Econo Inn & Suites from “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”

Econo Inn & Suites from CSI-17

Well, I am definitely on a hotel kick as of late, because here I am with my third post in a row of the inn variety.  Today’s lodging was featured prominently in the Season 9 episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled “Turn, Turn, Turn,” which just so happens to be the production in which a one Miss Taylor Swift made her acting debut.  When the episode first aired in 2009, I had not watched CSI in ages, nor was I a particularly big Swift fan (nothing against her, but at the time I was not familiar with much of her music – that’s no longer the case, today “Blank Space” is pretty much my go-to karaoke song!), so I am unsure of how or why I came to tune in.  Tune in, I did, though, and I absolutely loved it.  The episode is truly gripping, albeit profoundly sad.

[ad]

“Turn, Turn, Turn” centers around Nick Stokes’ (George Eads) dealings with various crimes over a one-year period at a local “Las Vegas” lodging named the Park Pines Motel.  Taylor portrayed the manager’s daughter, Hayley Jones, in the episode.

Screenshot-000672

Screenshot-000688

Park Pines was the main location featured in the episode . . .

Screenshot-000686

Screenshot-000687

. . . and it was used extensively throughout.

Screenshot-000675

Screenshot-000689

I spent quite a bit of time searching for the Park Pines location back when “Turn, Turn, Turn,”  first aired, but never wound up tracking it down.  Then, while watching the Season 2 finale of How to Get Away with Murder, which was titled “What Did We Do?,” I spotted a motel that I thought might be the one I had been looking for.  Upon closer inspection, I realized it wasn’t, but I, of course, got the itch to start hunting again.  (For those interested, the motel featured in HTGAWM is the Hollywood Premiere Motel located at 5333 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Feliz.)

Screenshot-000699

Screenshot-000700

Thankfully, “Turn, Turn, Turn,” is available for streaming on Hulu – actually all 337 episodes of CSI are!  (Side note – the Grim Cheaper and I just got a subscription to Hulu and it is downright amazing!  Netflix is for sure the better platform for movies, but when it comes to TV, Hulu can’t be beat!  Every single episode of Law and Order: SVU is on there!  I mean, come on!)  So I re-watched it and was floored to see that the signage of several storefronts was visible across the street from the Park Pines in the episode.

Screenshot-000693

Econo Inn & Suites from CSI-3

One sign was for a salon named Hollywood Hair & Nails.  A quick Google search kicked back a listing for a shop by that moniker located at 10759 Magnolia Boulevard in North Hollywood.  Sure enough, when I went to that address on Google Street View, there was the Park Pines Motel located right across the street!  Woot!

Screenshot-000694

Econo Inn & Suites from CSI-4

Though CSI would have you believe that the motel was located in Las Vegas (gotta love the spectacular use of CGI Winking smile) . . .

Screenshot-000674

. . . it can actually be found at 10750 West Magnolia Boulevard in North Hollywood.

Econo Inn & Suites from CSI-12

Econo Inn & Suites from CSI-16

In real life, the 25-unit motel is named Econo Inn & Suites.

Econo Inn & Suites from CSI-6

Econo Inn & Suites from CSI-5

Sadly, most of the areas that appeared in “Turn, Turn, Turn” are located at the rear of the property and are not visible from the street.

Econo Inn & Suites from CSI-8

Econo Inn & Suites from CSI-9

What can be seen, though, is very recognizable.

Screenshot-000695

Econo Inn & Suites from CSI-10

Several of the motel’s actual rooms were also used in the filming.

Screenshot-000677

Screenshot-000678

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

Econo Inn & Suites from CSI-11

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Econo Inn & Suites, from the “Turn, Turn, Turn” episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, is located at 10750 West Magnolia Boulevard in North Hollywood.

The El Royale Motel

 

img_1087-800

A couple of weeks ago while doing some Valley stalking,  my boyfriend and I happened to drive by a small motel named the El Royale and I immediately recognized it from this page on the Seeing Stars website.   I didn’t watch the Fourth Season of The O.C. (even though I do love me some Benjamin McKenzie!), but apparently the El Royale Motel was used in the second episode of that season.  In the episode, entitled “The Gringos”, Ryan and Seth follow Volchok down to Ensenada, Mexico to try to avenge Marissa’s death.  While there they check into the El Royale.   

img_1090-800

screenshot769

screenshot770

Interestingly enough, though, it appears that the El Royale was used only for establishing  shots of their motel and that no actual filming took place there.  You can see in the above screen captures that the interiors of Ryan and Seth’s room don’t match the exteriors of the El Royale.  For example, when Ryan and Seth enter the motel room, you can see an interior hallway behind them.  The El Royale does not actually have any interior hallways.  Ryan and Seth’s motel room window is also small and flat and does not match the popped out picture windows that exist at the real El Royale.  My best guess is that the interior of their room was a set that existed only on a soundstage.

screenshot760

screenshot761

The El Royale also made an appearance in the 1997 Marky-Mark film Boogie Nights  (pictured above).  It was used as the location where Duke and Reed plan the drug scam they are going to pull on Rahad.  In Boogie Nights, as with The O.C., it appears that only the exteriors of the motel were used, as once again, the interior shots don’t match up to what the motel really looks like. 

[ad]

img_1089-800 

The El Royale was also featured in the movies Angel  and  Fool For Love.  But since I have not seen either of them, I am not sure whether only the El Royale exteriors were used or if some interior filming took place there, as well.

img_1091-800

 screenshot763

screenshot765

screenshot767

One of the few productions that did actually film inside of an El Royale Motel room, is the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.  In a Season 9 episode of the show entitled “Kill Me If You Can”, a woman is found dead inside of one of the El Royale bungalows, leaving behind a desert tortoise named Gareth as the only witness to the crime (pictured above).

img_1097-800

The El Royale is a very unusual little motel, with about 15 tiny bungalows situated around an empty cement lot.  Each bungalow has its own entrance and carport.    It is easy to see why the El Royale has been used so often in film and television productions as it definitely gives off a seedy motel vibe.   I do recommend stalking it, though, as it is such a unique spot and seeing it in person will make you feel as if you’ve stepped back in time to a different era. 

img_1088-800

img_1094-800

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It: The El Royale Motel is located at 11117 Ventura Boulevard in Studio City.