IAMNOTASTALKER

December 11, 2007February 13, 2009

Star Stalking – East Coast Style

Well, here I am back on the West Coast – wishing I was still in New York! 🙁 I had a fabulous time in Manhattan and did a ton of stalking! I am exhausted tonight, so I will have to save my longer NYC posts for later. But I wanted to say that I did spot Claire Danes walking on Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District on Friday morning. I seriously doubt she was walking around looking for Samantha’s apartment or the bar from 13 Going On 30 like I was, but I was excited to see her just the same. She was very tall in person – well, tall by Hollywood standards – I’d say about 5’7 or 5’8 and very blond. I didn’t talk to her, but I did snap a pic on my Blackberry. 🙂 It’s kinda fuzzy, but if you zoom in you can see it’s her!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

December 5, 2007June 15, 2012

New York, New York!

Well, today I am heading to my other favorite coast – New York City – for a short vacation! Since I won’t be blogging for the rest of the week, I am leaving you with a few of my favorite NYC stalking locations! It’s actually quite possible I have found more filming locations in Manhattan than I have in LA.

On my first visit to New York three years ago, the one absolutely-I-would-not-get-on-the-plane-home-until-I-found-it stalking location was Carrie’s brownstone from Sex and the City. I ended up locating the street the home is on through an extensive Google search that took me about 4 hours – not that I was obsessed or anything!

Our first day in New York, my dad had a consultation with a heart surgeon (the entire purpose of our trip, actually) and I remember asking the doctor if we could speed the tests along as I had to get over to Greenwich Village to find Carrie’s house! 🙂 Once his tests were finally over, I headed to Perry Street in the Village and walked up the short, absolutely adorable, street, until I found the house. I recognized #66 immediately from its ornate front doors.

Just a few blocks away is Sarah Jessica Parker’s house, which I did not locate until the following year. This location was a lucky find! I had happened upon John’s Star Maps: New York Cityon Amazon.com one day and immediately ordered two copies, hoping it would be a good stalking resource. I was completely floored to find SJP’s address listed as 57 Charles Street. (That is my best friend and I in the picture.)

Just a few blocks away from both locations is Magnolia Bakery, which was used in an early episode of SATC. You may remember Carrie and Miranda sitting on a bench out front eating cupcakes. Well, in real life, there is no bench – but there are cupcakes! The BEST cupcakes in the entire world, actually! When the gourmet cupcake craze hit LA early this year, I sampled each and every bakery in the hopes that one would be as good as Magnolia. How sad was I that none even came close! So, unfortunately, I can only get my fix once a year when I visit NYC. And let me tell you – absence does make the heart grow fonder!

Anyway, I am off to NYC! Maybe I will happen upon SATC: The Movie being filmed!!!!!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Carrie’s brownstone is located at 66 Perry Street in the West Village, just off Bleeker. Perry Street is one of my favorite streets in all of New York – it is the quintessential New York Street – probably why they used it for SATC. SJP’s brownstone can be found just one block south at 57 Charles Street. Remember these are private homes – do not trespass or disturb the residents! Magnolia Bakery is located just a few short blocks away at 401 Bleeker Street – don’t be deterred by the long line, it moves fast. John’s Star Maps: New York City can be purchased at www.johnsstarmaps.com – I highly recommend buying one if you are planning a trip to NYC.

December 5, 2007February 13, 2009

Miami-Dade-Hawthorne-California Police Department

My favorite CSI is CSI: Miami and I was absolutely obsessed with finding the location used as the Miami-Dade police department. One of my good friends had an audition for CSI: Miami and, knowing what a stalker I am, he took me with him to the CSI:Miami studio in Redondo Beach so that I could scout locations. I was hoping the building was located somewhere inside the studio gates, but alas, I was wrong.

I ended up finding the location on the website www.seeing-stars.com, while stalking filming sites from another show – The O.C – where the same site was used as The Newport Group building.

Miami-Dade PD is located in Hawthorne, California and is actually the headquarters for the F.A.A. Federal Credit Union. I highly recommend visiting this unusual building – even if you are not a fan of The O.C. or CSI: Miami – it is an amazing sight to behold. The curvature of the exterior walls almost gives you the feeling of vertigo.

