10th Anniversary Reunion of the CA Gubernatorial Candidates

Hi Fellow Historical Figures!:

Tomorrow is the big day! Just a few notes.

Access to the State Capitol is limited on weekends to just one door, in the Glass Pavilion, on the North side of the Capitol (close to 11th and L Streets). From that door, Room 126 is easy to find: take the first hallway to the right, and it’s the first room on the left.

We will first meet at 11:30 a.m. at the River City Brewing Company in Downtown Plaza Shopping Mall.

Meeting starts at 1 p.m. and runs till 3:30 p.m. Documentary film will run 1.5 hours, so that will start at 2 p.m.

Afterwards, we are free to do as we please. I discovered Chops Steakhouse doesn’t open until 5 p.m., so I suggest going over to Bento Box afterwards, unless we have a better idea.

Marc Valdez

(Previous E-Mail)
Hi All:

Here are plans as they currently stand for the 2003 California Gubernatorial Election 10-Year Reunion, in Room 126 of the California State Capitol, in Sacramento on Saturday, October 12, 2013. Jon Zellhoefer recommends for lunch the River City Brewing Company in Downtown Plaza. Their address is: 545 Downtown Plaza #1115, Sacramento, CA 95814 - (916) 447-2739. On Saturday, they open at 11:30 a.m., and so I’ve secured a reservation for eight to ten people, starting at 11:30 a.m. I might leave at 12:30 p.m. just to double check on the setup, but the get-together at the State Capitol starts at 1:00 p.m. and runs until 3:30 p.m.

Afterwards, we can go where we please for more conversation. There are several places that come to mind. The lobbyists seem to prefer Chops Steakhouse on the K Street Mall. Their address is: 1117 11th St Sacramento, CA 95814 - (916) 447-8900. (They have a big party room downstairs, but it costs $750/day, so maybe we’ll stay upstairs, and go downstairs just to gawk at it.) I like Bento Box for its Asian food and young vibe. Their address is: 1101 16th St, Sacramento, CA 95814 - (916) 706-1286. We can choose what we please.

The Dark Side Of The Rainbow

The eerie synchronicity between 'The Wizard of Oz' and Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon'.

Joe The Plumber Explains A Mystery Of The After-Life

J.: (pointing just below his breast bone) Remember, the soul lives right here, in your solar plexus. It has weight! That's why bodies are so light. The soul departs and takes its weight with it.

M.: Right, got it.

"Breaking Bad" Filming Locations - Wish List of Undetermined Locations

This post is the eighth of eight posts regarding "Breaking Bad" filming locations (last updated January 28, 2024).

The Blog Sidebar contains links to Filming Location posts.  These include:

• Eight "Breaking Bad" filming location posts;
• Four additional posts regarding "Breaking Bad" related subjects;
• Eight "Better Call Saul" filming location posts;
• Two additional posts regarding "Better Call Saul" related subjects;
• One additional post regarding Surrealist artistic influences in "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul";
• One post regarding "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie";
• Three links to OldeSaultie's Google maps of "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" filming location sites. These are the best filming location maps on the Web! The KML files available at these addresses are particularly useful for importing locations into GPS-equipped devices.

Let me know if you have any problems or questions (E-Mail address: valdezmarc56@gmail.com).

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To avoid unnecessary friction, I have redacted the addresses of all single-family homes in these books. (These addresses are still available at Marc Valdez Weblog, however.)  The pictures in the print editions are black-and-white, in order to keep costs down. 

"A Guidebook To 'Breaking Bad' Filming Locations: Including 'Better Call Saul' - Albuquerque as Physical Setting and Indispensable Character" (Sixth Edition)

Purchase book at the link.                                                                                                                   This book outlines thirty-three circuits that the avid fan can travel in order to visit up to 679 different filming locations for "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" in the Albuquerque area.  Some background is provided for each site, including other movies that might have also used the site for filming.

