X

Get FREE Email Updates

Sign Up

Dave's Travel Corner

Seeing the World One Step at a Time

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Guides
  • Journals
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Links
  • Interviews
  • About

journals

Visitor submitted travel journals. Submission guidelines


On Location with Iconic Californian Movies

December 8, 2008 by HostelBookersLeave a Comment

la-foodHead to the Golden State and stand on the corner with Douglas, have a drink with Crowe and go to jail with Spacey.

One of the great motivators of sightseeing in America is finding a little street downtown or a log cabin upstate where a great movie was once filmed. Having your picture taken at a setting that once lent itself to an iconic movie scene is something that you can keep forever!

Here’s a look at some of the locations from popular movies shot in California which are still accessible to travelers today and make for some great places to visit from your USA hostels.

Los Angeles

L.A. Confidential:
This gripping 1997 crime thriller directed by Curtis Hanson was shot almost entirely in real locations dotted around the ‘City of Angels’. The police department led by James Cromwell’s Captain Dudley Smith was based within City Hall, a pyramid-peaked building located downtown on North Spring Street.

Head towards 6671 Sunset Boulevard to catch a glimpse of the revolving globe of the now defunct shopping mall, the Crossroads of the World. This fantastic location was the office of Danny DeVito’s character and has also been in a host of other films and a replica has even been built by Disney, which sits inside their studio lot.

If you are staying in one of the many Los Angeles hostels and fancy a good night out, then drop by the classy joint of Boardner’s bar on 1652 North Cherokee Avenue on Hollywood Boulevard. This classic 50’s period bar indulges in low-lighting and private booths, and was the setting for Captain Smith’s reinstatement of Russell Crowe’s character.

The Usual Suspects:
Praised for its amazing plot twist, The Usual Suspects was set in both New York and Los Angeles, but filming took place entirely on the West coast. The City Hall from L.A. Confidential makes a second appearance here, also as a police station’ this time as the supposed NYC base. Downtown on 1111 South Broadway sits an old newspaper office, the Herald Examiner Building, which was used as the San Pedro police station in which the majority of the film takes place.

The Hollywood Athletics Club located at 6525 Sunset Boulevard was the pool room setting for the mysterious meeting with Keyser Soze’s acquaintance, a building that also used to be a notorious gentleman’s club and was often frequented by Charlie Chaplin.

The most unique setting in the film is the superb Korean Bell of Friendship (located in Angels Gate Park, San Pedro), which was used for the meeting between the ‘suspects’ and Redfoot and provides an outstanding view of the harbor and the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

San Francisco

Vertigo:
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 feature starring James Stewart very cleverly uses the San Francisco streets and landmarks to allude to particular narrative strands and character traits. The Golden Gate Bridge – arguably it’s most famous sight and visible from the whole city, including many San Francisco Hostels – makes an appearance as both the setting for Stewart’s love interest’s suicidal plunge into the bay and a link to the condition of vertigo itself.

You can still see the angelic white building which hosted Carlotta’s portrait in the film, which lies between the China and Ocean beaches in the northwest district at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park.

One of the most interesting places to visit from the film would certainly be the Mision San Francisco De Asis. The building – which is supposed to house Carlotta’s grave – was constructed in 1791 and is the oldest structure in San Francisco; it also happens to be the mission of St. Francis, the namesake of the city.

Basic Instinct:
Paul Verhoeven’s thriller starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone will always be remembered for one reason alone – and it’s not the fact that it was all shot in San Francisco! This ‘Hitchcockian’ homage to the city reflects Vertigo’s use of the city’s streets to allude to the plot and character traits.

The famous powder blue apartments in which that Douglas’ character resides can still be found today on the corner of Montgomery Street and the bar that the ‘boys-in-blu’ regularly frequent is the Tosca bar located at 242 Columbus Avenue, now a popular media hangout.

Although not as famous as Steve McQueen’s car chase in Bullitt, Basic Instinct’s high-speed cat-and-mouse pursuit through the streets of San Francisco is just as tense. Taking place on the steep inclines of Telegraph Hill, it climaxes with the shrine-like Coit Tower, which is open to the public and provides a great view of the city and the bay.

Related posts:

Once Upon a Time in Mexico Los Angeles, CA – More Information Los Angeles, CA – Venues and Theatres Los Angeles, CA – Farmers Markets Lake Tahoe, CA – Restaurants

Filed Under: North America · Tagged: America, Beach, Bridges, California, China, Drinking, Film, Hollywood, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Shopping Mall

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Want an avatar to show with your comments? Get a free Gravatar

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Dave's Wines Logo

The Official Wine Club of
the Napa Wine Project!

Your personal membership to the
finest Napa Valley artisan wineries.
Learn More
Follow @DaveDTC

Get FREE Email Updates ▶

Categories

Journals — Home

  • Africa
  • Antarctica
  • Asia
  • Australia
  • Caribbean
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • North America
  • South America
  • South Pacific
  • Other

Latest Posts

  • Albay: A Splendid Volcano Province
  • A Spring Getaway Awaits in Armenia: The New Hotspo…
  • From Coast to Coast: Your Guide to Car Transport t…
  • Bulacan: Heritage and History
  • Pangasinan: Western Luzon’s Hidden Gem

Explore

  • Above the Clouds
  • Guides
  • Highlight of the Month
  • Interviews
  • Journals
  • Press Releases
  • Videos

Prepare

  • Book Reviews
  • Pack List
  • Quiz: Geography
  • Quiz: Travel
  • Tour Booking
  • Travel Insurance
  • Travel Products

Share

  • Contribute
  • Forums
  • Links
  • Photos

About

  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Contributors
  • Email Dave
  • Media Coverage
  • Media Kit
Hi I'm Dave. After a life changing trip in 1996, I began this site as a creative outlet to educate, inspire and share travel experiences. Read more...
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Return to top of page
Copyright © 1996–2025 Dave's Travel Corner · All Rights Reserved · Log in

7ads6x98y