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Downtown Christmas Shopping District from “The Brady Bunch”

Today’s Christmas-themed post comes, once again, courtesy of Michael, the fellow stalker who gifted us with the fabulous write-up about The Golden Spoon café from The Brady Bunch back in November. While visiting L.A. last week, Michael tracked down and stalked another BB locale, this one with a holiday slant. After returning home to Minnesota, he asked if I would be interested in having him write a second guest post about said locale and I very enthusiastically replied yes! (I’d also be interested in a third, a fourth and a fifth guest post, if the mood ever strikes you, Michael! ) So without further ado . . .

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Fully cognizant that this may now typecast me as the very Brady guest blogger, I’m back with another Brady Bunch location…a very merry Brady location. In the first season episode of The Brady Bunch, “The Voice of Christmas,” Cindy asks Santa Claus for a laryngitis-struck Carol to get her voice back in time to sing the solo at Christmas church services. Before the department store scenes with Santa (filmed on a soundstage at Paramount), brief establishing shots of an outdoor shopping area are shown.

After looking at the establishing shot more carefully, I noticed that the name on the building, although obscured, read “Radio Shack.” Even though the the shot was assumedly framed to emphasize the Christmas trees and Toyland sign in the windows, garland and bow on the lamp post, and children hauling a Christmas tree down the street, I knew Radio Shack was my best bet for tracking down the address.

Last week, while on vacation in Los Angeles, I stopped at the Central Library to search through their archived Western Los Angeles phone books from the 1970s. Letting my fingers do the walking, through the 1975 edition, I found less than 20 Radio Shack locations. Thinking that the establishing shot was of a pedestrian mall, the first listing that caught my eye was for the Golden Mall, in downtown Burbank. Perhaps Mike really was being accurate when he told Carol, “We’re going to go downtown and finish the shopping.”

I then started researching the Golden Mall, and came across a postcard that showed the same unique cane-shaped lampposts with glass globes as in the Brady Bunch clip. Fairly convinced I was on the right path, it was just a matter of finding out more about this shopping district. [Postcard scan courtesy of San Fernando Valley Blog]

In the 1960s and 70s, many downtown areas closed off vehicular traffic to their major shopping streets and created pedestrian malls in an effort to help compete with the growing popularity of suburban shopping centers. Burbank followed suit, and in 1967 closed off six blocks of San Fernando Road, from Magnolia Boulevard to San Jose Avenue. Then, removed of cars, the street was landscaped with grass, angular paths, modern playground equipment, benches, fountains, hexagonal planters, and public restrooms. [1973 photo courtesy of Burbankia]

By the 1980s, the mall was showing its age. There isn’t one definitive reason for the decline of the mall, but some oft-repeated theories involve business owners leery of updating the appearance of their stores only to have the city gobble up their properties as part of a City Centre Redevelopment Project, customers finding parking at the mall to be a chore, and the popularity of more modern nearby regional shopping centers siphoning shoppers away. [1985 photo courtesy of Burbankia]

In an effort to revitalize the shopping district, in October of 1989, the mall was reopened to traffic, and in 1991, Media City Center (now named Burbank Town Center) opened at Magnolia and San Fernando, abutting the former Golden Mall.

Since the Radio Shack address listed in the phone book—100 S Golden Mall—no longer exists, I tried searching for its present-day equivalent—100 S San Fernando Boulevard. Much to my surprise, I came up with a listing for Radio Shack at that address. A recent Google Street View showed a Bank of the West branch in that spot, but archived Street Views showed Radio Shack in its place as recently as 2011.

Worried that everything fell into place too easily, I contacted the good folks of the website, Burbankia. They quickly helped me confirm that the Radio Shack was indeed at that site from the 70s into recent years.

A May 1969 advertisement trumpets the grand opening of the Golden Mall Radio Shack. Seeing as this episode of The Brady Bunch aired in December of 1969, Radio Shack would have been in the midst of its first holiday season during the filming of the establishing shot. According to a recounting posted on Burbankia, this Radio Shack was located in the Gregg Building, which prior to the electronics retailer, housed a drug store.

Metal panels over the second story windows—a mid-century technique to modernize traditional brick buildings—have since been removed, ostensibly leaving the structure closer in appearance to when it was built in the early 1900s.

Although the facade has had some superficial changes over the years, I was happy to notice one similarity between my photos and the establishing shot—the placement of the bus bench along Olive Avenue.

