Capitol Records Building
Kayte Deioma
The Capitol Records Building in Hollywood, built in 1956 to resemble a stack of vinyl 45 records (could equally well be a stack of CDs) is one of the most recognizable structures in the city. The 13-story tower designed by architect Welton Becket is on the Los Angeles Register of Historic Places.
At night, the blinking light on top of the tower spells out the word "Hollywood" in Morse code. For Christmas, tree-shaped lights adorn the top of the tower.
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Santa Monica Pier
TripSavvy / Christian Hundley
Santa Monica Pier at the end of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica is another emblem of Los Angeles. The pier, with its solar Ferris Wheel in Pacific Park amusement park, appears regularly in movies and TV shows. The neon gateway to the pier with its backdrop of rides is one of the most photographed spots in LA, as is the Ferris Wheel, but a more recent favorite selfie spot on the pier is the Santa Monica Route 66 End of the Trail Sign which was installed in 2009 to commemorate the pier's 100th birthday.
There's another End of the Trail sign a few blocks north where Santa Monica Boulevard (Route 66) hits the beach, however, whether even that is the real end of Route 66 is disputed. Some historians claim that Route 66 actually ended about 10 blocks away from where Santa Monica Boulevard (Route 66) meets Lincoln Ave (Highway 1) because an official designated highway had to end at another official designated highway. For a highway that was originally 2448 miles long, what're a few extra blocks? It certainly doesn't deter visitors from grabbing selfies with the sign on the pier.