Hunting Stars in the Hollywood Jungle: It Takes a Plan, Sometimes

The article on “star gazing” (“Hey, Don’t Look, but Isn’t That ...,” by Paul Brownfield, Jan. 10) was correct: The best way to spot celebrities is by chance.

I lived most of my life in Los Angeles and recall the following more memorable sightings: sitting behind Walter Matthau at a concert in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, nearly colliding with Cary Grant in the doorway of a men’s clothing store on Santa Monica’s 3rd Street, dining next to Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood at a Chinese restaurant and standing next to a warm and engaging Debbie Reynolds at a Los Angeles International Airport baggage-claim carousel.

ROBERT LERNER

San Diego

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I enjoyed Paul Brownfield’s article about celebrity sightings but I’m astounded that The Times somehow overlooked a Web site called “Seeing Stars” (https://www.seeing-stars.com). I discovered it five years ago, and it’s definitely the best guide to L.A. and star spotting I’ve ever seen. I refer to it every time I make a trip out to Southern California.

FRED SIMMONS

North Platte, Neb.

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In your “Unofficial Field Guide to the Stars,” you neglected to mention the essential spot for both star gazing and Southern California culture: the carwash.

At the Santa Palm Car Wash in West Hollywood (locally known as the “Car Wash of the Stars”), I have seen all of the Hollywood elite, including the likes of Jodie Foster, Halle Berry, Rob Reiner and Salma Hayek. If you want to catch a glimpse of stardom, just follow the line of dirty cars.

MARVIN KALIN

Encino