television – Page 25 – IAMNOTASTALKER

January 9, 2009February 13, 2009

Park Avenue Princess

Today I thought I’d write yet another post about yet another Sex and the City: The Movie filming location – Charlotte York’s Upper East Side apartment. 🙂 From the beginning Charlotte York was Sex and the City’s reigning Park Avenue Princess – a role I’d like to see myself in someday 🙂 – and, in real life, her apartment really was located on New York’s prestigious Park Avenue. Well, the exterior of it anyway. All of the interiors of Charlotte’s apartment existed only on a soundstage at New York City’s Silvercup Studios. I found the location of Charlotte’s pad, once again, thanks to my go-to SATC locations guide.

This apartment originally belonged to Charlotte’s first husband, Trey. The two moved into it after they got married in the third season of Sex and the City. After their divorce in Season Four, a fight for the apartment ensued and Charlotte ended up winning it thanks to her divorce lawyer – and future husband – Harry Goldenblatt. Charlotte’s building was built in 1916 by New York City architecture firm Schwartz & Gross. The 13-story building is situated in the elusive Carnegie Hill area of New York and houses only 24 apartments.

The scene from Sex And The City: The Movie that took place at this location was quite memorable as it was the first time in the film that we saw Carrie in her wedding attire – complete with a blue bird on her head. LOL On the morning of her would-be nuptials, Carrie and the girls head out of this building and into a waiting limousine. Carrie’s huge Cinderella dress has to be carefully pushed into the limo, causing her wedding planner Anthony to lament, “It’s like pushing a cream puff through a key hole.” LOL

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Charlotte and Harry’s apartment is located at 930 Park Avenue on New York’s stylish Upper East Side.

January 5, 2009February 13, 2009

Samantha’s Meatpacking Digs!

Yet another New York location that Mike, God of Stalking, found for me is the new apartment Samantha moves into early in the third season of Sex and the City. This same apartment was featured throughout the end of the series’ six season run. And I absolutely could not figure out its exact location. According to IMDB, the apartment was located on Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District, but after extensive searching on Google street maps, I soon realized that that information was not correct. So, as usual, I enlisted Mike’s help in finding the apartment and, sure enough, he located it in a snap! 🙂

I sent Mike the above screen captures from the Season 3 episode of SATC entitled “Cock-A-Doodle-Do”, which featured Samantha’s apartment quite prominently. He immediately recognized the overhang located at the end of Samantha’s street (pictured in the second screen capture above). It seems Mike had stalked that very overhang earlier this year, after it was featured in the Will Smith movie I Am Legend. Eureka!

So, while in New York a few weeks ago, I dragged my boyfriend right out to stalk Samantha’s Meatpacking digs. Sadly, though, her apartment building looks very different today than it appeared back in 2000 when SATC filmed there. In the early 1900’s, the Meatpacking District was solely an industrial neighborhood, housing over 250 of New York’s slaughterhouses and warehouses. In the 80s, prostitutes and drug dealers moved in, turning MePa, as it is sometimes called, into a seedy and run down part of town. But during the past ten years or so, the entire Meatpacking District has undergone a huge transformation, turning it into one of the most trendy neighborhoods in New York. During this transformation, many of the old slaughterhouses and buildings, including Samantha’s, were given complete face lifts and no longer look as they did a decade ago.

You can see in the above photographs how very different the loading dock area in front of Samantha’s apartment now looks. While it is still, for the most part, recognizable as Samantha’s apartment, the entire bottom floor of the building was recently given a complete makeover and is now home to a trendy restaurant named Spice Market.

And when I saw the building in person, I realized that Samantha’s apartment building on SATC was actually made up of two different exteriors that are located right next door to each other. The front door Samantha is shown exiting and entering on the series (pictured above) actually belongs to the building located directly next door to the building used as hers on the series.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Samantha’s front door is located just to the right of the entrance to Fusion Physical Therapy & Sports, located at 407 W. 13th Street. Her apartment building is actually the building next door, located at 403 West 13th Street in New York’s Meatpacking District.

December 30, 2008February 13, 2009

Mr. Big’s Church

One New York location that I have long been wanting to stalk is the church featured in the Season One episode of Sex and the City entitled “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”. In the episode Carrie, while doing some research on religion for her weekly column, stumbles upon Big and his mother coming out of a church one Sunday morning. As usual, Carrie gets a bit carried away and returns to that same church the following Sunday, in full church regalia, to spy on Big and his mom. At the end of the episode, after Mr. Big introduces Carrie to his mother as “my friend”, the two wind up breaking up – for the first of what is to be many times.