"‘Breaking Bad’ Signs and Symbols: Reading Meaning into Sets, Props, and Filming Locations” (Second Edition)

Purchase book at the link.                                                                                                        “‘Breaking Bad’ Signs and Symbols,” aims to understand some of the symbolism embedded in the backgrounds of “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” in order to decode messages and stories Vince Gilligan and crew have hidden there.                                                                                                    A series of tables are used to isolate how certain (particularly architectural) features are used: Gentle Arches, Tin Ceilings, Five-Pointed Stars, Octagons, etc. Daylighting innovations that were either pioneered or promoted in Chicago are examined: Glass Block Windows, Luxfer Prismatic Tile Windows, and Plate Glass Windows.

Certain symbols advance the plot: foreshadowing symbols like Pueblo Deco Arches, or danger symbols like bell shapes and stagger symbols. Other features, like Glass Block Windows or Parallel Beams in the Ceiling, tell stories about the legacies and corruptions of modernity, particularly those best-displayed at Chicago’s “Century of Progress” (1933-34). 

In addition, a number of scenes in the show are modeled after Early Surrealist artworks. The traces of various artists can be tracked in both shows, including: Comte de Lautréamont, Giorgio De Chirico, Man Ray, Max Ernst, Leonora Carrington, René Magritte, Toyen, Yves Tanguy, Remedios Varo, Paul Klee, and in particular, Salvador Dalí.

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Seahorse Sea Hell

Student-made anti-drug poster, currently on the wall at Tucson Regional Ballet.

Unfinished Business - Public Appeal

"OldeSaultie" and myself have had considerable success determining filming locations by using Google Earth and other tools, but there is a hard nugget of sites that seem to resist quick determination, often because they are interior spaces that many people don't see very often, or exterior places that have changed character lately. Even experienced, lifelong Albuquerque natives may have trouble with them. None of these sites are really secret, however. There are plenty of people - thousands, assuredly - who can instantly recognize some of these places, or at least offer reasonable guesses. So, if you have a guess, please drop a line, either in comments or by E-Mail, and help us out. We would be very grateful for any assistance you can provide! (E-Mail address: valdezmarc56@gmail.com)

Wish List

Breaking Bad Pilot, Walter White home (Season 1, episode 1, 'Pilot'). Vince Gilligan mentions in Season 1 DVD commentary ("Better Call Saul", Season 1, episode 10, 'Marco') that portions of the Pilot episode were filmed in a warehouse near Hamlin's Office. Is that I-25 Studios, 1.5 miles from the Hamlin offices? Or some other facility?


Opening sequence (Season 3, episode 2, "Caballo sin Nombre"). Time lapse & montage scenes at start. Out near "Q" Studios?

Opening sequence (Season 3, episode 2, 'Caballo sin Nombre'). Time lapse & montage scenes at start. Volcano cliffs. Petroglyphs National Monument, Unser Blvd. and St. Josephs Ave. NW. Rocks with thunderhead. At first, I guessed (35.128684, -106.723808), but there are so many rocks there, it's difficult to state with any certainty. Other possiblities are Atrisco Vista Rd. near Double Eagle Airport, and I-25 north of Belen.

'Are We Safe?' parking lot, (Season 3, episode 9, 'Kafkaesque'). Near Gibson Hospital.


First of the three houses Marie visits on her kleptomaniac journey, and where she meets “Michael Killmore” (Season 4, Episode 3, 'Open House').

Assistant Locations Manager Alex Gianopoulos said that this location is near, or adjacent, to House 3 on Marie's journey (8503 La Sala Grande NE). I've walked around the neighborhood twice trying to identify likely candidates, but still am not satisfied.

On November 6, 2014, I got a tip that the large house at about 5133 Sunningdale Ave. NE in Albuquerque (with pillars in front) was this location. Need to verify the tip.

Walt gets gambling addiction therapy (Season 4, episode 4, 'Bullet Points').

Looks like the University of New Mexico.

[UPDATE: 07/15/22: Recently, James Gelet noticed that there is a problem with the second half of the Affordable Auto Sales scene (Season 4, episode 6, 'Cornered'). The billboard in the scene doesn't exist at this location. They filmed this part of the scene somewhere else, but we don't know where. James asks: "Do you know anything about this shot? Looking in that direction from the car lot is completely different? Was there an actual change at that location? Did they use a different location for that one shot? (That seems very unlikely.) Or was some digital trickery added?" If anyone has any ideas, let us know! (valdezmarc56@gmail.com).