After enjoying breakfast at nearby Frank’s, it was time to check out the former Radio Shack for myself. Although it was a Sunday morning, I’m happy to report that the restaurants lining the former Golden Mall were bustling, and Burbank Town Center was abuzz with families visiting Santa. One can only assume his wish-granting powers are as strong as in ’69.

Thanks again to Mike and Wes at Burbankia. If you’re interested in seeing more photos from the Golden Mall, or learning more about Burbank’s history, I highly recommend their website. Thanks also to the always informative San Fernando Valley Blog for sharing your photos of the mall. And, of course, a BIG thank you to Lindsay for giving me the opportunity to write another Brady-centric post. [Editor’s note – a BIG thank you to you, Michael, for the fabulous write-up! Here’s hoping for more in 2016!]

Stalk It: Bank of the West, aka the former Golden Mall Radio Shack, aka Downtown Christmas Shopping District from The Brady Bunch is located at 100 South San Fernando Boulevard in Burbank.

December 21, 2015
The Old Towne Orange Starbucks from “Surviving Christmas”

There’s nothing this stalker loves more than a filming location that serves coffee. When that filming location is a Starbucks? Well, I’m in hog heaven! So when I spotted an Old Towne Orange outpost of the java giant pop up in the 2004 holiday comedy Surviving Christmas, I immediately added it to my To-Stalk Iist – and was especially excited because it meant another visit to the adorable town. I have never been shy about my adoration of Old Towne Orange. I first visited the historic city back in October 2013 and it was pretty much love at first sight. The quaint district is situated around a manicured circular park and boasts dozens of adorable boutiques and restaurants housed inside of charmingly aged facades. Being there is like stepping back to a simpler time and it is not hard to see why countless movies and television shows have been filmed in the area. You can read a few of my previous Old Towne Orange posts here, here and here.

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In Surviving Christmas, millionaire advertising executive Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) faces the prospect of spending the holidays alone. In the hopes of avoiding that isolation, he returns to his hometown of Arlington Heights, Illinois and proceeds to pay the Valco family – Tom (James Gandolfini), Christine (Catherine O’Hara), Alicia (Christina Applegate), and Brian (Josh Zuckerman) – who now live in his childhood house, a cool $250,000 to spend Christmas with them. The Grim Cheaper and I only just watched the flick for the first time two years ago, but really enjoyed it and have since added it to our regular holiday movie rotation. I especially enjoyed the fact that although set in Illinois, much of it was lensed in L.A. Old Towne Orange was featured in the scene in which Drew takes his rented family Christmas shopping in what is supposedly downtown Arlington Heights.

Upon arriving in town, Tom parks the family station wagon in front of a Diedrich Coffee shop situated in the southwest corner of Old Towne’s Plaza Square. Now you’re probably saying, “Wait a minute, I thought this post was about a Starbucks!” Well, at the time that Surviving Christmas was filmed, a Diedrich outpost was housed in that spot (you can check out a photo of what it looked like here), but in late 2006 the company sold many of its stores to Starbucks. The Old Towne Orange location was one of the casualties of that sale.

Thanks to the café’s unusual exterior, I recognized it immediately from our previous visits to Orange, despite the change in ownership.

The Old Towne Orange Starbucks is housed inside of the former Orange Daily News building, a Mediterranean-style structure that was originally built around 1920. There’s actually another unique Starbucks located right across the street that is also a filming location, but I’ll save that information for a future post.

Surviving Christmas utilized the entire southwest corner of Plaza Square.

The area was dressed considerably for the shoot with manufactured snow, prop awnings and embellished façades, and therefore looks a bit different in real life than it did onscreen.

Later in the scene, Drew spots Alicia and Brian walking across the street from him and he enthusiastically rushes through traffic to greet them.

That sequence was shot just a bit north of Starbucks, in front of Laurenly Boutique, which is located at 142 North Glassell Street. Though Laurenly is one of my favorite shops in the area (I purchased an adorable thumb ring there that I wear virtually everyday), I do not have any photographs of it, so you’ll have to make due with Google Street View images for comparison.

The Old Towne Orange Diedrich Coffee also masked as Village Java in the pilot episode of Ghost Whisperer.

The real life interior of the café was also featured in the episode.