Me doing my best Horatio Caine imitation!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Miami-Dade Police Department is located at 14600 Aviation Blvd. in Hawthorne, California, pretty close to LAX and just off the 405 Freeway. Drive slowly down Aviation Blvd. as the building is set far back from the road and you might drive right by it without seeing it. Peek inside and you’ll see that the CSI: Miami sets were modeled after the real interior. I would try to visit the building on a weekday – you just might see the cast and crew filming an episode! I would definitely recommend visiting www.seeing-stars.com as well – it is a great stalking site!

December 4, 2007March 20, 2009

Charmed, I’m Sure!

Just got a challenge to find the Charmed house – but that is an easy one! 🙂 The Charmed house is located on Carroll Avenue, a historic block of Victorian homes near Echo Park that is used constantly for filming. The Charmed house is the purple one located at 1329 Carroll Avenue – and the same home was also used in Sweet Dreams, Of Mice and Men, and Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo.

My favorite filming location on Carroll Avenue is located at 1345 – the haunted house from Thriller. It still looks as spooky and run down as it did back when MJ filmed there and is a great place to visit around Halloween. I always make it a part of my Haunted Hollywood tour in October. 🙂

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It should look familiar from this angle. These locations were easy to find – they were identified in my favorite Hollywood tour book – Hollywood: The Movie Lover’s Guide by Richard Alleman. I highly recommend purchasing this book before doing any Hollywood touring.

I just can’t seem to resist doing the Thriller dance!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It:Carroll Avenue is located right off the 2 Freeway. Take the Glendale Blvd. exit and make a left on Bellevue Avenue. Finally make a left on East Edgeware Road which will lead you to Carroll. I would recommend parking your car and walking the length of the street. There are some amazing homes to look at – even if they aren’t all filming locations. Be sure to notice the old time street ties where people would tie up their horses back in the day.

November 30, 2007February 13, 2009

Where You Are Almost Guaranteed A Britney Sighting!

Ever since she shimmied down a hallway in her . . . Baby One More Time video (which was filmed entirely at Venice High School, by the way) I have been obsessed with BritBrit. I can’t tell you how many times I have dressed up as Britney for Halloween! And I was even an extra in Crossroads – the Britney Spears movie! Nowadays Britney is more likely to be wearing Cheetos fingers than cute schoolgirl uniforms, but I must say I am still kinda obsessed. Which is why I dragged my boyfriend to the Malibu Country Mart Starbucks – where Britters gets her daily fix – in hopes of a Britney sighting!

We didn’t end up seeing BritBrit at the Country Mart, but I did get to talk to several baristas about the pop star. They said it is absolutely insane when Miss Britney comes in to order her daily frappaccino. They said the paparazzi just cram all the windows and doors shooting shot after shot of Brit. One even came inside once and got behind the espresso machine to snap a picture!

This location was easy to find – I’ve been to Malibu many times and recognized the Starbucks from the paparazzi photos.

Even though we didn’t see Brit – a trip to Starbucks is never a waste! I had my favorite iced latte and got some good gossip. If you are in the area, be sure to pop in for your daily coffee – you might just see Britney running over a photog’s foot!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: The Malibu Country Mart is located on the Pacific Coast Highway near Cross Creek Road. It is a great place to grab a bit to eat and do some star stalking at the same time. Many celebs hang out here during the day – Adam Sandler eats breakfast at the Malibu Country Market (which was used in the movie Paparazzi), Jessica Alba shops at Planet Blue, and Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox dine at Nobu. Starbucks is located right at the entrance to the Mart. You can visit the Country Mart’s website at www.malibucountrymart.com.

November 30, 2007February 13, 2009

More 13 Going On 30!

I was pretty obsessed with finding Jennifer Garner’s apartment from 13 Going On 30 for quite some time and I finally found it earlier this year in New York! It required A LOT of pausing and rewinding my DVD of the movie, but it turns out the apartment is right where the awning of the building said it was – 51 Fifth Avenue. Most productions put fake signs or address numbers up during the filming, but in the case of 13 Going On 30, not a whole lot was changed. Even the two potted trees flanking the front doors of the apartment building were there in real life. The apartment building is HUGE and really beautiful. When I looked up at the higher floors, I could definitely picture the “Naked Guy” yelling “Sweetbottom” out of the window. And I was really hoping a car pulled up to the sidewalk so I could have a tizzy and yell “I don’t get in the car with strangers!”

