Patapsco Valley State Park from “Serial”

Patapsco Valley State Park from Serial-1170439

Patapsco State Park.  Those three words, the name of a popular Baltimore-area recreation spot, shouldn’t be part of the lexicon of this California native.  But in October 2014, the first season of the investigative podcast Serial was released and instantly became a worldwide phenomenon.  Detailing the 1999 killing of high school student Hae Min Lee and the subsequent conviction of her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for the murder, the true crime tale elevated several local Charm City sites like Woodlawn High School, The Crab Crib, Leakin Park, the I-70 Park & Ride, and the Best Buy on Security Boulevard into pop culture landmarks.  And yes, Patapsco State Park.  Say the words and pretty much anyone at all interested in true crime will know exactly what you’re talking about.  The Grim Cheaper and I were – and still are – obsessed with the Hae Min Lee case.  So when we visited Maryland last fall, we, of course, hit up all of the locations mentioned in the podcast, which I found thanks to this extensive Google map.   And when I say all of the locations, I do mean all of them – our Serial stalk was pretty much a two-day adventure.  The locale that surprised me the most was Patapsco State Park, or Patapsco Valley State Park, which, for a time, figured prominently in the narrative of the state’s star witness in the case, Syed’s friend Jay Wilds.

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Patapsco Valley State Park was originally established in 1907 thanks to a local named John Glenn who donated 43 acres of his Catonsville land to the Maryland State Board of Forestry.

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Patapsco Valley State Park from Serial-1170445

The site, which has the distinction of being Maryland’s first state park, was soon transformed into a public recreation area.

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Expanded over the years, Patapsco State Park now boasts 16,043 acres of land spanning a 32-mile stretch of the Patapsco River.

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The site features 8 different recreation areas, 200 miles of trails, waterfalls, a dam, bridges, and sweeping vistas, and plays host to such diverse activities as hiking, fishing, camping, canoeing, horseback riding, mountain biking, picnicking, and disc golfing (yeah, I had to look that last one up, too).

Patapsco Valley State Park from Serial-1170446

Patapsco Valley State Park from Serial-1170463

During the investigation of Hae Min Lee’s murder, detectives questioned Jay Wilds, aka “the criminal element of Woodlawn,” on several occasions.  In his initial interviews, he recounted a timeline of the day Hae was killed.  That timeline, though never really believable, has since been completely debunked by countless sources (including Jay himself), so in the end many locations thought to be significant to the case, including Patapsco State Park, don’t actually figure into it at all.  But in Serial’s early episodes, the sites were mentioned and detailed so relentlessly that they will forever be tied to the story and, despite their current insignificance, remain popular places for listeners of the podcast to visit.  As Jay originally told it, shortly after school got out on the afternoon of January 13th, 1999, Adnan had Hae drive him to the southeast parking lot of the Best Buy on Security Boulevard (the store’s actual address is 1701 Belmont Avenue), where he then strangled her.  That parking lot is pictured below.  Though it is located on the side of the store and is less populated than the front parking lot, it is completely ridiculous to think that anyone would choose it as a good spot to strangle someone, in broad daylight no less.

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According to Jay, Syed then called him from the lot’s payphone (don’t even get me started on that damn payphone!) and asked him to come by the store to assist him in disposing of Hae’s car and body.  Jay does so and the two then drive in tandem to the I-70 Park & Ride (that’s it below), where they temporarily dump Hae’s car.

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After picking up some marijuana in the Forest Park area, per Jay’s story (which again, has been debunked), Jay and Adnan then ventured to Patapsco State Park to smoke and debrief about the murder.

Patapsco Valley State Park from Serial-1170450

Patapsco Valley State Park from Serial-1170462

I was absolutely shocked as we entered the park and I saw how beautiful it is.  Being that Jay and Adnan supposedly discussed possibly burying Hae’s body on the premises, I was expecting something sinister, dark and deserted.  Instead, what we found was lush, green, and picturesque.  It’s idyllic.  Not to mention populated.  Despite the fact that the GC and I showed up shortly before dusk, Patapsco was chock full of people enjoying the great outdoors.

Patapsco Valley State Park from Serial-1170449

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   After seeing the park in person, I find it totally ludicrous that Jay claimed he and Adnan were actually considering burying a body there in broad daylight.

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Though we hadn’t planned on it, the GC and I were so taken with Patapsco that we wound up spending quite a bit of time there, walking around exploring its beauty.  I highly recommend a visit if you’re in the area.  And bonus – the park is also a filming location!

Patapsco Valley State Park from Serial-1170452

Patapsco Valley State Park from Serial-1170457

At the end of the 2000 thriller The Blair Witch Project, Heather Donahue and Mike Williams (who both played characters named after themselves) sought shelter in a dilapidated old residence.  That residence, known as the Griggs House in real life, was an actual home once located in Patapsco State Park, just west of Hernwood Road.  Sadly, due to its decaying condition and the fact that it upset neighbors by regularly attracting throngs of both vandals and movie fans, the structure was demolished in the early 2000s.

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The interior of the home also appeared in The Blair Witch Project.  You can check out some photos of what the place looked like shortly after filming took place here.  Oh, how I wish I could have seen it in person!