You can read a really interesting article about the filming of Surviving Christmas here written by a man who lived in the Chicago, Illinois neighborhood where the Valco house scenes were shot. He does not paint a very good picture of Ben Affleck, saying “By almost every account, he was arrogant and scornful of his adoring fans.” I was surprised by the description. I’ve met Affleck twice, once around the time that Surviving Christmas was filmed, and found him to be exceptionally affable and courteous on both occasions. (He does not look particularly happy in the below photo, but I assure you, he was friendly and kind and happily posed for pictures with all of the fans who happened to be nearby.) If the stuff about the nanny is true, then the guy is obviously a cad in his personal life, but as far as his interactions with fans go, I’ve never heard of him being anything other than vastly accommodating. (Pinky Lovejoy, of the Thinking Pink blog, has like ten photos with Ben – no joke! – and only has good things to say about him.) While researching this post, I also came across a link to a book written by Affleck’s Surviving Christmas stand-in, John Wight. The author doesn’t seem to be a very positive person (he calls Orange “a suburban shithole of a small town”) and the tome paints a very sad picture of the behind-the-scenes goings-on (apparently, the director of photography was a nightmare to work with), but I am dying to read it nonetheless, especially since the movie’s locations are talked about throughout.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: The Surviving Christmas shopping scene was shot in the southwest corner of Plaza Square in Old Towne Orange. Tom parks in front of the Starbucks located at 44 Plaza Square in the scene. Drew later spots Alicia and Brian while standing in front of Laurenly Boutique, located at 142 North Glassell Street.

December 18, 2015
New “L.A.” Mag Post – About The Federal Bar Long Beach from “Four Christmases”

Don’t forget to read my latest Los Angeles magazine post today – about The Federal Bar Long Beach from Four Christmases. My articles typically get published in the early afternoon hours.

December 17, 2015
Tracey Ross from “Beverly Hills, 90210”

‘Tis finally the season – the season for holiday-themed filming locations! As is the case every year, because Christmas locales in the L.A. area are rather limited, I waited to start blogging about them until the end of December. And I should mention here that my postings over the next two or three weeks will be fairly limited, as well, due to some holiday events and trips that I have planned, including a shopping visit to L.A. (I can’t wait! There’s no shopping like L.A. shopping!) Anyway, today’s locale comes from my favorite television show ever, Beverly Hills, 90210. While scanning through the Season 2 episode titled “A Walsh Family Christmas” prior to writing my post on Lake View Medical Center in October, I spotted an establishing shot of the store where Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty) briefly worked and got a bit distracted. I had not remembered an exterior of the shop ever being shown on the series and became very excited about the possibility of tracking it down, which I eventually did. As it turns out, though, Geoff, of 90210Locations, had already found the place and listed the address on his site, which would have saved me quite a bit of time had I known. #blondemoment

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In “A Walsh Family Christmas,” Brenda lands a sales job at a local Beverly Hills boutique a few days before Christmas. The exterior of the boutique was shown several times in the episode and I was thrilled to see that both a store name, Tracey Ross, as well as a 105 address number were visible.

So I got to Googling and discovered that, while Tracey Ross is no longer currently in existence, there did indeed used to be a boutique by that name located at 105 South Robertson Boulevard in Beverly Grove. Today, that location houses an outpost of Lululemon.

At the time that “A Walsh Family Christmas” was filmed, the building that housed Tracey Ross looked considerably different due to the fact that the bottom level was split up into five different spaces, as you can see in the Google Street View imagery below from August 2007.

Tracey Ross was located in the northern portion of the building, two storefronts south of Alden Drive.

At some point in 2008, Rock & Republic opened an outpost on the premises and combined the building’s two northern units (including the one formerly occupied by Tracey Ross) into one big space. Though R&R has since moved out, that storefront has remained one unit ever since.

Thankfully, some recognizable elements remain despite the many changes that have taken place since 90210 was filmed. As you can see below, the Robertson storefront is still recessed, much like it was when it was featured in “A Walsh Family Christmas.” And the black-tiled facade of the suite next door is still a direct match to what appeared onscreen.

A close-up view of the storefront next door is pictured below.

Tracey Ross’ actual interior was also used in “A Walsh Family Christmas.”