And yes, I did go inside the building! The hallway and entryway were the same ones used in the movie where Jenna asks Becky if she can tell that she is wearing underwear.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Jenna’s apartment building is located near the Flatiron District of Manhattan, at 51 Fifth Avenue. I would recommend getting off the subway near the Flatiron Building – which is a site to see unto itself. The Flatiron is located at 175 Fifth Avenue and it was actually used as Jack Nicholson’s agent’s office in As Good As It Gets. Walk south from the Flatiron Building along Fifth Avenue until you see #51. The Flatiron District is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Mahattan and there are tons of cool shops and restaurants along the way that you might just want to pop into!

November 27, 2007September 17, 2015

The “13 Going On 30” Houses

If someone asked me what movie most closely resembles my life, I would have to say 13 Going On 30. I am definitely a child of the 80s, I still dress like a 13 year old most of the time, and I’ve been known to do the Thriller Dance at a few parties, so it’s only natural that I would be slightly obsessed with the movie 13 Going On 30. While most of the filming locations for the movie are located in Manhattan, a few of them can be found right here in LA.

If you are as obsessed with 13 Going On 30 as I am, you’ll remember the scene in the movie when adult Jenna first shows up at Matt’s apartment and says “I don’t know if you’re him, but if you lived on Spruce Street and your favorite shirt is the grey velour one . . .” Well, Jenna and Matt’s houses really can be found on Spruce Street – only they are in South Pasadena, not New Jersey. Jenna’s house has been painted and looks a bit different, but you will recognize them immediately when you see them.

This location was extremely easy to find. I just happened to be getting my nails done one day in South Pasadena and the woman next to me was talking about how her home had been used in a Jennifer Garner movie. I almost flipped out when I heard it was 13 Going On 30 and I begged her to tell me all of the scoop about the filming. She told me that the producers also used the inside of her home – and they even used her real bed and bedding in the scene where Jenna crawls into bed with her parents. She was even nice enough to tell me where her house was and I went to find it just as soon as my nails were dry!

Another 13 Going On 30 location is located just a few blocks away at the intersection of Mission and Meridian at the train tracks. This is the spot where adult Jenna jumps out of Chris Grandy’s taxi cab and rushes to stop Matt’s wedding. This location was easy to figure out – I recognized it the first time I saw the movie.

Me hoping over the center divide like Jenna does in the movie! 🙂

If you turn directly around from this location and look behind you, you will see another filming location – Michael Meyer’s house from the original Halloween movie. The home has definitely been given a face lift and is not nearly as run down as it was back in Michael Meyer’s day, but it is still definitely recognizable.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Jenna’s and Matt’s houses are located at 1837 and 1839 Spruce Street, respectively. Spruce Street is just one street north of Huntington Drive in South Pasadena. Once you’ve stalked those houses, just drive north to Mission Street, turn left and drive to Meridian to see the intersection where Jenna ditches Chris Grandy. The Halloween house is located at 1000 Mission Street. After you’re done stalking, grab a coffee or a Fosselman’s ice cream at Buster’s Ice Cream Shop at 1006 Mission St. – all that stalking does work up an appetite!

November 21, 2007December 8, 2010

My So-Called Weekend

I know My So-Called Life has been off the air for over 8 years now, but I am still slightly obsessed with it. When one of my co-workers told me that MSCL was filmed at his high school, University High School in West LA, I set out to have a My So-Called Weekend!

University High School, aka Uni High, is located at 11800 Texas Avenue. Although the front of the high school is quite impressive, it was the back staircase that was actually used as Lincoln High in MSCL. Uni High has a pretty impressive filming history – it was also used in Seventh Heaven, Drillbit Taylor, and Lizzie McGuire – just to name a few.

As soon as I came to the bottom of Uni’s back staircase, I immediately recognized it as Angela Chase’s alma mater. You might remember the staircase from the Halloween episode, when Rayanne spent a great deal of time waiting for Angela at the flagpole located at the top of the stairs.

Now it was time to find the Chase Home. I had a hunch the house was located in South Pasadena, as the producers of MSCL were also the producers of thirtysomething – which was filmed primarily in South Pas. I knew that the address number of the MSCL house was 1110, thanks to the website www.mscl.com – which had several pictures of the real home used in the filming. So – armed with a pretty big hunch that the house would be in the same vicinity as the thirtysomething houses – my boyfriend and I drove up and down South Pasadena streets looking at every single home with a 1110 address until we located the house.

