Jennifer Aniston Locations – Page 4

May 12, 2009June 16, 2011

Brad and Jen’s Honeymoon Hotel

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, this weekend was a big one for me. The biggest perhaps! My boyfriend (of over eight and a half years!!) finally popped the question!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂 And I, of course, said yes! This changes things quite a bit for me, as from now on I will no longer be dragging my boyfriend to filming locations all across L.A. I will now be dragging my fiance!! 🙂 LOL My boyfriend realized long ago that if he was going to propose to me it had better be at some sort of filming location. And, let me tell you, he came through big time!!!!! Although, I was the one who actually discovered the location for him. 🙂 A few weeks ago, while searching for the mansion where Brad and Jen got married, I stumbled upon this article about a little boutique hotel in Palm Springs named the Ingleside Inn. And when I read the words “Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt came to the Inn after their media frenzy Malibu wedding” I literally almost hyperventilated right there at my computer! I immediately called my boyfriend and said “WE HAVE TO GO HERE!” LOL

My boyfriend actually already had plans to attend a work event in Palm Springs this past weekend, so he booked us a room at the hotel. And I was FLOORED, ABSOLUTELY FLOORED! Well, that “work event” turned out to be a surprise engagement party for me with all of our closest friends [including Mike, from MovieShotsLA :)] in attendance. My boyfriend proposed about 45 minutes before the surprise party right there in Villa 4 of the Ingleside Inn. It was a pretty magical experience. 🙂

The Ingleside Inn was first built as a private residence in 1922 by heirs to the Pierce Arrow Motor Car Company fortune. In 1939, the residence was purchased by Palm Springs’ first councilwoman, Ruth Hardy, who turned the 2.5 acre property into an exclusive inn and private club. Rumor has it that she would interview guests before their stay to make sure they were worthy of vacationing at her Inn. 🙂 In 1975, after Ruth passed away, the Inn was purchased by New York native Mel Haber, who still owns and runs the property to this day. In fact, on Friday night while eating dinner at the Inn’s onsite restaurant, Melvyn’s, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Haber who confirmed for me that Brad and Jen did in fact spend three nights at the Inn immediately following their wedding. 🙂 🙂 🙂

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The tiny inn is like no other place I have ever visited. It boasts only thirty rooms – each one different – and, even though it is within walking distance of Downtown Palm Springs, is completely secluded. It is quiet, peaceful, and intimate. When we checked in, a bellman escorted us to our room and gave us a real key – not one of those plastic key-cards that most hotels use. The air conditioning had been turned on prior to our arrival, so that our “villa” would be nice and cool for us upon entering. Our bed had been turned down, there was a mint on each of the pillows, and a fruit basket was placed on the dresser. Each morning a newspaper was delivered to our door and the fridge was re-stocked daily with complimentary fruit juice, soda, and bottled water. All of the hotel employees knew us by name, knew our room number by heart, and would walk by repeatedly while we were lounging poolside to make sure our every need was being attended to. It was service at its finest!!

The rooms, which are very reasonably priced (almost unbelievably so!), are slightly old-fashioned, but in a good way. While staying there, I really felt as though I had stepped back in time. I must say, though, that if you are at all a fan of hotels like The Standard in West Hollywood (which I’m not), then this is definitely not the place for you. The Inn is not a spot to party or live it up. It is the kind of place you go to truly get away from it all. Which is my kind of place! Oh, and did I mention that there is a Starbucks within walking distance? What more could a girl ask for?

My favorite part of the hotel had to be the pool, though, which is open 24 hours. Even though the Inn is only a short block away from Palm Canyon Drive and Downtown Palm Springs, while laying by the pool I felt like I was worlds away from civilization. I remember thinking to myself ‘No wonder Brad and Jen came here!’ 🙂 Ingleside Inn is the kind of place where cell phones in common areas are frowned upon, so the pool is like a little secluded haven. It was heaven!

Also heaven was the poolside lunch I ordered from Melvyn’s, the Inn’s fine dining restaurant. Melvyn’s has won countless awards, including “First Place in Fine Dining”, “Most Romantic Restaurant”, and, my personal favorite, “Best Place to Spot Celebrities”. 🙂 Both the restaurant and the Inn have also been featured repeatedly as “One of the Ten Best” on television’s Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Melvyn’s also features a Rat Pack style crooner who sings the Standards nightly.