In the episode, Brenda’s boss, Deirdre (Rebecca Staab), kicks a homeless man dressed as Santa Claus out of the store on Christmas Eve. When Brenda leaves the shop later that night, she sees some police officers harassing Santa and, in classic Walsh style, winds up rescuing him and bringing him home to her house for Christmas Eve dinner. Ironically, the shop visible across the street in the scene is Les Habitudes, the very same shop that designed the wedding dress that Tori Spelling wore in Beverly Hills, 90210’s final episode, “Ode to Joy.” The only reason I know that random factoid is that I worked as an extra in the episode and overheard Tori discussing the gown with a crew member.

Because the name Les Habitudes is so unusual, it stuck with me. When I happened to pass by the shop a couple of weeks later while walking on Robertson Boulevard, I recognized the moniker immediately. The boutique has since moved a few blocks south, but whenever I pass by the stone-covered building where I originally spotted it (which is currently vacant), I am immediately flooded with warm memories of being on the set of 90210.

Tracey Ross also appeared in the next episode of Beverly Hills, 90210, titled “Fire and Ice” (which is one of my favorite episodes of the series ever).

As if kicking Santa Claus out of the store on Christmas Eve wasn’t bad enough, in “Fire and Ice,” Deirdre steals a large commission from Brenda. But instead of immediately quitting, Cindy Walsh (Carol Potter) helps her get even.

Dressed as a wealthy Beverly Hills socialite, Cindy heads to Tracey Ross and proceeds to select thousands of dollars worth of items to purchase. When she receives receiving a parking ticket in the middle of her shopping expenditure, Deirdre offers to pay it for her, at which point Cindy announces that she doesn’t actually want any of the items, nor does she care for Deirdre’s attitude, but that she appreciates the ticket being taken care of. She then turns on her heel and stomps out of the store. Ah, snap!

The actual Tracey Ross has a much better reputation than Deirdre. Raised in Long Beach, the fashionista worked at several upscale Los Angeles boutiques after dropping out of UCLA in the ‘80s. She was a natural at selling clothes and eventually began styling celebrity clients, which led to her opening her own store in 1990. It was wildly successful. In 1996, when the rent was raised at her Robertson Boulevard space, Tracey moved to a new storefront at Sunset Plaza and it was a hit, as well. During its heyday, the boutique, which even had an onsite manicurist, became the stomping ground of such stars as Robert Downey Jr., Jennifer Aniston, Britney Spears, Natasha Henstridge, Courtney Love, Bob Dylan, Melanie Griffith, Lindsay Lohan, Ellen Pompeo, Nicole Richie, Kelly Lynch, Virginia Madsen, Linda Gray, Samantha Ronson, and Kate Hudson. Sadly, the Sunset Plaza shop was shuttered in 2009 due to the poor economy. You can read two great Los Angeles Times articles about Tracey here and here.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Tracey Ross, aka the store where Brenda worked during Season 2 of Beverly Hills, 90210, was formerly located at 105 South Robertson Boulevard in Beverly Grove. Today, that space houses a Lululemon. In “A Walsh Family Christmas,” Brenda rescued Santa on the southwest corner of Alden Drive and South Robertson Boulevard. The former Les Habitudes storefront, which can be seen across the street in the scene, can be found at 101 North Robertson.

December 15, 2015
Diane’s House from “Say Anything . . . “

I have been on a major Say Anything . . . kick lately thanks to a soon-to-be published post I recently wrote for Discover Los Angeles. While doing research for the article, I became a bit fixated on tracking down an unknown location from the 1989 romcom (one that I still have yet to find, darn it!) and in the process watched countless behind-the-scenes vignettes. Thanks to those viewings, not only did I learn an interesting fact about the movie, but I also wound up finally finding the house where Diane Court (Ione Skye) lived with her dad, James Court (John Mahoney), in the flick.

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Oddly, while Diane’s home was featured several times in Say Anything . . ., a full exterior view of it was never shown – nor were any background clues that could help aid in locating it. No street signs, no address numbers, no nothing.

But thanks to the steps leading up from the street to the front doors of the neighboring homes and the extensive amount of trees, I had a hunch that the residence was most likely located in or around the Hancock Park/Windsor Square area. Other than that small inkling, though, with this one I was at a loss. Until a couple of weeks ago, that is.