Church basement (Season 4, episode 7, 'Problem Dog'). Jesse's self-help group.

Nighttime Drive (Season 5, episode 1, 'Live Free Or Die'). Perhaps on Coors Blvd. NW?

Nighttime on Paseo del Norte Overpass over Coors Rd. NW.

Mike's Interrogation (Season 5, episode 6, 'Buyout').

This may be a studio location, but I don't know.

Tented houses (Various, such as red, white, and blue fireplug)
Interiors
(Season 5, episode 7, 'Say My Name')
(Season 5, episode 8, 'Gliding Over All') 'Crystal Blue Persuasion' (1,7,10,12,20,26)


Razor wire fence (Season 5, episode 8, 'Gliding Over All'). Part of montage at sunset.

Airports (Season 5, episode 8, 'Gliding Over All'). Jumbo jet takeoff is likely LAX ('Crystal Blue Persuasion', segments 6 & 17). The rest are currently unknown.

Suburb (Season 5, episode 8, 'Gliding Over All'). Aerial shot. 'Crystal Blue Persuasion'.

This aerial shot should be a slam-dunk, but because Google Earth's and Bing.com's images are slightly out-dated, or for some other reason, this place remains elusive. It is always possible this cgi-generated film segment is entirely-artificial, but it seems logical they would start from a real aerial shot: whether from Albuquerque, California's Inland Empire, or somewhere else. Where that other place might be, I don't know.

Jesse's Woodworking Shop (Season 5b, episode 16, 'Felina'). The studio?

More Interiors

Gretchen and Elliott's kitchen, (Season 1, episode 5, 'Gray Matter'). Gretchen calls Walt.

Andrea's bedroom, (Season 3, episode 11, 'Abiquiú').

Gale's Apt. interior (Season 3, episode 13, 'Full Measure'; Season 4, episode 1, 'Boxcutter'). I'm beginning to suspect, because of the Pueblo Deco arches, that this place may be Jesse and Jane's duplex, elaborately disguised (323 & 325 Terrace St. SE).

Mike's Interrogation, (Season 5, episode 6, 'Buyout'). Studio?

Marie's Counselor Dave's place, (Season 5, episode 12, 'Rabid Dog'). Resembles Huning Highlands house.

Breaking Bad Sadness (Summertime Sadness Parody by Beth Crosby)

A Monster In Lake Tahoe

E.: MMMMAAAARRRCCC! I saw a monster in Lake Tahoe when Chris and I took a boat ride there last June.

M.: A monster?

E.: It made a big - what do you call those things like when something is swimming in the water?

M.: A ripple?

E.: Well, whatever, it made a big one! Then it went across the lake. Then I heard birds screaming and screaming over there! MMMMMAAAAARRRRCCC! It was horrible!

M.: Well, maybe it was something else. Like maybe an otter, or a beaver.

E.: What's a beaver?

M.: Well, it's like a Big Mouse with a big, flat tail. It can hit the water hard with its tail and make a big ripple.

E.: I don't think so. I'm sure it wouldn't go climbing trees and eating birds. I think it was a Giant Python.

M.: Snakes can swim!

E.: There were poisonous ones in the Philippines! MMMMAAAARRRRCCCC! I think there is a Giant Python in Lake Tahoe!

Our Descanso In The Albuquerque Journal!

My sister got it on their radar:

“Breaking Bad” fans continue to honor Walter White.

North Valley resident Michelle Valdez-Browning and her brother, Marc Valdez, and son Aaron Browning made a descanso near the Nazi compound where White passed away in the show. (A descanso is a roadside memorial that commemorates a site where a person died. They are seen along roads in New Mexico.)

Valdez-Browning says her brother was part of the locations crew who helped scout the various areas.

“He put his heart and soul into finding the right places,” she says.

[UPDATE: Holy, moly! It's going viral! Thought it might, but it's an amazing thing to witness! On the 'Inhabitants of Burque' page on Facebook, as of 12:33 p.m. PDT, it's garnered 963 Likes, 201 Shares, and about 62 comments in ONE HOUR!]