Since the beginning, both Ingleside Inn and Melvyn’s have been celebrity havens. In fact, an entire section of a past issue of People Magazine was devoted to the many celebrity weddings that have taken place at the Inn, which include that of Frank Sinatra and Barbara Marx, Angel’s David Boreanaz and Playboy Playmate Jaime Bergman, and David Ashrow and actress June Allyson who stated “Everyone should be married at Ingleside Inn at least once in their livetime!” LOL The Inn’s celeb guests include Lance Bass, Bob Hope, Goldie Hawn, Kate Hudson, Greta Garbo, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver, Salvador Dali, Sylvester Stallone, opera singer Lily Pons (who lived at the Inn for over 13 years!!!), John Travolta, Liza Minelli, Cher, Clark Gable, Barry Manilow, Elizabeth Taylor, President Gerald Ford, and John Wayne, just to name a few.

I honestly cannot recommend stalking the Ingleside Inn enough! It is truly a magical place! All weekend (even before he proposed) my boyfriend kept saying “I’ve found my new favorite Palm Springs hotel!” 🙂 And, thanks to my boyfriend – ahem, my fiance – the Inn is no longer just the place where Brad and Jen spent their honeymoon, but the place where I got engaged. 🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The Ingleside Inn is located at 200 West Ramon Drive in Palm Springs. Brad and Jen stayed in Room 148 of the hotel (pictured above). My boyfriend proposed to me in Villa 4. 🙂 You can visit the hotel’s website here. Rooms run from $120 to $600 per night.

May 6, 2009June 16, 2011

The Mansion Where Brad and Jen Got Married

There are some events in history that people remember as if they occurred just yesterday. For instance, my mom remembers exactly where she was, right down to what she was wearing, on November 22, 1963 when she found out that President Kennedy had been murdered. Well, I wasn’t alive when JFK was assassinated or when man first walked on the moon. But I do remember exactly where I was and what I was wearing on July 30thof 2000 when it was announced that Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston had finally gotten married. 🙂 Now, some may not qualify that event as being historic, or even memorable, but for me it was. I was in Hawaii with my family at the time and the day beforehand I had found out that one of my closest friends had passed away. I was absolutely inconsolable. My parents didn’t really know what to do with me, so they decided to bring me down to the hotel bar in the hopes that a cocktail and a sunset might bring me some sort of comfort. As we sat at that outdoor bar watching the waves crash on the sand, I heard Jennifer Aniston’s name on the television set behind me and my ears perked up. The announcer stated that sources had confirmed that my girl Jen had married Brad Pitt in a ceremony on a Malibu bluff the previous evening. And it was the first time I smiled in days. 🙂 So, a few weeks ago, when I found the location of the mansion where Brad and Jen tied the knot, I just had to go stalk it.

I had read long ago that Brad and Jen had tied the knot at a five acre seaside estate belonging to television producer Marcy Carsey (of 3rd Rock From the Sun, Roseanne, and The Cosby Show fame) that was located on the 33000 block of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. But I had no idea of the home’s exact location. Until I found this fabulous website, which led me to the right spot. 🙂 Yay! From what I can tell from the few photographs released of the couple’s nuptials, the actual wedding ceremony took place on the circular patch of lawn located in front of Marcy’s home. Their reception took place in a large tent on an empty parcel of land located just south of the estate. You can see the wedding set up in the above paparazzi photograph, which was taken the day of Brad and Jen’s wedding.

Unfortunately, virtually none of the home is visible from the street. 🙁

If you head a few hundred feet up nearby Decker Canyon Road, you can just make out the outline of the mansion’s roof . . .

. . . and you can see the empty patch of land where Brad and Jen’s reception was held. But other than that, sadly, there’s not a whole lot to see. 🙁

Which is why God created aerial images. 🙂 LOL You can see a great aerial photo of Brad and Jen’s wedding mansion here.