The most famous scene from Say Anything . . . is easily the iconic boom box scene in which lovelorn Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) stands outside of Diane’s window with a large boom box playing Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” held high atop his head. Oddly, the segment was not lensed near Diane’s house, or any house at all, but on a tree-lined stretch of North Hollywood Park, which I blogged about back in August 2012. I had never heard any sort of explanation for the weird location choice until watching “An Iconic Film Revisited: Say Anything . . . 20 Years Later,” a special feature included on the Say Anything . . . (20th Anniversary Edition) Blu-ray DVD. In it, director Cameron Crowe mentions that the boom box segment had actually been shot several different ways in the street in front of Diane’s house, but that none of the takes had really worked for him. Then, on the last day of filming, while shooting the movie’s other iconic scene, in which Lloyd brushes glass out of Diane’s path at a 7-Eleven, cinematographer László Kovács noticed that there was a park across the street that might be perfect for the boom box segment. With only a few minutes of daylight remaining, cast and crew rushed over to the spot that Kovács had selected and re-shot the scene. Cameron loved the way it turned out and that was the footage that made it into the final cut. So there you have it – the reasoning behind the boom box scene’s unconventional locale.

While Crowe was talking about the scene in “An Iconic Film Revisited,” some footage of the original takes were shown.

I was absolutely floored when I noticed that a “135” address number was visible on the curb in front of the house located across the street from Diane’s in the footage. So with that address number in hand, I began searching all of the 100 blocks of Hancock Park using Google Street View and, sure enough, found the place almost immediately.

In real life, the residence, which was built in 1913, features 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, 2,867 square feet of living space, 3 fire places, leaded glass windows, countless built-ins, a separate in-law unit, and 0.23 acres of land.

Though said to be located in Seattle, Washington in Say Anything . . . , in actuality the home can be found right where I thought it would be, on a tree-lined street in Windsor Square.

The residence’s front walkway is the only real portion of the exterior that made it onto the screen in Say Anything . . .

The walkway was featured in the beginning of the movie, in the scene in which Lloyd drops Diane off after attending the graduation party together.

The home’s front porch was originally intended to appear in a scene, as well, but it wound up on the cutting room floor. In the scene, which is included along with several other deleted/alternate/extended scenes on the Say Anything . . . (20th Anniversary Edition) Blu-ray DVD, Lloyd goes outside to smoke while at a dinner party at Diane’s house.

While doing research for this post, I came across a real estate listing for the home and was floored to see that the real life interior of it was also used in Say Anything . . .

Though there have been some changes (which is to be expected, being that filming took place 26 years ago), much of the abode still looks the same today as it did onscreen! As you can see below, the dining room is a direct match to what was shown in Say Anything . . .

As is the kitchen . . .

. . . living room . . .

. . . and stairs.

I absolutely love that little details, like the ceiling trim, have also remained unchanged.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Diane’s house from Say Anything . . . is located at 140 South Norton Avenue in Windsor Square.

December 11, 2015
New “L.A.” Mag Post – About the Dresden from “What Women Want”

Be sure to check out today’s Scene it Before post for Los Angeles magazine about the Dresden from What Women Want. My articles typically get published in the early afternoon hours.

December 10, 2015
Andy’s Coffee Shop from the “Cups” Music Video

There is nothing my mom likes better than a greasy spoon-type restaurant. She is a virtual expert on seeking them out – whether near our home, while on vacation somewhere, or passing through a town. So imagine my shock when I recently learned about Andy’s Coffee Shop, a small greasy spoon that has been a Pasadena staple for over 80 years! Somehow my mom had never heard of the place, despite the fact that we lived in Crown City for a decade and a half! What makes our ignorance of the roadside restaurant even more shocking is that it is a popular filming location and has been featured in several big-name productions. How neither my mom nor I knew about it is beyond me! This was a major fail on both our parts! I discovered Andy’s in mid-October thanks to a Curbed LA commenter who mentioned the eatery’s appearance in an episode of Mad Men. I immediately added it to my To-Stalk list and the Grim Cheaper and I ran right on over there for breakfast a couple of weeks later. It turned out to be quite the fortuitous stalk, too!

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Andy’s Coffee Shop was originally established in the late 1930s and does not look like it has been touched since. And I mean that in the best possible way.

The current owner, who was nice enough to chat with me and answer all of my silly questions about the various filmings that have taken place there over the years, purchased the property nine years ago.

With its fabulous retro décor, old school counter seating and vintage signage, Andy’s Coffee Shop is everything you could ever want in a roadside diner. One look around and it is not hard to see why location scouts return to the place time and time again.

The food, which is of the down-home variety, was also fabulous!

