The Redbury @ Hollywood and Vine
1717 N. Vine St., Los Angeles; (323) 962-1717, http://www.theredbury.com. Published rates range from $299 to $1,000 a night; discounts are available for extended stays.

Tour guides, developers and city boosters have long struggled to resolve Hollywood's split personality. Glamorous in reputation, the city is often gritty in reality.

The creators of the Redbury @ Hollywood and Vine, a new boutique hotel at the famous intersection, cleverly channels the tension between the dueling personalities to create a mash-up of contrasting worlds. It's old and new; rowdy and peaceful; elegant and raw; stinky and highly perfumed; designed for a quick cocktail or a weeklong stay.

-- Valli Herman

Read more: The Redbury, at the cross-streets of then and now