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In the Season 2 episode of House of Cards titled “Chapter 18,” which aired in 2014, Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) attends a Civil War battle reenactment at Patapsco State Park.  Specifically, filming took place near the McKeldin Recreation area.

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For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Patapsco State Park, from Serial, is located at 8020 Baltimore National Pike in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Frank and Claire’s Townhouse from “House of Cards”

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It is a rare occasion for me to lay eyes on a Hollywood-designed set and not immediately want to move in.  But such was the case with the townhouse belonging to Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and his wife, Claire (Robin Wright), on the Netflix series House of Cards.  While I love the handsome brick exterior of the politico couple’s pad (who wouldn’t?), the inside is just a bit too cold and a bit too stark for my tastes.  Though undeniably beautiful, Frank and Claire’s décor and furnishings look like something straight out of a magazine – not lived in, very impersonal, and all sleek, shiny and straight lines.  The aura the home gives off is a huge testament to the talent of the House of Cards set designers because cold, stark, sleek and shiny are characteristics that perfectly describe Claire and Frank.  The townhouse is an exacting reflection of its occupants and, as such, is one of the series’ most notable locations, despite only being featured in two out of five seasons.  So it was, of course, on my list of spots to stalk while I was in Baltimore, where House of Cards is mainly lensed, last fall.

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Said to be located at 1609 Far Street NW in Washington, D.C. on the series, in real life, Frank and Claire’s townhouse can be found at 1609 Park Avenue in Baltimore’s Bolton Hill neighborhood.

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The 4,600-square-foot, 4-level dwelling features 4 bedrooms, 5 fireplaces (though this article mentions 6 bedrooms and 7 fireplaces, so I am unsure which figures are correct), 3 baths, 12-foot-high ceilings, pine flooring, a rear patio, a 2-car garage with a rooftop deck, a 3-story lightwell, and dual staircases.

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Originally built in 1880, the 20-foot-wide townhouse had not only been transformed into a 3-unit apartment building, but had also fallen into serious disrepair by the time Jeff and Norma Epstein purchased it in 1995.  The couple spent the next two years restoring it back to its original grandeur, with Jeff, a licensed contractor, doing most of the work himself.

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Though the remodel was a labor of love for the couple, they recently decided to move out of state and put the residence up for auction last month with a starting price of $500,000.  There do not appear to have been any takers, though, and it looks like the home is now on the market for $824,900.

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The townhouse is located in a gorgeous neighborhood . . .

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. . . situated directly across from a median that has been fashioned into a park, complete with a sparkling fountain.

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The scenery looks like it was taken straight out of the opening credits of Friends.

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It took all I had not to jump in the fountain and start dancing.  Winking smile

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The townhouse was only utilized during the first and second seasons of House of Cards.  By the end of Season 2, Frank and Claire had upgraded their digs by (spoiler alert!) moving into the White House upon Frank taking over the presidency.  (When Season 3 began airing, HotPads humorously ran a fictional article about the Underwood residence being available for rent.)  Surprisingly, the townhouse’s exterior was rarely shown on the series . . .

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. . . and when it was, it was typically in dark, nighttime shots, so not much of it was ever seen onscreen.

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The interior, however, which was just a set located at the Joppa, Maryland warehouse where the series is lensed, was featured regularly.  Production designers are said to have modeled the set after the actual inside of the Bolton Hill townhome, but as the property’s MLS photos attest to, said interior is staggeringly different from its onscreen counterpart.  Most notably, the inside of the actual home is much smaller and much less ornate than Frank and Claire’s residence.  For this post, I thought it would be fun to do a little set vs. real life house tour, so here goes!  We’ll start with the entrance hall.  Though both boast wood embellishments, the Underwood’s hallway is more grand and quite a bit wider than the hallway of the actual home.

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A view of the respective entrance halls from the opposite direction is pictured below.

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Aside from similar fireplaces, the two living rooms don’t resemble each other at all.

House of Cards Townhouse Living Room

As you can see below, the Underwood living room is much wider than that of the actual townhome.

House of Cards Townhouse Living Room 2

The same is true of the dining rooms – the set dining room is much wider than the real life residence’s dining room.

House of Cards House Living Room

Though both boast a white color scheme, the Underwoods’ kitchen is much larger and much more modern than that of the actual townhome.

House of Cards Townhouse Kitchen

Another major difference – while the Underwoods’ kitchen is located on the main level of their house, the kitchen of the real life property is, oddly, situated in the basement.

House of Cards Townhouse Kitchen 2

Though the Underwoods do have a basement, it is only semi-finished and, as you can see, looks nothing like the townhome’s actual basement.

House of Cards Townhouse Basement

Claire and Frank’s master bedroom is much more subdued than its real life counterpart, though, once again, the fireplaces are very similar.

House of Cards Townhouse Master Bedroom 2

The Underwoods’ patio, one of my favorite aspects of the property, is covered with picturesque foliage and enclosed by a large stucco wall.  The actual patio is much less lush and is instead enclosed by a wooden fence, giving it a very different look, though the window and door are similar to those of the set.