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According to People Magazine, Brad and Jen’s wedding cost over $1 million and featured 50,000 flowers, a 13 minute fireworks display, four live bands, and a gospel choir! Their 200 person guest list was strictly A-List, and included Courteney Cox and David Arquette, Edward Norton and Salma Hayek (who were dating at the time), Cameron Diaz, Melissa Etheridge (who serenaded the couple), David Schwimmer, Kathy Najimy, Dermot Mulroney, Jon Lovitz, David Spade, and Lisa Kudrow. During their vows Jen promised to always make Brad’s “favorite banana milkshake” and Brad vowed to “split the difference on the thermostat”. Knowing how things turned out after that little homewrecker Angelina Jolie got her claws into Brad, doesn’t the whole thing kinda bring a tear to your eye? 🙁

Located directly next door to the estate where Brad and Jen got married, is the 19,340 square foot mega-mansion originally owned by Verna Harrah, widow of William F. Harrah, who was the founder of the famous casino hotels of the same name. In December of 1999, Verna sold her collosal mansion to Mark Reynolds Hughes, creator of Herbalife Vitamins, for a cool $27 million. Less than six months later, Hughes passed away of an alleged prescription drug and alcohol overdose in the master bedroom of the home. He was 44. The manse was subsequently purchased by billionaire venture capitalist Howard Marks.

And it looks to me as if Howard also purchased the once empty parcel of land where Brad and Jen held their tented wedding reception and which originally belonged to the Carsey estate. As you can see in the above aerial photographs of the two neighboring properties, it looks as if the Howards moved their property line over quite a bit.

Even though not much of Brad and Jen’s wedding mansion can be seen from the street, I was still floored to finally be stalking it. And even though their wedding occured during a difficult time in my life and their marriage ended rather unamicably, somehow thinking back on the day when I learned about my idol’s nuptials still manages to bring a smile to my face. 🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Brad and Jen’s wedding mansion is located at 33148 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Mark Reynolds Hughes’ former house is located directly next door at 33064 Pacific Coast Highway. For the best views of the homes, head a few hundred feet up Decker Canyon Road, which is located just south of the properties.

February 18, 2009June 16, 2011

The “‘Til There Was You” Apartment Building

Another day, another elusive location found thanks to Mike – God of Stalking – over at MovieShotsLA. 🙂 I have been challenged several times over the past few months to find the beautiful courtyard apartment building featured in the 1997 movie ‘Til There Was You. Unfortunately I had never seen the movie before and my local Blockbuster did not carry the title. And according to Amazon.com, the DVD had been discontinued by the manufacturer. So I thought I was really out of luck on this one, as without seeing the movie firsthand I had no idea what I was looking for. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I just happened to mention my quandry to Mike and he set out to find the location. Within about fifteen minutes Mike called me back with an address. Amazing! He had found the location by doing a simple Google search. And all this time I had been trying to find the DVD. But who needs a video or screen captures when you’ve got mad stalking skills like Mike? LOL 🙂

Once Mike had found the location – and once I found out that BOTH my girl Jen Aniston and SJP starred in the movie – I decided to make one last ditch effort to purchase the DVD. And sure enough, I found it on Ebay! The only problem? For sale was a Region 2 DVD, which meant it would only work on European DVD players. LOL Thank God my boyfriend is good with computers, because somehow he was able to rig my laptop so that I could watch the movie. So, finally – after about a six month long wait – I got to see ‘Til There Was You. I must say that the movie was pretty cute. I wouldn’t recommend going through what I did to watch it, but if you happen to see it in a video store, it’s worth a rental. 🙂

The entire premise of ‘Til There Was You centers around the proposed demolition of a Spanish style courtyard apartment building named La Fortuna. In the movie the building has a very romantic quality to it and everyone who sets foot inside of its picturesque courtyard immediately falls in love with it. In real life that apartment building is named El Cabrillo and it is no stranger to the film industry. El Cabrillo was constructed in 1928 by none other than Cecil B. DeMille who needed a place to house his out of town actors. The building was designed by noted architects Arthur and Nina Zwebell, who built numerous Los Angeles courtyard style apartment buildings in the 1920’s, many of which are now on the National Register of Historic Places. Notables who have lived in the building at one time or another include transvetite actress Divine, actress Ann Harding, director Lowell Sherman, makeup artist Perc Westmore, and playwright John Willard.