This location was fairly easy to find as in the episode Carrie refers to the church as “Park Avenue Presbyterian”. While not the actual name of the church, when I googled “Park Avenue Presbyterian”, the address of a Presbyterian church located on Park Avenue popped up and, sure enough, it was the one used in the episode. In real life it is named Central Presbyterian Church and it is currently undergoing renovations, so I was not able to get the best photographs of it. But you can see in the above screen captures that the exterior doors look just as they did on SATC.

Filming for the “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” episode took place both inside and outside of the church. And while I did venture inside for a quick peek at the interior, I didn’t take any photographs as I have to admit I would have felt just slightly uncomfortable taking pictures inside of a church for the sole reason that a show by the name of “Sex and the City” was filmed there. I would have just died if a priest had walked up to me and asked me what I was doing! LOL The church is very beautiful inside, though, with stained glass windows, stone archways, and a huge altar, and I am happy to report that it looks very much the same today as it did back in 1998 when the episode was filmed.

While there, I just had to take a picture across the street from the church, at the location where Carrie stands when she first spots Big and his mom. The really sad part about this photograph is that I hadn’t actually seen the “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” episode for a while, yet, for some reason, I still remembered exactly how Carrie was standing in the scene. I am beginning to think I really need to get a life! LOL Turns out, though, that while I had Carrie’s pose down pat, I actually had the wrong location!! LOL As you can see in the above screen capture, Carrie is actually standing in front of the building to the right of the one I posed in front of. LOL Although that building has since been painted white, it still has the same wrought iron window coverings with circular cut-outs.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Central Presbyterian Church is located at 593 Park Avenue on New York’s Upper East Side. You can visit their website here. In “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”, Mr. Big and his mom exit from the church’s side doors which are located on 64th Street. The brownstone where Carrie stands in the episode is located just across the street at 107 East 64th Street.

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.

December 19, 2008February 14, 2009

Via Quadronno

One of my favorite places in all of Manhattan is a teeny, tiny Upper East Side cafe named Via Quadronno. I stumbled upon the cafe three years ago, but had yet to blog about it because up until my recent New York vacation I had no idea what a major celebrity stomping ground it was. Two weeks ago, while sipping cappuccino in the cafe’s cozy dining room, I happened to ask our server if any celebs had ever frequented the restaurant. I was shocked at her response! It seems Via Quadronno has its very own celebrity fanclub, with members including Madonna, Sean Connery, Robin Williams, Steve Martin, Scarlett Johansson, ARod, Tom Hanks, Matt Dillon, and, my fave, SJP and her husband, Matthew Broderick.

But not only is Via Quadronno somewhat of a celeb hot spot, it’s also a filming location! Well, sort of. 🙂 While watching SATC reruns the other day (which is the only known cure for New York homesickness), I was bowled over when I noticed Carrie and her friend Skipper walking past Via Quadronno’s exterior in the Season One episode entitled “Models and Mortals”. At the time the episode was filmed, though, way back in 1998, the space was actually occupied by a different cafe altogether – a chocolatier named La Maison Du Chocolat. But the exterior still looks very much the same – it’s just a lot cuter now.

To be honest, I actually didn’t recognize the restaurant at first. What I recognized was the large green sign located behind Carrie in the above pic. I knew I had seen the sign in person before, but I just couldn’t place where. Thankfully my boyfriend was standing nearby and exclaimed “Hey, that’s the gold dealer that’s next door to Via Quadronno.” 🙂 Eureka! We had walked by that sign everyday on our way to have morning cappuccinos. Maybe my boyfriend’s a better stalker than I give him credit for. 🙂

I HIGHLY recommend staking Via Quadronno – it’s definitely worth the trip even if you don’t encounter any celebs during your meal. The tiny cafe (seating capacity is 40!) is absolutely ADORABLE! Their croissants are out of this world and normally I don’t even like croissants! LOL My family and I ate breakfast there every single morning while in New York and we never, ever got tired of it. It is the best!!!! In fact, it’s been voted the “Best in New York” several years in a row. No wonder celebs love it! 🙂 I’ve only ever visited Via Quadronno for breakfast, but I hear their dinners are amazing, as well. I honestly can’t say enough about this place! Go, go, go to this restaurant – for the charming atmosphere, amazing food, friendly service, and celeb clientele!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Via Quadronno is located at 25 East 73rd Street on New York’s Upper East Side. The chain also has restaurants in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Coral Gables, Florida. You can visit their website here.

