When I first moved to Hollywood back in 1997, it was a blip on the tourist radar: just a place to get on a bus to see the real sights. And you might have wanted to get on that bus pretty quickly because the neighborhood was pretty seedy back then. Now, thanks to a score of revitalization projects, Hollywood is a real destination again, shopping, theaters and a thriving nightlife. Here are a few of my don't-miss recommendations and the stories behind them.

ROOSEVELT HOTEL

Built in 1927, the Roosevelt played host to the first Academy Awards in 1929, with a ceremony that lasted a whopping 15 minutes. The hotel was popular with a lot of celebrities, like Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe, back in the day. And thanks to some recent refurbishment, it's again attracting the Hollywood elite, with a new nightclub called Teddy's Lounge. It also has an upscale burger bar, 28 Degrees. The burgers aren't the cheapest on the Boulevard, but they are very tasty.

For me though, THE reason to visit the Roosevelt has always been the ghosts. A mirror that once hung in suite 1200 has been reported to reflect Marilyn Monroe's image. On my last visit, the mirror was hanging in one of the public areas on the ground floor, but it's been moved often, so your best bet is to ask for its current location.

Several guests and employees have reporting seeing a man in a white tuxedo in and around the Blossom Room, where the original Academy Awards were presented. At another time, a switchboard operator spotted a young girl in a ponytail and a pink jacket playing by the fountain in the lobby. Moments later, the girl vanished. And on another occasion, security cameras showed a man swimming in the hotel pool late at night. When a security guard arrived to tell the man that that swimming hours were over, he found the pool was empty even though his coworker could still see the swimmer on camera.

But probably the most active ghost in the Roosevelt has to be Montgomery Clift, who stayed in room 928 for three months in 1952 while filming "From Here to Eternity." Apparently, Clift liked to roam the halls on the ninth floor, rehearsing his lines and playing his bugle. I'll bet his neighbors just loved that. He didn't learn courtesy in the afterlife either. Visitors to the ninth floor have reported being brushed against by an unseen force, and several staff members refused to work on the floor at all, claiming to have seen shadows and sensed something "strange" and disturbing.

GRAUMAN'S

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