Besides being featured in ‘Til There Was You, legend has it that El Cabrillo was also used in a Rudolph Valentino movie many moons ago. It is also currently being used as the home of the main character on the television series Chuck. Interestingly enough, Chuck’s pilot episode was actually filmed on location at El Cabrillo. The courtyard area and three different apartments were used for that episode. But once the show got picked up by NBC a replica of the apartments and the courtyard were rebuilt on a soundstage at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank.

Sadly, El Cabrillo’s gates were closed while I was stalking it, so I did not get to see the interior courtyard area. From the outside El Cabrillo is amazingly non-descript and completely covered in foliage. You could easily drive right past the building without realizing the beauty that lies just on the other side of its gates.

But for those of you who would like an up-close-and-personal look at the building, I have some good news! A few of the units are currently available as vacation rentals. And it appears from the rental website photographs that El Cabrillo’s interiors are absolutely beautiful!! They actually remind me a lot of the interior of Amanda Peet’s apartment in fave movie A Lot Like Love. In fact the interiors are so similar, that I can’t help but wonder if the A Lot Like Love set was modeled after the interior of a real El Cabrillo apartment (both are pictured above).

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The ‘Til There Was You apartment building, aka El Cabrillo, is located at 1832-1850 North Grace Avenue in Hollywood.

February 4, 2009June 16, 2011

The He’s Just Not That Into You Movie Premiere

I am currently waiting on pins and needles for the movie He’s Just Not That Into You to hit theatres this upcoming Friday. The New Line Cinema film has all the makings of a hit – it stars my girl Jen and is based on an episode of fave television show Sex and the City. Come on – what more could a girl ask for?? 🙂 The “Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little” episode of Sex and the City that featured that now infamous line “He’s just not that into you!” is one of my all-time-favorite episodes. And I absolutely loved the book by SATC creative consultant Greg Behrendt and SATC executive story editor Liz Tuccillo that came out of that episode. I find it absolutely mind boggling that Greg and Liz took one line – one line – from a hit television show and not only turned it into a best-selling self-help book, but also a major motion picture starring numerous A-List celebs. How inspiring! Who knows, maybe one day a hit movie will be created out of a line from one of my blog posts! Hey, a girl can dream, can’t she? 🙂

According to fave book Sex and the City: Kiss and Tell , the idea behind the line “He’s just not that into you!” came about one morning while a group of SATC writers were sitting around their offices getting ready to start their day. One of the writers was asking for advice about a man she was dating who had been sending her “mixed signals”. Someone happened to ask Greg Behrendt, the only straight male in the room, for his perspective on the matter. And that is when Greg uttered the now ubiquitous line: “He’s just not that into you.” The SATC writers were absolutely intrigued by this line of reasoning and an idea was born. And the rest, as they say, is history! So yesterday when some friends and I stumbled onto the world premiere of He’s Just Not That Into You while grabbing a coffee before our acting class I just about keeled over with excitement! 🙂

The premiere was being held at Mann’s Chinese Theatre – the movie house where almost all Hollywood premieres are held – and the red carpet had been set up right in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard. To watch the event fans had to stand on the opposite side of the street behind some steel barriers where the view, unfortunately, was not the best. As you can see in the above photograph, several large screens were placed every few feet along the length of the red carpet for the actors to pose in front of. Much to my dismay, the screens also majorly blocked our view of all the hoopla. LOL

For some incredibly odd reason I have never watched a premiere before – I know, unbelievable, huh? – so I was extremely excited that my first red carpet event would be starring my girl Jen. 🙂 My friends and I parked ourselves just across the street from the red carpet and it wasn’t long before the celebs started arriving. 🙂 The first star we spotted was Ginnifer Goodwin (pictured above), who I absolutely LOVED in fave movie Win A Date With Tad Hamilton. The bright lights on the red carpet made it really hard for me to take photographs, though, so unfortunately the pics didn’t come out very well.