December 15, 2008February 14, 2009

New York, New Look!

Last year, for my mom’s birthday, my dad, boyfriend, grandma, and I all chipped in to purchase her a haircut with Nick Arrojo, the celebrity hair stylist from TLC reality show What Not To Wear. My mom absolutely loves Nick, so her haircut was the present to end all presents. And, as my dad likes to say, we opened up a whole can of worms with that gift because now my mom expects an appointment with Nick every year during our annual New York vacation. 🙂 LOL So this year, on our first night in the Big Apple, we headed over to Arrojo Studio once again for a little extreme makeover, New York edition. 🙂

I was SUPER excited to visit Nick’s studio this year as I was dying to talk to Shear Genius star and Arrojo Studio stylist Nicole Obert. Nicole had assisted Nick during my mom’s haircut last year and we both absolutely loved her. So when she competed on Shear Genius this past season my mom and I watched religiously and were absolutely floored when she came in second runner up! Even though I seriously doubted Nicole would remember me at all from last year’s appointment, when we arrived at the studio I asked the receptionist if he would have her come out so that I could say hi. Imagine my surprise when Nicole said she knew who I was AND that she had read the blog I wrote about her while she was competing on Shear Genius !!!!! How cool is that?????

Nicole ended up assisting Nick during my mom’s haircut this year, too. (Nicole is currently an Arrojo Studio Stylist -cutting hair three days a week and assisting once a week.) We all had a blast chatting with her during my mom’s haircut . . . AND while chatting she happened to mention that she needed a hair model for her class the following morning and asked me if I wanted to do it!

IF I wanted to do it???? Get my hair cut by Nicole from Shear Genius??? LOL Of course I did!!!! At first I felt kind of bad as I couldn’t let Nicole change my hair very drastically – I have to stick pretty close to how I appear in my acting headshots. So, unfortunately, she wasn’t given a lot of freedom to experiement with my hair. But I was SUPER EXCITED to get my hair cut by her, anyway! So, bright and early the next morning, I showed up at Arrojo Studio for a little Shear Genius! And I was literally pinching myself the whole time! 🙂

Nicole was SO MUCH FUN to talk to and hang out with during my haircut. She is absolutely hilarious in person and had me cracking up the whole time. We discussed everything from styling hair to what it was like to be on reality TV to celebrity gossip. I was floored to find out that Jo De La Rosa (of The Real Housewives of Orange County and Date My Ex: Jo & Slade fame) comes to Nicole for a haircut whenever she is in New York. 🙂 So cool!

My hair turned out INCREDIBLE!!!! Even though Nicole couldn’t really change my hair very much, I feel like she gave me a completely new look! She gave me a razor cut ala Katie Holmes’ bob (the one Katie had before she got all chop happy and hacked off all of her hair). I must say that I absolutely love my new ‘do and sometimes I can’t even believe it’s me when I look in the mirror. 🙂 I literally don’t recognize myself – but in a good way. 🙂 I look so very sophisticated, so very modern, so very “New York”! Nicole took me from “soccer mom” to “city gal” with several small swipes of her razor. I cannot wait to go back next year!!! Now if only I could style it as well as she did!!! 🙂 OH and I forgot to mention the cost of my haircut. Because Nicole was cutting my hair for an Arrojo Studio class, it only cost me $20!!! Yes, you read that right – $20!

Before . . .

. . . and after.

Oh, and, of course, my mom’s hair turned out great, too! 🙂

I HIGHLY recommend stalking Nick and Nicole at Arrojo Studio. While Nick’s haircuts are pricey ($500), they are worth every penny. Last year my mom got stopped constantly by random strangers complimenting her on her hair. 🙂 A haircut with Nicole is considerably less – only $68. BUT on weekday mornings, if you volunteer to be a hair model, you can get a “shear genius” haircut for only $20!!!!! That’s less than Supercuts!!!!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Arrojo Studio is located at 180 Varick Street in New York City. You can make an appointment with either Nick or Nicole by calling (212)242-7786 or by visiting the Arrojo Studio website. You can also check out Nicole’s website here. To inquire about being a hair model, and getting a cut for only $20 by one of Arrojo’s many talented stylists, you can call the studio directly.