As I mentioned above, prior to stalking Andy’s, I knew that the restaurant had been featured in the Season 4 episode of Mad Men titled “Public Relations.” In the episode, the eatery was where Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) and Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) met up with two actresses they had hired to fight over a Sugarberry Ham in a public relations stunt.

An ornamented prop screen was brought in to separate the dining area from the entry for the shoot. In real life, Andy’s dining area consists of one open room.

Some memorabilia and photographs from the filming are proudly displayed on Andy’s walls, which I had a blast looking at.

Until dining at Andy’s, I had been unaware of the eatery’s other film credits. As soon as I walked through the bell-clad front door, though, I immediately recognized the place as a locale I had been looking for ever since writing my The Fast and the Furious post for Discover Los Angeles. While researching for that post, I had fruitlessly tried to track down the coffee shop where Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) took Mia (Jordana Brewster) in the series’ fourth installment, 2009’s Fast & Furious. When I stepped into Andy’s and saw the large front windows, wood-paneled walls and red booths, I realized it was the exact spot I had been hunting for. I so love it when that happens!

I asked the owner to confirm my hunch and she informed me that I was indeed correct and then pointed me in the direction of a photo taken of the shoot displayed on the restaurant’s wall.

Though the layout of the booths has since changed, Andy’s still looks much the same as it did onscreen.

Amazingly, Andy’s was even recognizable to the GC! After we placed our order, he turned to me and said, “I think this is where Anna Kendrick’s ‘Cups’ music video was filmed!” While I love the song, I had never seen the “Cups” video. Anna Kendrick is the GC’s celebrity crush, though, so he is pretty well-versed on all things concerning the actress. I immediately grabbed my iPhone to see if he was right and, sure enough, we were sitting in the exact spot where the video had been lensed! Well done, GC!

“Cups” made extensive use of Andy’s Coffee Shop. At the beginning of the video, Anna is shown baking biscuits in the restaurant’s kitchen.

The kitchen is actually much smaller in person than it appeared to be onscreen.

While I was back there, I just had to pose for a photo.

After popping the biscuits into the oven, Anna then ventures out of the kitchen . . .

. . . and into Andy’s dining area.

The camera proceeds to follow her through the restaurant in one long take while she walks by customers who are performing the famous Cups routine.

I can only imagine how difficult the video must have been to film being that the fifty or so the actors on-hand had to perform the routine perfectly, sans any mistakes, in order to complete the single continuous shot.

You can watch the “Cups” video by clicking below.

Interestingly, the origin of the “Cups” song dates all the way back to 1931. You can read a more in-depth history of it here, but, in a nutshell, it was originally written and recorded by the Carter Family and was known as “When I’m Gone.” That original version can be heard here. (Don’t confuse it with the Carter Family’s similarly titled “Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone?”) The tune has been sampled a few times over the years, but did not find real fame until 2009, when a group named Lulu and the Lampshades re-worked the arrangement, adding in the “I’ve got my ticket for the long way ‘round” lyrics and re-naming it “You’re Gonna Miss Me.” The music video the group created for the song (below), which features acapella singing accompanied by a plastic cup routine, instantly went viral and inspired countless re-creations.

Anna Kendrick only perpetrated the trend when she performed the “Cups” routine in 2012’s Pitch Perfect (below). It proved so popular that the actress released a single of it in 2013 and the video was made soon after.

Andy’s owner also informed me that in the recently-aired Season 5 episode of Scandal titled “Yes,” the eatery played the Fayetteville, North Carolina diner where Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and Jake Ballard (Scott Foley) took murder suspect Gavin Price (Josh Brener). While there, Gavin alerts the women at a neighboring table of the presence of Olivia, who has just been outed as the president’s mistress, causing all of the customers in the restaurant to go crazy trying to take selfies with her.

Andy’s also popped up in the Season 6 episode of Veep titled “Judge” as the Birmingham, Alabama truck stop where Mike McLintock (Matt Walsh) and Amy Brookheimer (Anna Chlumsky) looked for Mike’s diary.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Andy’s Coffee Shop, from Anna Kendrick’s “Cups” music video, is located at 1234 East Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. You can visit the eatery’s official Facebook page here.