Next up was Drew Barrymore who is absolutely adorable in person. 🙂 She kept turning around to wave to the crowd and would pop her head in between the red carpet screens to smile at us. She was super, super cute in person and seemed very friendly! And it was right around that time – are you sitting down for this – that my camera died! I am not kidding! I managed to snap some pics of Drew using my camera phone, but of course they didn’t turn out very well. Let that be a lesson to me – ALWAYS have my camera charged! LOL After my camera died one of my friends said it was a sign that we should leave the premiere and head to our acting class – which we were already almost a half an hour late for. LOL While talking about the fact that we were so late for class the girl standing next to us said that she, too, was missing a class to watch the premiere. LOL So like the dutiful student that I am, I left the premiere and headed to class – WITHOUT seeing Jen! 🙁 Yes, you read that right. Now that’s dedication if I’ve ever seen it! LOL

For those of you who have never been, I HIGHLY recommend stalking a red carpet premiere. It was SO MUCH FUN! Even though we had to stand pretty far away, I still felt like we were right in the middle of everything that was happening. Besides Drew and Ginnifer, we also got to see Justin Long and Kevin Connolly. 🙂 You can see some high quality red carpet pics on this website where it looks like quite a few celebs – including Jennifer Aniston – walked across the street to sign autographs after making their way through the press line. So bummed I missed it! 🙁

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Mann’s Chinese Theatre is located at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard smack dab in the middle of Hollywood. You can visit the Mann’s Chinese website to find out about upcoming premieres being held at the famous theatre. The premiere for the new Friday the 13th movie will be taking place there next Monday, February 9th, at 7pm, with the celeb arrivals most likely starting at 6pm.

January 23, 2009June 16, 2011

The “Object of My Affection” House

The Object of My Affection is my least favorite of all the Jennifer Aniston movies. I remember watching it in college and being thoroughly disappointed. I mean, come on, it has to be one of the crappiest movies ever made. But if we’re being honest here, has she ever made a good one? LOL But when the address of Jen’s sister’s house in The Object of My Affection was listed in my new fave book Manhattan On Film: Walking Tours of Hollywood’s Fabled Front Lot, I just had to drag my boyfriend out to stalk it. Good movie or bad, Jen’s still my number one girl! 🙂

The picturesque brick townhouse showed up only once in the very beginning of The Object of My Affection, as the location where Jen’s wealthy sister and her husband, played by Allison Janney and Alan Alda, throw a lavish dinner party. It is at this party that Jen meets Paul Rudd, a gay man who will soon become her roommate and the ill suited “object of her affection”. In the movie, Paul and his boyfriend are shown exiting the townhouse and arguing in the street on their way home.

Not only was this townhouse used in The Object of My Affection, but it was also featured briefly in the Season Two episode of Sex and the City entitled “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”. In that ep, in order to take her mind off her recent break-up with Mr. Big, Miranda and the girls decide to take Carrie to a Yankees game. On the way there they pick up Samantha, who is standing outside of the townhouse with her new boyfriend, James. When I watched the episode recently I immediately recognized the building as The Object of My Affection townhouse. 🙂 I get asked quite often how I recognize this stuff and my answer is that I have no idea. LOL When it comes to filming locations, for some reason I have a photographic memory. For the life of me I can never remember where I’ve parked my car in a parking lot, but for some odd reason filming locations are forever branded on my brain. 🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The Object of My Affection house is located at 15 East 81st Street on New York’s Upper East Side.

December 24, 2008June 16, 2011

Tavern on the Green

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One of my favorite places in New York to grab a drink is a restaurant called Tavern On The Green. So, on Monday night I immediately recognized the Tavern as the location where The Hills Finale Live From NYC was held. Oh, how I wish I could have been there! 🙂 The Tavern has long been a New York institution. In 2007, over 500,000 people dined there, grossing it over $38 million in revenues. According to Wikipedia, it is the second highest grossing independently owned restaurant in the U.S., second only to Tao in Las Vegas!. But the Tavern actually had very humble beginnings. The structure now known as Tavern on the Green was first built in 1870 and served as Central Park’s Sheepfold, a shelter for the many sheep who called the park home. In 1934 New York City’s Commissioner of Parks Robert Moses renovated the building and turned it into a restaurant. Forty years later, in 1974, Warner Leroy, the son of Wizard of Oz producer Mervyn Leroy and Doris Warner (Harry Warner’s daughter), purchased the restaurant and began a $10 million renovation turning the Tavern into the ornate crystal and glass masterpiece it is today.