December 12, 2008February 13, 2009

No Trespassing and the City!

Every December, while in New York, I make a pilgrimage to Carrie’s brownstone from fave television show Sex and the City. Even though I have visited this location quite a few times over the years, I never, ever get tired of it. To me, it is the quintessential New York location. I was especially excited to stalk Carrie’s brownstone this year because I had read that the real life owners, tired of stalkers taking pictures on their famous stoop, had installed a large metal chain blocking access to their home. I was dying to see if it was true. And sure enough, it was!

My boyfriend and I were cracking up as we walked up to the house and saw the thick metal chain stretched across the entrance complete with a plastic “No Trespassing” sign. I think it is absolutely hilarious that the owners did this because, for one, the chain and sign are a complete eyesore on what is otherwise an ADORABLE townhouse. I mean, the whole thing is just so un-Carrie! The least they could have done would be to put up a cute little wrought iron gate to match the stair railing. Come on, owners! Carrie can’t live in a house with a sign like that – she’s a fashion icon for pete’s sake! And secondly, I think the big ol’ sign only draws attention to the house rather than distracting from it. LOL I just don’t understand people! I mean, if it were my townhouse I’d be standing out there all day, everyday shouting “Yes, this is Carrie’s apartment building and I live here! I am the real-life Carrie Bradshaw! Would you want to take a picture with me? And I’d be happy to sign an autograph for you, too!” It could be like a full time job! 🙂 LOL I really hope that the owners aren’t so completely bent out of shape that they are not going to allow filming to take place there for the much-rumored SATC sequel.

On an ironic side note, for the months leading up to my New York trip I had been jokingly suggesting to my boyfriend that he should propose to me on the top of Carrie’s stoop. It’s a good thing he didn’t take my advice to heart, as his plans would have been seriously thwarted if he had. LOL

Hopefully all of you SATC stalkers out there were able to snap a pic on Carrie’s stoop before the ugly “No Trespassing” chain went up. I am very thankful that I was able to! 🙂 But I couldn’t help but wonder . . .

. . . do you think this could be why such a sign went up? 🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It (but don’t trespass!): Carrie’s brownstone is located at 66 Perry Street in the West Village in New York.

December 4, 2008February 13, 2009

90210’s Baby Mama’s House

While stalking the 90210 house last week, the owner, Jack, told Mike [of MovieShotsLA – as if you didn’t already know by now :)] and me about a few Beverly Hills, 90210 filming locations that we had yet to locate. One location was the home of Brandon’s love interest from the Season 1 episode entitled “One Man and a Baby”. In the episode Brandon dates an Ivy League hopeful named Melissa whom he later finds out is also a single, teenage mother. The house used as Melissa’s in the episode just happens to be located directly across the street from the Walsh home in Altadena. While re-watching the episode last night, I was cracking up at the scene when Brandon drives up to Melissa’s house to pick her up for their date, because in reality her home is located a hop, skip and a jump away from his home on the show. LOL

According to Jack, Melissa’s house looks very different today than it did when 90210 was filmed there back in 1990. Today there is a large stucco wall surrounding the front of the home, which hides most of the property. Sadly, the front door is the area of the home that was featured most prominently on 90210 and it is no longer visible from the street. 🙁

Jack also told us that the same home’s pool area was also used in a few different 90210 episodes and I found one of those episodes yesterday. In the Season 1 episode entitled “Every Dream Has Its Price”, the pool belonged to Brenda’s shoplifting friend Tiffany. A short scene takes place there where Brenda confronts her sticky-fingered friend and gives her a lesson in good old Midwestern values.

The very same pool, diving board, and bikini clad actress from that scene were also featured each week in 90210’s opening credits. 🙂

The house was also featured in the 2008 film Finding Amanda where it was used as Matthew Broderick’s home and in the Eva Longoria flick Over Her Dead Body where the backyard was used for a wedding scene. The home is currently for sale and for a mere $2,850,000 you can own a piece of 90210 history! You can visit the home’s real estate website, which has interior pics of the house, here. Ironically, the stairwell in the home looks very similar to the stairwell from the set of the Walsh house. The real estate website also features some clips of movies featuring the home. LOVE IT!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Melissa’s house is located at 1690 Altadena Drive, right across the street from the Walsh house.