[UPDATE 2: My sister had called Adrian Gomez of the Albuquerque Journal to let him know, but he passed on the information to someone else who seems to have mangled the information in later stories. By that telling, I was part of the Breaking Bad Locations team, which, sadly, wasn't the case. But it's all good!]

[UPDATE 3: My sister heard a news story that did not feature a photo. Nevertheless, Shawna Martinez notes it made KRQE TV-13 News!]

Trailer Metástasis

I think there are ample opportunities for Breaking-Bad-inspired shows in other countries. Each one could focus on the peculiarities and foibles of the drug problem in each country, and could go in any number of interesting directions.

I didn't see the need for a Spanish-language version of Breaking Bad, mostly because the original was so popular in Spanish-speaking countries.

Nevertheless, "Metástasis" promises exactly that. I wish the greatest success!

Not familiar with the place. Mexico?

Interesting Albuquerque Signs V

Two pigeons enjoy the company of a plaster scare-owl.

Cigarettes Are Back!!!

Giselle's Grill

Ken Sanchez is campaigning again for a City Council seat in today's Albuquerque elections.  I never really knew him at West Mesa High School, but he is a classmate, from the class of 1974.

It's disturbing to think that our generation now runs things!

At the Standard Diner.

What people are really thinking about in early Fall 2013.

Complete Lanscaping.

'Lynette' wondered 'how it ended up like that.'

Jubilation!

West Central Ave. and Old Coors Rd. has some of the most-interesting-looking places in Albuquerque.

Loans!

Hair!

This very-badly rusted image of a Musketeer has been on North Fourth Street for as long as I can remember - all my life. It used to herald the services of a motel, but it's been dysfunctional, and getting more-so, since the 1970's. It's still there! Someone needs to renovate it!

Junk In The Trunk

Railrunner

Schindwolf Time!

Underneath Unser Boulevard

Rinconada Wash flows east from Petroglyphs National Monument, under Unser Boulevard. Opportunity for idle youth to show some artistic flair!

It's Like A Science Fiction Movie Out There On The Mesas!

The State of New Mexico in general, and the Rio Grande Valley in particular, have been subject to a long, merciless drought for several years. Then abruptly, in the month of September, nearly four inches of rain got dumped on the land. What does that do to the land and the vegetation?

Ecologists note that with the limited rains that are usually available, semi-arid lands can support either grasslands, or shrubs, but usually not a combination of both. Most studies have been about how anthropogenic activities, like grazing, tend to convert economically-useful lands like grasslands into economically-useless lands like shrub zones.

This time, this combination of hyper-xeric weather followed by flooding may do the opposite. The drought was so severe that many shrubs died, and grasses grow quickly once opportunity allows.

Nevertheless, strange weeds grow too. Not just familiar invaders like tumbleweed, but other, more alien infestations. In some cases, weeds are growing in mats. It's scary! Like some kind of science fiction movie!

This is the Rinconada Canyon area of Petroglyphs National Monument, just west of the urbanized part of Albuquerque.  I wasn't supposed to be here.  They had closed trails, for unspecified reasons - probably because the flooding had damaged the trails.

Pretty flowers.  Resemble purple asters, but smaller.

Goathead, or goathead like.  Ugh!

These tubers should be below ground, but the floods changed everything.

Floods came cascading down!

Pretty white flowers, with Mormon Tea.

Roots ripped from the ground!

Erosion takes no time at all when it's flooding!

A long-buried Schlitz beer can resurfaces.

My mother once worked for Nielsen ad agency in Chicago, around 1950.  She talks about a slide show presentation to their client, Schlitz Beer, where some joker had changed all the graphics to read 'Schitz' Beer.  Things did not go well that day.

There's tons and tons and tons of this, and I don't even know what it is!

Hiking trail was instead converted into a waterfall!

Way out west, in To'hajiilee, the floods created serious erosion in this dirt road.

There is a weird, vine-like weed I've never seen before all over the mesas. It's pretty thick in places. It gives the mesas that special green tint. Here's what it looks like east of where Broadway Blvd. joins I-25, in the southern reaches of the South Valley. Clusters of rejuvenated Purple Nightshade are in the foreground.

I think this panspermic spreading mat actually derives from the planetary system of Aldeberan.