Tavern on the Green is no stranger to the big or small screen. Besides The Hills Finale Live From NYC (which was filmed in the Crystal Room), the Tavern has also appeared in Ghostbusters (Rick Moranis fights with the “terror dog” outside the restaurant’s Crystal Room), Rich Girls (MTV’s really, really dumb reality show about Tommy Hilfigers’s daughter and her best friend), New York Stories (where Woody Allen shares a meal with his mother), Misery (the site of James Caan’s novel release party), Hitch, Yo! MTV Raps, ElimiDATE, Only When I Laugh, Stella, Crimes and Misdemeanors, The Eddy Duchin Story, Made, Portrait of Jennie, The Out-of-Towners, and Wall Street. And I am about 99.9% positive that Carrie and Big dined in the Tavern’s lantern covered outdoor garden in the Season 2 episode of Sex and the City entitled “The Caste System” (pictured above), but I haven’t been able to confirm that yet. And according to the latest issue of People Magazine, Tavern on the Green is where my girl Jennifer Aniston ate Christmas Eve dinner every year as a child. 🙂

Tavern on the Green is a beautiful place to grab a drink or a bite to eat. Although a few tour books have labeled the restaurant tacky, I would have to disagree. The Tavern’s gaudiness and over-the-top decor are exactly what make it so appealing. Where else, but New York can you dine in a crystal ballroom complete with glass walls, hand-painted and hand-carved ceilings, brass and copper mirrors, walls decorated with 52-foot murals, and thousands upon thousands of twinkle lights? It is one of the most unique, special restaurants I have ever visited in my life. I absolutely LOVE IT! 🙂 And while the Tavern is pricey, it is worth saving your pennies to experience its rare ambience at least once in your life. I absolutely love the Tavern’s small cocktail bar (pictured above), but during the summer months nothing beats its outdoor garden, which is lit by hundreds of colored paper lanterns. It’s absolutely beautiful.

But the most magical time of year at the Tavern is Christmastime. The interior of the restaurant is covered with countless wreaths, ribbons, and candy canes. But it is actually the Tavern’s outside that is the most awe-inspiring.

Coming upon the Tavern from Central Park, it is almost like a beacon in the night. The trees in the front and the back are completely covered in twinkle lights – thousands upon thousands of them. I’ve honestly never seen so many in my life! Tavern on the Green gives Clark Griswold a run for his money! Pictures truly don’t do the light display justice – it must be seen in person to truly be appreciated.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Tavern on the Green is located at Central Park West at 67th Street. You can visit their website here. Reservations are highly recommended! The bar is first come, first served, but arrive early. It’s standing room only even on weekdays.

September 11, 2008December 6, 2013

The Sunset Tower Hotel

One of my favorite places to visit in all of LA is the Sunset Tower Hotel, located on the legendary Sunset Strip in Hollywood. The Sunset Tower Hotel was built in 1931 by architect Leland A. Bryant for owner E.M. Fleming. The Art Deco building, which originally functioned as an upscale apartment house, was the very first earthquake proof property to be built in Los Angeles. While the hotel enjoyed some glory years during the hey dey of Hollywood, in the 1980s it fell into serious disrepair and was saved from demolition when it was purchased by London’s St. James Hotel chain. Peter de Savary, owner of the St. James chain, poured $46 million into restoring the Sunset Tower and renamed it the St. James Club. Since that time, the hotel has undergone several more renovations and name changes, until 2005 when it was purchased by New Yorker Jeff Klein, who restored the hotel to its original name and former grandeur.

During the hotel’s glory years numerous celebs called the Sunset Tower home, including Howard Hughes, Ava Gardner, Truman Capote, John Wayne, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Errol Flynn, Billie Burke aka Glinda the Good Witch, Mae West, Elizabeth Taylor, Conrad Hilton, gangster Bugsy Siegel – who was eventually evicted for running a gambling center out of his room, Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Tim Curry, my fave Marilyn Monroe, and Iggy Pop, who made a habit of jumping into the hotel pool from his apartment window. Today, the Tower is still popular with celebs. The hotel’s restaurant, the Tower Bar, is a favorite of Jen Aniston, who dines there regularly. Tom Cruise, Sean Penn, Posh Spice, Brian Grazer and Barbara Walters have also all been spotted at the Tower Bar grabbing a bite to eat. According to Wikipedia, during her pink-wig-wearing days, Britney Spears tried to book some rooms at the Tower. Hotel owner Jeff Klein reportedly said to the hotel manager “If that piece of trailer trash so much as enters my driveway, you are fired! She can’t come here with all my chic guests, she’ll ruin the place!” LOL Love it! It was during that same time period that the Bel Air Hotel also reportedly refused to rent rooms to BritBrit.