Success came pretty quickly when we found the home at 1110 Glendon Way. The home has been painted since MSCL aired and looks a lot different, but it was still exciting to be there, standing in Angela Chase’s footsteps. And I just had to take a picture mimicking that famous screen shot from the end of the pilot episode when Angela is standing in the middle of the street with her new red hair. 🙂

Stalk It: I would recommend visiting Uni High on a weekend because soccer games are held on the campus on weekends, and one is allowed to walk around without being bothered. Uni High is located at 11800 Texas Avenue in West Los Angeles. The Chase Home is located in South Pasadena at 1110 Glendon Way, just off Fair Oaks Avenue. While you are in the neighborhood, stop by the Fair Oaks Pharmacy at 1526 Misson St. for an ice cream Sundae. The Fair Oaks Pharmacy opened in 1915 and is an old time pharmacy with a real soda fountain – and it just happened to be used as a filming location in the movie Mr. Deeds.

November 21, 2007April 20, 2010

Never Never Land

Now, even though he has some issues – I do love me some MJ. So I was quite distressed to find out last weekend that MJ’s ranch, Neverland, is in a state of disarray and might be sold and torn down. I just happened to be spending a couple of days in Santa Barbara, so I figured I better go check the place out while I still had the chance. I dragged my poor boyfriend 45 miles north of SB to Santa Ynez to stalk at the famed gates of Neverland Ranch.

Even though it wasn’t the greatest stalking location and there wasn’t much to see – I was still pretty excited to be able to do the Thriller dance right on MJ’s property! 🙂

I thought for sure I’d get to see at least the very tip top of one of the roller coasters, or maybe the roof of the mansion, or at the very minimum the famous golden gates with “Neverland” written across them that the media always shows on newscasts about the pop star. Unfortunately, none of that can be seen from the street. All that is viewable to the public from Figueroa Mountain Road is a guard house and a simple wooden gate.

The guard house does look like it is straight out of Fantasyland, though – exactly like Snow White’s Castle, but with a Direct TV dish on the roof!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Neverland Ranch is located at 5225 Figueroa Mountain Road in Los Olivos, CA. It is waaaaaaaay out there in the middle of nowhere and I wouldn’t recommend driving all that way just to see a Disney-esque guard shack. I would suggest instead doing your stalking from home on this one- armed with your laptop and live local search – you get to see a lot more that way!

November 19, 2007February 13, 2009

Finding the Shark House!

Well, it may have taken me months, but I finally found the property used as James Woods’ home on the CBS legal drama Shark. Ever since watching the Sharkpilot episode I have been slightly obsessed with Sebastian Stark’s modern style wood and glass abode. In recent months, though, the house had become the bane of my existence – the one filming location I just simply could not find!! I Googled the terms “Shark filming locations” more times that I care to admit, I check and rechecked the Shark IMDB web page, and I even attempted to contact the creator of the “Shark Fan” website – all to no avail!

Usually when searching for filming locations, I can find clues somewhere in the background of a movie or a TV show by spotting a distant street sign or a neighboring house’s address. But freeze-framing my TiVo’d episodes of Shark proved to be no help whatsoever. Listening to the director’s commentary on a DVD can also provide some clues as to a location. But since the first season of Shark had yet to be released on DVD , for this particular endeavor I was on my own. But, like any good stalker, I refused to give up!

My persistence paid off, as one day a light bulb went off in my head! My boss’ house is registered with one of the biggest filming location companies in Southern California. It suddenly dawned on me that the Sharkhouse might just be registered with the same company. After scouring their web-site’s “Modern Properties” section, I found the house! At that point, I simply called my contact at the location company and voila! – he gave me the address – 2315 Live Oaks Meadow Road in the hills of Malibu, California!

The very next day I set out to find the house in person – and how excited I was to find out once I got there that the home was for sale! It is pretty small in person, as far as Malibu homes go, but extremely quiet and private and even more spectacular in person. There are only four other homes on the entire street. My boyfriend snapped some pics of the house as I walked up the driveway to snag a real estate flyer about the property and then we were on our way, this particular stalking adventure a success!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: The Shark House is located at 2315 Live Oaks Meadow Rd. Take the Pacific Coast Highway to Las Flores Canyon Road and head up toward the mountains for approximately 2.5 miles. Make a left on Live Oaks Meadow Road. The house is three houses down on the right hand side. If you have an extra $2.4 million to burn, you might even be able to call the Shark house your own! And yes, of course, I did try to schedule a viewing of the house to see the interior in person, but the brokerage company wanted me to fill out way too much paperwork, so, as obsessive as I can sometimes be, I this one go. You can see the interior of the home at www.liveoakmeadow.com.