tragic
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past his wife Ella thought this would be
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more fitting and we now have what some
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consider to be the world's first
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shopping center with a big boat in the
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courtyard let me rephrase that and
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clarify a little better the world's
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first outdoor mall there is so much more
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tucked away back here than you initially
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see from the main thoroughfare this is
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way back behind the enclosed parking lot
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the main premise behind it was that the
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ship was pulling into port and on either
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side were these buildings themed to
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different countries stretching all the
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way down stores on the bottom and office
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space on top each and every bottom level
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facade sold different items kind of
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think of it predating World Showcase at
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Epcot more or less in the same vein as
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that
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this would be the European village
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setting both facing each other this one
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lining up parallel with this other set
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of rooms incredible how talked away and
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quiet this is back in here you can see
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progress just there on the horizon
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brand-new condos and apartments popping
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up everywhere so peaceful back here you
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almost don't feel like you're in the
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heart of Los Angeles and Hollywood with
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the hustle and bustle going to and fro
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even a wishing well you can toss a coin
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in actually it's used for a planner now
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but sure someone's tossed a coin in
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there at some point in their life could
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certainly do some thinking maybe even
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make some deals have some meetings we
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land in DeLand a lot of television and
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movie royalty have walked these very
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sidewalks over the decades some serious
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atmosphere and ambience taking place
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don't think this bicycle has been ridden
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in quite some time
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it may just be placed there just to set
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the mood you can see the tilework and
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the bricks from a simpler time
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hello Alice on either side of a head can
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almost get lost in the details
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everywhere you stare is something
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different the center of the complex is
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this structure which has a has had a
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variety of uses over the years with its
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Arabic archways it's very distinct check
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out this classic photo from a grand
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opening they have a banner across the
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the entry point and the lights were on
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as of right now there is no illumination
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shining through that window whatever's
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behind there is not for retail use Alice
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Cooper even used this spot for muscle of
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love cover they were all just sprawled
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out right there on the ground
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Huell Howser film an episode here where
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he was just kind of roaming the premises
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exploring checking things out and as the
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story goes later in his life he liked
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this place so much he came back and
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rented an office you know who else did
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that Alfred Hitchcock yes he was here
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and if he knew this place was still open
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today and accessible Hitchcock it would
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be proud standing in this spot way back
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then if you had 15 extra cents he didn't
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feel like walking on your own accord he
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could have taken a little a little buggy
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and they would have escorted you right
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there I'm also noticing up here some
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signage that states Screen Actors Guild
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which means it was located right here on
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this building to the right tucked away
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over here represents what you'd see an
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architecture of early America also known
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as the Cape Cod buildings with their
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very distinct roof lines and chimneys
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and although these seats are probably
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not very comfortable made of stone and
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rock if they could talk they'd most
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likely tell some interesting stories of
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years gone by you also might recall
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where the staircase leads down into that
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door from LA Confidential Danny DeVito
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spent a lot of time in that room typing
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with the illuminated neon of that sphere
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shining down upon him very prominently
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the performance by a mariachi band here
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at address 1550 you see the awning there
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and even the church behind it
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this is what it looks like currently no
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food being served
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but you can still tell that's the same
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same spot a couple other movie locations
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I should mention towards the front of
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the boat and that top room Ford Fairlane
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Andrew Dice Clay that's where he was
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where his office is located and directly
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below him on the bottom floor Demi Moore
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from Indecent Proposal that's where she
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worked her desk would have been located
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behind that wall if I shift just a bit
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Robert Redford
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while waiting had a seat
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behind this glass you can see this very
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fountain behind him as he's waiting
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patiently for dimming this is the type
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of stuff you don't really see in this
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day and age too much anymore this type
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of tile work and I really love just the
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era and style of this handle I get
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excited about the simple things this is
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an antique and a relic right here for
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sure
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old Hollywood from some promotional
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material back when it opened these four
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lovely ladies are standing along a
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railing on the ledge and that is the
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very ledge right there after seeing all
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these areas representing different
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countries the question has been answered
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that's why it's called crossroads the
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world really does make traveling and
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commuting much easier when it's kind of
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all in the same little area the same
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square footage I'm not really staying in
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the same decade as far as photographs go
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I'm jumping all over the place and I
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apologize for that I wanted to show
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these just to prove that at one point it
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really was a real beehive of activity
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out here people used to dress a lot
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nicer and much more dapper back that
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example these two ladies walking down
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this very pathway down the brick
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some elements very storybook fantasy
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landish a lot of wise kind of like
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stepping into a fairy tale children's
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book I'm also noticing there's a very
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old McDonald's commercial there's Ronald
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riding his bike right around the same
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area as that wishing well right out so a
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pathway here
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well Ronnie faintly hear the traffic of
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horns the yelling passer buyers just a
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short stone's throw away some hustle and
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bustle but not in here very peaceful in
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here it's like a whole different world
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pun intended
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pun very intended a bygone era with a
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shelf behind the glass display case for
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products for consumers to look out first
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and then purchase a letterbox for us
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mail directly below that it states
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erected 1936 and the architects named
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Robert V deira declared a historic and
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cultural monument as it should be this
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place will be around for many years to
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come for all to enjoy the gates are open
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during the day at night they're locked
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but during daytime hours feel free to
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stop in and pay a visit because there is
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a boatload of history to enjoy if you're
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into that sort of thing and even if
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you're not still an enjoyable walk
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through and not too far from the Chinese
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Theatre and other very popular Hollywood
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sites tourist destinations in this neck
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of the woods the flag is waving
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however the globe is not circulating the
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earth up there is not rotating as I've
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seen in the past big audio dynamite
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dragged their entire drum kit and
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musical instruments right there above
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the signage at the base
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where are you go win my beautiful friend
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I'm not kidding they were really all
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right up there behind that side it's
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your story remember that song you can't
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forget that song exiting out the front
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and heading around to the back side of
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the establishment you cannot gain an
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entry from this area there is a fence up
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but now that I'm back a little bit
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further I was comparing some info I
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found and right here on the left this
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used to be a coffee shop and a bakery so
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each morning you could get a little
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caffeine to start your day in fact
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here's another angle of it notice the
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neon signage still there after all these
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years
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you've heard of the backside of water
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well you know the rest I do believe the
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lantern well it's basically just a
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spotlight might still be operational up
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there you can see the bulb and the
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little circular thing right there and
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the lighthouse itself this was recreated
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very meticulously Central Florida for
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the opening of the 1989 theme park
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disney-mgm Studios and still resides
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there in its current incarnation
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Disney's Hollywood Studios it acts as a
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gift shop where you can pick up your
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guide maps on the entryway into the
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market
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faintly hear the church bells
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traffic flow is disguising it quite a
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bit though
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listen
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so whether you see this here
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we're on the opposite coast you can now
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say hey I know what that is
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sometimes I like to throw in little
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tie-ins that aren't vitally necessary
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but do pertain to the subject matter so
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I've driven across town at the top of
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this hill is the property owner Charles
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H Crawford as mentioned earlier an
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unsolved mystery the details of how he
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perished May 20th 1931 and if it wasn't
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for his passing we might not have cross
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roads of the world because his wife in
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order to cleanse the memory and the
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relics of what remained from that
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horrible event had the landscape changed
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forever her husband was a little easier
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to find took me quite a while
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before I saw Ellis head sound beloved
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mother born in 1891 to 1953
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her idea still lives on to this very day
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and hopefully for some time to come
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that's gonna do it for today if you're
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in the next video the vlog is over