The hotel’s poolside Terrace Bar, my fave place to grab a drink in all of LA, is also quite popular with the celebs. The first time I visited the Terrace, Kate Bosworth was there with her model boyfriend James Rousseau. I just had to go up to her, too, to tell her how much I loved Win A Date With Tad Hamilton. She ended up signing an autograph for me and seemed genuinely thrilled that I had such good things to say about Win A Date. Kate truly could not have been nicer and I can honestly say she was hands down the kindest out of all the celebs I have ever met. And her boyfriend was a total cutie, too!!!! 🙂 I took the above pic of her with my blackberry, but it didn’t come out very well. LOL

The legendary hotel has also been featured in countless television and movie productions, including The Player, Spinal Tap Goes to 20, Shadow Hours, Freaky Friday, Murder My Sweet, Get Shorty, Wayne’s World II , Strange Days, The Italian Job, and Rich Girls. In The O.C., the hotel stood in for Newport Beach’s Four Seasons Hotel which was owned by Ryan’s rival, Oliver, on the show. Only the exterior of the Tower Hotel was shown in The O.C. For the interior shots of the lobby and Oliver’s penthouse suite, a different hotel was used – one which I am still trying to locate.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The Sunset Tower Hotel is located at 8358 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. I highly recommend stalking the Sunset Tower – the poolside Terrace Bar is a great place to grab a drink while enjoying one of the best views in all of LA.

June 2, 2008June 16, 2011

New York Public Library

Finally saw Sex and the City: The Movie on Sunday! I literally could not sit still in my theatre seat until the movie began I was so excited!! I must say the movie was not as good as I hoped it would be. 🙁 There were parts I absolutely LOVED and times when I felt like I was visiting with my old friends Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha, and I for sure laughed and even cried. But overall I felt the movie missed its mark. It just lacked that SATC magic that was present in the TV show. Especially the ending. I think the Series Finale of the show which aired back in 2004 was a much more satisfying send off for my favorite foursome than the movie was. I need to curl up on my couch and watch the Finale on DVD again to make me feel better. 🙂

Anyway, in the movie Carrie and Big plan to get married (don’t worry I am not giving anything away here) at the New York Public Library, in the same building that “houses the world’s greatest love stories”. The New York Library is an absolutely beautiful building and I highly recommend a stalking visit there. The library was dedicated on May 23, 1911 and has been a popular New York tourist attraction ever since. The lobby of the Library is breathtaking with sweeping white marble staircases and vaulted ceilings. The second floor is covered in dark wood paneling with gorgeous paintings lining the walls and a huge mural covering the ceiling.

The New York Public Library was also featured prominently in the movie The Day After Tomorrow as the location where Jake Gyllenhal and his friends take refuge from the storm. It also showed up in the movies Spiderman, The Thomas Crown Affair, King Kong, and the Jen Aniston movie Picture Perfect, among many others. Update – my good friend Nat was highly dissapointed in me because I forgot to mention Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which filmed at the library! In the movie Holly Golightly and Paul run into the library, right past the Lions, and look up his book in the card catalog.

Out in front of the library are the famous marble Lions named Fortitude and Patience who have guarded the library entrance ever since its opening in 1911. Designed by Edward Clark Potter, the Lions are now the offical mascots for the NY Library and a book has even been written about them called Top Cats: The Life and Times of the New York Public Library Lions. I absolutely love the Lions and make it a point to visit them every time I am in New York.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The New York Public Library is located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. If you are visiting New York in the Summertime, be sure to hit up Bryant Park right behind the Library. Bryant Park is absolutely beautiful in the Spring and Summer and they have a great restaurant called the Bryant Park Grill Outdoor Cafe.