December 2, 2008February 15, 2009

The Family House

My good friend and fellow stalker Kerry is a huge fan of the 1976 television show Family and I just found out that while she has stalked the home used in the series several times, she doesn’t have any photographs of it. So I just had to go out and stalk the house for her this past weekend. Kerry, this one’s for you! 🙂

Sadly, I have never seen an episode of Family, so when I set out to stalk the house this weekend, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I was floored to see that in person the house is absolutely adorable and very picturesque. It’s not very hard to see why producers chose to use this home for a television series about a typical American family, as it looks like a house everyone would want to live in. In fact, the entire street is so cute that it looks like it belongs on a postcard or in a movie. The street is pretty much the real life equivalent of Wisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives. Many homes on the Family street have actually been used in various televison and movie productions, but I’ll blog about those later. 🙂

When I got home from stalking the Family house, I found the opening credits of the show on YouTube and was extremely excited to see that the house looks pretty much the same today as it did back in 1976. You can watch the opening credits of the show, in which the house is featured prominently, here.

In an ironic side note, one of my fave stalking books states that the home used in Family is the very same home used as the Walsh’s house in Beverly Hills, 90210. I really had to laugh when I saw that, as aside from the arched front doorways, the two homes could really not look more different. LOL

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The Family house is located at 1230 Milan Avenue in South Pasadena.

December 1, 2008February 13, 2009

The Real Clark W. Griswold House?

I absolutely love Christmastime! Halloween may be my favorite holiday, but the weeks leading up to Christmas are definitely my favorite time of year. Each November I start looking forward to the red and green decorations lining city streets, the twinkle lights adorning houses and store windows, Starbucks eggnog lattes, carolers, the general goodwill in the air, and even all the hustle and bustle. I just love it! But my absolute favorite thing to do during the Christmas Season is to drive around looking at the many homes decorated with multi-colored lights. The very best, and most famous, decorated home in all of Los Angeles also just happens to be a filming location! 🙂 So, of course, I had to blog about it!

No family does Christmas decorations better than the Balian Family. The Balians are the owners of the Los Angeles based Balian Ice Cream Company and they live in a big, pink mansion in Altadena. Their 21 room home was built in 1922 and is commonly known around the L.A. area as “The Balian Mansion”. The Balians have been decorating their home for Christmas since 1955 and, let me tell you, it is truly a sight to behold! I honestly think it must have been the real life inspiration for Clark Griswold’s Christmas light display in the movie Christmas Vacation. While standing in front of the house, you can almost see the City of Altadena’s main power meter spinning out of control just like in the movie. LOL

Never in my life have I seen a home as decorated for Christmas as the Balian Mansion is each year. Every last inch of the 5,459 square foot house and its surrounding 3.5 acre lot seems to be completely covered in Christmas lights and Christmas decorations, including a life size nativity scene, painted signs and lighted plastic statues. A few entrepreneurial souls even stand out front selling t-shirts and glow sticks out of their cars. Visiting the Balian Mansion at Christmastime is definitely an event! People come from miles around to behold the site in person and the streets around the mansion get extremely backed up with cars during the weeks leading up to Christmas. This year it’ll propbably be even more crowded than normal, being that the mansion just got a shout out on AOL’s list of Top 12 Festive Holiday Homes.

Although the mansion’s main claim to fame is its yearly Christmas light display, the home also made an appearance in an early episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. The house shows up in the first season episode entitled “The First Time” in which Brandon’s girlfriend from Minnesota comes to visit. In the episode, Brandon and Brenda pass by the Balian Mansion while driving home from school (pictured above). At the time the mansion was painted brown, but today it is a bright pink color. When I re-watched that episode recently, I almost fell out of my chair upon seeing the mansion, which I immediately recognized from my many pilgrimages there each December.

The Balian Mansion is an L.A. Christmas tradition and I HIGHLY recommend stalking it! If you are in the area during Christmas, you must, must, must drive by! The lights are typically put up the first week in December and stay lit through the first week of January. When I drove by the house yesterday it looked as if the lights were still being set up and I made my boyfriend take a pic of the many powerlines needed to light the house (shown above). LOL I can only imagine what their power outlets look like!!!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The Balian Mansion is located at 1960 Mendocino Lane in Altadena. If you are in the area, be sure to also make a stop at Christmas Tree Lane, which is located on Santa Rosa Avenue, just off Woodbury. Christmas Tree Lane is a mile long stretch of huge cedar trees decorated with hundreds upon thousands of multi-colored lights. It is absolutely magical. Christmas Tree Lane, although not a movie location, is definitely a must see!