December 7, 2015
Valli Tropics from “Wicked City”

Locations, locations, locations! Aside from Ed Westwick, locations were easily the best aspect of the now cancelled ABC series Wicked City. The show took place in Los Angeles circa 1982 and the location manager did a fabulous job of securing spots evocative of that era. None was more spectacularly retro than the apartment building where Betty Beaumontaine (Erika Christensen) lived. I became obsessed with the place, and all of its pink-accented glory, while watching Wicked City’s pilot episode, but, unfortunately, had a heck of a time tracking it down.

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In the pilot, a sign with the name “Valli Tropics” was prominently shown posted outside of Betty’s apartment. Because the complex had somewhat of a tropical aesthetic, I figured the name might be legitimate and did a Google search for “Valli Tropics” and “Los Angeles.” It yielded nada, though, so I abandoned my hunch that the name was real and began searching for images of tropical-style apartments in L.A. I poured through countless photographs, but none was of the right spot. I then looked through all of my local architectural guidebooks to see if the complex was pictured, but came up empty-handed. So I abandoned the hunt for a bit.

When the third episode, titled “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” aired and Betty’s apartment was featured prominently, I decided to start the pursuit up again. I revisited my original hunch that the name might be legit and this time did a search for “Valli Tropics Apartments” and “Los Angeles,” which led me to a yelp review written by the manager of a Valli Tropics in Studio City. From there, the complex was a snap to find. I honestly cannot believe that I spent so many fruitless hours searching for the place, when the name of it was right in front of me the entire time! The blonde factor was strong with this one.

In person, Valli Tropics did not disappoint!

Every square inch of the place was just begging to be photographed.

And the vintage signing was to die for!

I was floored to see that the retro-ish sign that had been so prominently featured in Wicked City was a real life element of the building.

Surprisingly, other than the fact that it was built in 1956, I could find virtually no information online about Valli Tropics.

The complex is actually situated in an odd way, with the front entrance running diagonal to the street. One could easily drive right past it without noticing its architectural splendor.

Valli Tropics was featured repeatedly throughout the three episodes of Wicked City that made it to the airwaves. Besides the front exterior, the courtyard was also utilized on the show.

I am fairly certain that the interior of a real life Valli Tropics unit was used for the filming of the pilot . . .

. . . and that a set re-creation appeared in the other two episodes.

Oddly, while a brief shot of the exterior of Valli Tropics was shown in Wicked City’s second episode, which was titled “Running with the Devil” . . .

. . . a scene that was supposed to take place there was actually shot about five miles away, on the corner of Kittridge Street and Wilkinson Avenue in Valley Glen.

Thanks to the Litany of Schist blog, I learned that the Valli Tropics masked as the apartment of murder victim Jason Devereaux (Ben Feldman) in the Season 10 episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled “Working Stiffs.”

In the episode, Jason was said to live at 1120 Marapasa Parkway in Las Vegas, the numbering of which meshes with Valli Tropic’s real life address of 11120 Acama Street. The crew failed to remove the extra “1” from the building’s address placard, as well as from the Valli Tropics sign for the shoot, though, so the scripted address didn’t end up gibing with what appeared onscreen. Whoops!

Valli Tropic’s courtyard was also used in the filming of CSI.

As was the interior of one of the apartment units.

In the Season 11 episode of Criminal Minds titled “A Badge and a Gun,” the Behavioral Analysis Unit investigates a murder at the Valli Tropics, which is said to be in Atwater Village.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Valli Tropics, aka Betty’s apartment from Wicked City, is located at 11120 Acama Street in Studio City.

December 4, 2015
New “L.A.” Mag Post – “The Real World: Los Angeles” House

Be sure to check out today’s Scene it Before post for Los Angeles magazine about The Real World: Los Angeles house. My articles typically get published in the early afternoon hours.

December 3, 2015
Carondelet House from Maroon 5’s “Sugar” Music Video

I am a sucker for any kind of choreographed dance, especially if a wedding is involved. So when my mom sent me a link to this video of an epic seven-minute wedding dance, in which all 250 guests were included in on the action, I was all over it! In one portion of the video, a white curtain was lowered to reveal the groom, accompanied by a microphone and back-up band, lip-syncing a rather catchy song that I surmised was named “Sugar.” I had never heard the song before (I know, I know – my musical knowledge is limited at best), but immediately loved it and got to Googling so that I could download it. Turns out, the song, which is indeed titled “Sugar,” is by Maroon 5 and, when I came across the music video during my online search, I practically started drooling. In it, Adam Levine and the rest of the group crash several weddings in one evening in order to perform “Sugar” live. While watching, I happened to recognize Carondelet House, one of the wedding venues Adam crashed, which had me even more floored. I had walked by the location last October while on my way to stalk the American Cement Building and thought it was one of the prettiest facades I had ever seen. Even though I had no idea at the time what the property was or what it housed, I figured it had to have been used in a production at some point. Little did I know that I would later spot it in what has now become one of my favorite music videos of all time.