House of Cards Townhouse Patio

Sadly, Frank and Claire’s dining room “smoking window,” which was situated next to the fireplace in the set’s dining room, is nowhere to be found in real life.

House of Cards Townhouse Smoking Window

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Frank and Claire’s townhouse from House of Cards is located at 1609 Park Avenue in Baltimore’s Bolton Hill neighborhood.

Freddy’s BBQ Joint from “House of Cards”

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I have never been a fan of dark TV shows or movies.  Surprising, I know, considering my love for true crime and all podcasts, documentaries and news stories related to the subject.  But when it comes to fictional TV and movie watching, I prefer a much lighter fare.  One exception to this rule is House of Cards, which the Grim Cheaper and I got really into a couple of summers ago.  The Netflix original series is undeniably dark and exceptionally heavy, but the smart writing, incredible acting, and biting political storylines sucked us right in.  Another draw is the myriad of dynamic characters, my favorite of which [aside from Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) – his Southern drawl is fabulous, and that ring knock!] is easily Freddy Hayes (Reg E. Cathey), proprietor of Freddy’s BBQ Joint, the hole-in-the-wall rib restaurant Frank regularly frequents.  Not only is Freddy’s advice uniquely sage and storytelling top-notch, but his friendship with Frank is just so endearing.  So, last summer, when I found out we were heading to Baltimore, where House of Cards is largely lensed, I told the Grim Cheaper there was no way we were leaving town without stalking Freddy’s – or the storefront used to represent it, I should say.

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Though I knew that Freddy’s BBQ Joint was obviously not a real spot, I figured that the production utilized an actual restaurant of some sort to shoot the scenes taking place there.  Sadly, that is not the case.  Freddy’s is a completely fictional eatery created by the House of Cards crew at a vacant space on Greenmount Avenue in Baltimore’s Better Waverly neighborhood – a fact I gleaned from this Mix 106.5 article while preparing for my trip.  Despite my disappointment over learning the news, I was still absolutely thrilled to see the site in person.

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Freddy’s BBQ Joint first popped up in the House of Cards pilot, titled “Chapter 1.”  In the episode, Frank makes an early pit stop at the restaurant and, in one of his superb asides, explains, “My one guilty pleasure is a good rack of ribs, even at 7:30 in the morning.  I have the whole place to myself.  Freddy sometimes opens up just for me.  Where I come from in South Carolina, people didn’t have two pennies to rub together.  A rack of ribs is a luxury, like Christmas in July.”

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Freddy’s goes on to appear regularly on the series, becoming one of its most notable locations.

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Well, throughout the first two years, anyway.  Towards the end of Season 2, in the episode titled “Chapter 22,” Freddy is (spoiler alert!) caught in the middle of Frank’s political schemings and is forced to sell his restaurant.

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In person, the rundown storefront used to portray Freddy’s BBQ Joint looks much the same as it does onscreen.

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The Freddy’s signage is missing, of course, but otherwise the site appears as if it jumped right off of the television screen.

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I absolutely love that the place’s weathered look is authentic and not a design element fabricated by the House of Cards crew.

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I was especially obsessed with the storefront’s tarnished roof eave.

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In the House of Cards pilot, Frank does not venture inside Freddy’s, but instead chooses to eat on the restaurant’s side patio.

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He mainly dines indoors in the episodes that follow, though.

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Mahmut Nazli, owner of the Greenmount Avenue storefront, told the Independent in 2014 that the House of Cards crew re-designed his shop in preparation for filming, installing walls and shelving, which alludes to the fact that the interior was used in the production.  Several other articles I’ve come across, though (like this one and this one), stipulate that the inside of Freddy’s BBQ Joint was a set built at the 300,000-square-foot Joppa, Maryland warehouse-turned-soundstage where the series is lensed.

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Of the crew’s re-design, Nazli went on to say, “They were supposed to change it back, but I asked them not to,” which leads me to wonder if maybe a couple of House of Cards’ early episodes were shot on location inside of the actual Greenmount storefront and then a set modeled after the site’s interior was eventually built at the Joppa warehouse.  I scanned through all of the episodes featuring Freddy’s, though, and never noticed any changes or discernable differences to the interior that would point to a change in filming venues.  So I am unsure on this one.

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Per the Independent article, the Greenmount Avenue space has previously served as a fried chicken restaurant, a book store, and a community center over the years, though Google Street View shows it as being vacant since at least 2007.

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Nazli put the storefront up for sale in 2014 for $119,000, but, despite the locale’s onscreen fame, it does not appear as if there were any takers.

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In this fabulous 2014 TODAY article, Reg. E Cathey talks about House of Cards and the Freddy’s BBQ Joint site, stating, “I’ve shot three projects in that same neighborhood, even that same corner.”  Though he mentions Homicide: Life on the Street, The Corner and The Wire, because I have never seen any of those productions, I am unsure which of the three were lensed in the vicinity of Freddy’s, nor could I find any information online about filming on that same block of Greenmount Avenue, unfortunately.

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For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: The vacant storefront that masks as Freddy’s BBQ Joint on House of Cards is located at 2601 Greenmount Avenue in Baltimore.