All In The Family (1971-1979)

All In The Family is hailed by many as the one of the best sitcoms of all time.  The series ventured into unchartered territory with the Archie Bunker, America's lovable bigot, and his family tackling issues such as racism, rape and abortion.  The series also has the distinction of having the most spin-offs: Maude, which later spun-off Good Times, The Jeffersons (1975-1985), which spun-off Checking In, and finally, Gloria.  All In The Family later continued as Archie Bunker's Place.  All In The Family was the first of only three sitcoms where the main cast all won Emmy Awards, a feat later accomplished by The Golden Girls (1985-1992) and Will & Grace (1998-).



Location: The Bunker House 
Address: 89-70 Cooper Avenue, Flushing, NY

Location Visited: December 2018

Related Locations:

Maude (1972-1978),  The Jeffersons (1975-1985)

Locations Master List

Contagion (2011)

An pandemic spans the globe and Gwyneth Paltrow is patient zero.  Health officials scramble to find a cure after the wrong pig met up with the wrong bat and the herd is thinned significantly before that happens.  Contagion is a fantastic nail- biting thriller that addresses a fear for many of us.  I saw it twice in the theater, even if I did take offense to Sussman's comment that blogging is "graffiti with words."  The all star cast delivers compelling performances, particularly Jennifer Ehle.  I thought I had a Purell problem before this movie was released.  Now I'm amazed I actually have skin left on my hands.


Contagion was filmed in Atlanta, GA, San Francisco, CA, Chicago, IL, Hong Kong, China; Geneva, Switzerland


Location: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Address: 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA

Location: Lorraine's Pharmacy
Address: 351 California Street, San Francisco, CA  CVS

This CVS has undergone a remodeling since the movie was filmed...

Location: Alan Krumweide's Apartment Building
Address: 1922 Taylor Street, San Francisco, CA

Location: MEV-1 Vaccination Center
Address: 602 Jamestown Avenue, San Francisco, CA  Candlestick Park

Locations Visited: October 2018

Locations Master List

Big Little Lies (2017-2019)

The sleepy coastal city of Monterey might appear peaceful and serene but it is no stranger to drama, particularly for a gaggle of women.  It runs the gamut from child birthday party squabbles to rape.  Throw in a murder mystery and you have HBO's critically acclaimed Big Little Lies, based on Liane Moriarty's novel.  Initially touted as a miniseries, the Emmy darling was renewed for a second season with Meryl Streep coming aboard as a grieving mother on the quest for answers.   What more can you ask for? Except maybe Fleetwood Mac signing the theme song.   Aside from being an addictive piece of television, many of the locations for the series are breathtaking and were immediately added to my to-do list.  I tried to hit as many as I could with excursions to LA and the Bay Area last fall.  

Big Little Lies is filmed in Monterey, Carmel, Malibu, Pasadena, Calabasas, Brentwood and Pacific Grove, CA

Location: Bixby Creek Bridge

One of the most iconic locations from the series, The Bixby Creek Bridge is also one of the most photographed bridges in The Golden State.  Located in Big Sur, the bridge opened in 1932.  I didn't make it down to the bridge on my last trip, but I did visit on a road trip from yesteryear.  Turned out I got a pretty good matching shot!

Location: Blue Blues Restaurant

Address: 101 Washington Street, Monterey, CA  Old Fisherman's Wharf 

The Paluca Trattoria served as the inspiration for cafe the ladies frequent and was constructed as a set on the show's soundstages... 

Location: Madeline & Ed's House

Address: 30760 Broad Beach Road, Malibu, CA

This was also the Trancas Beach House on Models Inc. (1994-1995)



Location: Celeste & Perry's House
Address: 40 Yankee Point Drive, Carmel, CA

If these walls could talk...

Location: Jane's House 
Address: 161 North Chester Avenue, Pasadena, CA

Location: Jane's Jogging Route 
Address: Garrapata State Park, Carmel, CA

I didn't find the exact spot as I was in a race against time before the sun set, but you get the idea...

Location: Jane's Beach
Address: Del Monte Beach, Monterey, CA

Poor Jane's always running, which is difficult to do on sand.  But the view is spectacular...

Season 1, Episode 2: "Serious Mothering"

Location: Ed & Nathan's Talk
Address: Lovers Point, Pacific Grove, Monterey, CA

Season 1, Episode 4: "Push Comes To Shove"

Location: Monterey City Hall
Address: 570 Pacific Street, Monterey, CA  Colton Hall Museum

Location: Jane's Rape Motel
Address: 2600 Sand Dunes Drive, Monterey, CA Monterey Tides

Location: Celeste's New Apartment 
Address: 1 Surf Way, Monterey, CA

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Locations Visited: July 2004, March 2016, October 2018

Locations Master List