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Carondelet House was originally constructed in 1928 as a private residence.

The 7,683-square-foot site, which boasts Spanish and Italian design elements, also once served as the administration building of the prestigious Otis College of Art and Design.

In 2011, Alan Dunn, owner of the Tres L.A. catering company, toured the property and, figuring it would make a beautiful event space, purchased it and transformed it into Carondelet House.

The site features two courtyards, brick detailing throughout, a fireplace, hand-painted vaulted ceilings, exposed beams and ductwork, and hardwood flooring. You can check out some interior photographs of it here. It is easily one of the prettiest properties I have ever laid eyes on, both inside and out.

Its picturesque brick façade stands out from all of the other buildings on the street.

Though Carondelet House has hosted everything from fashion shows to celebrity events, it is most often used as a wedding venue – which made it the perfect spot to film “Sugar.”

A wedding was actually taking place when we showed up to stalk it. I love the below image of guests arriving at the nuptials.

In the “Sugar” music video, which was shot on December 6th, 2014, Adam and his bandmates crash several weddings at a string of venues around L.A., surprising guests with a spontaneous performance. The video opens with Maroon 5 leaving the Carondelet House and hopping into Adam’s convertible to drive to the first venue.

One of the weddings that was crashed also took place at Carondelet House, so the property’s interior was featured in the video, as well.

I am not typically cynical by nature, but I was a little skeptical about Maroon 5’s performances being a surprise. So much goes into a film shoot, like securing a permit, paying location fees, shutting down traffic, hiring police officers, etc., etc., etc., that I just found it very hard to believe that the production was done on the sly, without the knowledge of anyone associated with the various weddings. But it pretty much was! While researching the video, I came across a blog post about the December 4th wedding of Ryan and Melanie, which took place at the Carondelet House. As it turns out, Maroon 5 coordinated with each venue prior to the shoot and, in this particular case, Ryan knew about the performance ahead of time, though no one else did – not the bride, not the wedding planner, not the photographer, not the videographer, not the guests. So outside of the groom, the performance was a complete surprise to all involved! Such a cool idea for a video! And can we just take a moment to talk about how beautiful Ryan and Melanie’s wedding was? Love the wine bottle “guest book.” Love the rustic place settings. LOVE the guest seating “game.” And those Edison bulbs strung against the brick wall are uh-ma-zing! I would like to do that in my home! Two thumbs up on all of it!

You can watch the “Sugar” video by clicking below. It has such a feel-good vibe, not to mention that Adam Levine just seems like the coolest, most down-to-earth guy ever in it! I could watch it on repeat all day, every day.

Carondelet House portrays the Baltimore Blade newspaper offices, where Mary (Drew Barrymore) works, in the 2009 romcom He’s Just Not That Into You.

One of the property’s courtyards also appears in the ending scene in which Conor (Kevin Connolly) announces that he loves Mary.

Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel) and Winston Bishop (Lamorne Morris) unload Jess’ car in front of Carondelet House in the Season 1 episode of New Girl titled “Bells,” which aired in 2011.

It is never stated what the property is supposed to be in the episode, but I believe it is intended to mask as the exterior of Jess and the gang’s loft. The building that typically serves as the loft on the series is located about three miles to the east, but because the “Bells” episode also made use of MacArthur Park, which is less than a block away from Carondelet House, I am guessing it was more economical to shoot there on that one occasion.

Carondelet House is the site of a wedding in the Season 3 episode of You’re the Worst titled “The Inherent, Unsullied Qualitative Value of Anything,” which aired in 2016. (Thanks to Molly, from Almost Makes Perfect, for telling me about this one!)

Nick Viall took some of his girls to Carondelet House during a group date – the best group date ever, in my opinion (hello, Backstreet Boys!) – on the Season 21 episode of The Bachelor titled “Week 3,” which aired in 2017.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Carondelet House, from Maroon 5’s “Sugar” music video, is located at 627 South Carondelet Street in Westlake. You can visit the venue’s official website here.

December 2, 2015