We were set to drive from LA to Las Vegas today. However, we had a few must-dos before heading east.
You can’t visit Los Angeles without having a studio tour. Ellie was originally thinking of doing Warner Bros, but the RastaBus guys said Paramount was better, so that’s what we did.
It was a golf-cart tour that lasted 2 hours. They took us around pretty much the entire lot, into sone of the studios (Doctors, Dr Phil – I don’t watch these but they were still recognisable), & another sitcom that is yet to air in Oz.
It seems a lot of their business is actually leasing facilities to other production companies.
No photos were allowed inside the actual studios, but we went through their backlot where they have fake but very realistic streets setup.
Whoopi Goldberg’s apartment in Ghost:
Murder Alley – where the puny Captain America is beat up (amongst others):
The brick walls are made of fibre-glass, & there are several options to choose from. Our guide said it was currently lined with “wife killer”:
Their sky scraper, used in the Wolf of Wall Street:
There are no movies being made there at the moment – only TV, & the biggest consumer of their real estate is Glee. We’re all fans, but Grace was especially pleased!
Grace in front of the entrance to NYADA:
& on stage at the Spotlight Cafe where the Glee cast sings in NY:
Then there’s a scene from the Grilled Chesus episode. This lawn had lines painted on it, a green-screen, & hey presto – instant football field:
The building and tree in the background may also be recognised for the schools in episodes of both the Brady Bunch & Happy Days.
Large water scenes make use of their tank, or Bkue Sky Tank (& car park) car park… used in: Tora, Tora, Tora; Cheers; Patriot Games; & the Ten Commandments (parting the Red Sea):
They don’t use it much now as it costs so much to fill ant CGI is getting better.
It was a really interesting morning.
Being massive Big Bang Theory fans, we just couldn’t resist. Our route to Vegas would be kinda via Pasadena, so what the hell.
Here is The Cheesecake Factory where Penny works… a very popular destination – we had to wait for around 25 mins to get a table. Most stores in this franchise are busy, but there are clearly lots of TBBT fans out there. As usual, food was great and in extreme quantities.
Sadly Penny wasn’t working. The inside looks absolutely nothing like the show, & their uniforms are just plain white. The waitress told us that they have filmed outside before, but only very occasionally.
Afterwards, we headed off to 2311 Los Lobles Ave (their apartment), but sadly it doesn’t exist. The actual apartment block used was a little further away but time was running short and we needed to hit the road.
Even though we spent very little time there, I have to say Pasadena gave us a very good 1st impression… quite an attractive place.
Next, Vegas Baby!