March 24, 2008June 16, 2011

Il Sole – Jen’s Favorite Restaurant

Those of you who are even half as obsessed with Ms. Aniston as I am, have most likely heard of her favorite restaurant, Il Sole. Jen is a regular at the tiny boutique Italian restaurant and has even sat down for a few magazine interviews there. But Jen is not the only one obsessing on the place – it seems everyone who’s anyone has been spotted there. Paparazzi have caught Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie, Brody Jenner, Lauren Conrad, Britney Spears, Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and countless others at the little restaurant. TMZ even went so far as to call Il Sole the “new crack” in a recent article. I’ve never eaten at Il Sole myself – I am more of a chicken strips and ranch dressing kind of girl 🙂 – but I hear it is delicious!!

My boyfriend and I were on our way to ONE Sunset, another celeb hot spot, on Friday night when we spotted Valerie Bertinelli dining with a balding mystery man at Il Sole. 🙂 ONE Sunset is the sister restaurant to New York celeb hang out ONE Manhattan and is a major celeb draw. It’s not very hard to see why – the place is incredible! I had never been there before Friday night, but let me tell you – I am for sure going back! ONE is absolutely gorgeous, with flowing silk curtains, huge vases filled with submersed pink flowers, and tabletops covered in candles. And the staff could not have been friendlier!! ONE has a very laid back vibe, even though it is located on the Sunset Strip, which is part of its charm. I absolutely loved it! Jennifer Aniston even hosted a party there last June to honor her good friend Laura Day’s new book release – so you know it has to be a cool place! 🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂 And enjoy the Hills mini-season premiere tonight! YAY!

Stalk It: Il Sole is located at the Sunset Plaza at 8730 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. ONE Sunset is located directly across the street from Il Sole, at 8751 Sunset Boulevard. You will often catch paparazzi hanging outside of Il Sole and ONE Sunset on Friday and Saturday nights waiting for the celebs to show up. Sunset Plaza is a definite celeb hot spot and you are virtually guaranteed a star sighting in its small two block radius.

January 27, 2008August 6, 2018

Rainy Day Stalking at Jennifer Aniston’s Former Beach House!

I am still reeling over the fact that I got to meet Kristin Cavallari last night! I am still pinching myself! Anyway, I digress . . .

In honor of today’s rain storm, I thought I’d blog about a rainy day stalking adventure I had a few years back – the day I found Jennifer Aniston’s Malibu beach house. Jen rented this beach house shortly after her separation from Brad Pitt. Sad to say, this location was a very hard one for me to find. I had been looking for it for quite some time, being that I am totally and completely obsessed with all things Jen, and I knew from several blogs that it was located on a stretch of beach known as Carbon Beach – but I still could not seem to locate it!

Then one VERY rainy day, US Magazine published a really good picture of Jen’s beach house and I knew that, using the picture as a resource, I would most likely find the house! So, as usual, I dragged my poor boyfriend to Malibu – in the pouring rain – to do some stalking. We spotted the house right away while we were driving along Pacific Coast Highway and then parked to get a beachfront look. Thankfully Jen’s house is fairly close to the public beach access for Carbon Beach, so we didn’t get completely drenched walking in the rain to her house.

Jen’s house was absolutely adorable!! One of the most darling houses I have ever seen! It is a fairly small, two story, brown shingled home, and it just looks so Jen! I loved it! Sadly, Jen no longer rents this house, which is owned by Oracle C.E.O. Larry Ellison. She has permanently moved to a new Hal Levitt designed home in Beverly Hills. But I’ll save that one for a future post!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Jen’s former Malibu beach house is located at 22164 Pacific Coast Highway. Just a few houses south of Jen, at 22126 Pacific Coast Highway, is the ginormous beach house of David Geffen. Don’t get too close to Geffen’s house, though, as he is not too keen on sharing his beach with the public. Remember, these houses are private residences, so don’t trespass or disturb the owners! After stalking Jen’s house, head to the Malibu Country Mart, located at the corner of Cross Creek Road and PCH, for some star studded shopping and dining. Nobu, one of Jen Aniston’s favorite restaurants, and Britney’s preferred Starbucks, are both located there.