A Visit to the California State Railroad Museum

Saweetie - Fast (Motion)

2010 High School grad from Elk Grove is now getting the full star treatment! (I have problems with the bougie style, but there's no question she does it well.)

 

Brewing Florida Storm?

There have been indications that a low pressure system located in the mid-Atlantic about 1,300 miles east of the Windward Islands, might develop into a storm. Previous forecasts had it moving eventually towards Texas, and so I hadn't been worrying about it too much, but the newest forecasts are suggesting Florida is the target. Both NVG and GFS models agree on this, but it's still very early, and it wouldn't surprise me if the forecasts change considerably in the days ahead. Arrival time in Tampa would be roughly Tuesday evening July 6th - Wednesday morning July 7th. 

It's still early, and the storm doesn't have a name yet.

Tried Out Club Pilates in Midtown

Kinda weird, kinda cool, and kinda pricey!

Trump is Fourth From the Bottom

They asked the historians what they thought of Donald Trump, and not surprisingly he ranks near the bottom, but not dead last - fourth-worst - which really surprises me. I’d rather have someone in that office with the gravitas of James Buchanan any day, compared to Trump. 

The big Cinderella story in regards to the historians in recent years is the rise of Ulysses Grant. When I was a kid, historians, with their ranks filled with white Southerners, ranked him dead last, even below Buchanan. He’s now about 20th. There are more minorities in historian ranks these days, and greater interest in Black history, and Grant is finally getting credit for his far-sighted but doomed Reconstruction policies.

Overall, historians ranked Trump as the fourth-worst president ever, coming in one spot below former President William Henry Harrison, who died after just one month in office. The only presidents on the list to rank worse than Trump were Franklin Pierce, Andrew Johnson, and James Buchanan.

From C-SPAN: HISTORIANS SURVEY RESULTS CATEGORY TOTAL SCORES/OVERALL RANKINGS President 2021 Final Score Overall Rankings 2021 2017 2009 2000 

Abraham Lincoln               897 1 1 1 1 

George Washington            851 2 2 2 3 

Franklin D. Roosevelt        841 3 3 3 2 

Theodore Roosevelt           785 4 4 4 4 

Dwight D. Eisenhower      734 5 5 8 9 

Harry S. Truman                713 6 6 5 5 

Thomas Jefferson              704 7 7 7 7 

John F. Kennedy                699 8 8 6 8 

Ronald Reagan                  681 9 9 10 11 

Barack Obama                  664 10 12 NA NA 

Lyndon B. Johnson           654 11 10 11 10 

James Monroe                   643 12 13 15 14 

Woodrow Wilson              617 13 11 9 6 

William McKinley            612 14 16 16 15 

John Adams                      609 15 19 17 16 

James Madison                 604 16 17 20 18 

John Quincy Adams         603 17 21 19 19 

James K. Polk                  599 18 14 12 12 

William J. Clinton           594 19 15 14 21 

Ulysses S. Grant              590 20 22 23 33 

George H. W. Bush          585 21 20 18 20 

Andrew Jackson              568 22 18 13 13 

William Howard Taft       543 23 24 24 24 

Calvin Coolidge               535 24 26 26 27 

Grover Cleveland             523 25 23 21 17 

Jimmy Carter                   506 26 27 25 22 

James A. Garfield            506 27 29 28 29 

Gerald R. Ford                 498 28 25 22 23 

George W. Bush               495 29 33 36 NA 

Chester A. Arthur             472 30 35 32 32 

Richard M. Nixon            464 31 28 27 26 

Benjamin Harrison           462 32 30 30 31 

Rutherford B. Hayes        456 33 31 33 25 

Martin Van Buren             455 34 34 31 30 

Zachary Taylor                 449 35 32 29 28 

Herbert Hoover                396 36 36 34 34 

Warren G. Harding           388 37 40 38 38 

Millard Fillmore               378 38 37 37 35 

John Tyler                         354 39 39 35 36 

William Henry Harrison   354 40 38 39 37 

Donald J. Trump               312 41 NA NA NA 

Franklin Pierce                 312 42 41 40 39 

Andrew Johnson               230 43 42 41 40 

James Buchanan               227 44 43 42 41

And Just Like That, Flooding In The Southwest!

@getagripgarage

Major flooding at Zion national Park #zionnationalpark #flooding #fypnationalpark 

♬ Epic - FineTune Music & Jeff Hayat

@not1care

#fy #flooding #crazy #newmexico #HotwireHotelGoals #TakisTransformation #wow #emergency

♬ original sound - Not1care

Link Rot

Link rot on the Internet is a growing problem, as are post-publication changes. As our culture moves onto the Internet, the Internet becomes increasingly unstable, and susceptible to tyranny. For example:

Purchased books can be involuntarily zapped by Amazon, which has been known to do so, refunding the original purchase price. For example, 10 years ago, a third-party bookseller offered a well-known book in Kindle format on Amazon for 99 cents a copy, mistakenly thinking it was no longer under copyright. Once the error was noted, Amazon—in something of a panic—reached into every Kindle that had downloaded the book and deleted it. The book was, fittingly enough, George Orwell’s 1984. (You don’t have 1984. In fact, you never had 1984. There is no such book as 1984.)

People in Portland Will Never Forget This Week!

(Monday afternoon, June 28) The highest temp I've ever seen in Albuquerque is 105 degrees F (40.6 C). 

Apparently, ABQ can get even hotter - it reached 107 degrees F (41.7 C) in June, 1994. 

Interestingly, Portland, Oregon's all-time max before this week was also 107 degrees F (41.7 C). 

At 4 p.m. today (Monday), Portland reached 115 degrees F (46.1 C). It's pretty breezy too, with wind from the ENE down the Columbia River Gorge, which brings all that toasty inland plateau air downhill and subjects it to further adiabatic heating. 

In comparison, today Phoenix, Arizona could only manage 109 degrees F (42.8 C). 

The folks in Portland will never forget this week!

@sea.ya.later

I’m clearly not handling the heat wave well #darkhumor #pacificnorthwest #heatwave #humor #comedy

♬ original sound - SeaYaLater

American Workers Are Telling Low-Paying Employers To Get Lost

About time!:

With 9.3 million out of work, surely there would be crowds to beat down the door. But some think it isn't about the jobs but the high cost of other things that make work seem impossible. With fewer child care options, already high costs are soaring. If someone makes less money working and paying for child care, then it makes more sense to stay at home. 

For some, the high cost of health and safety is the factor. Work might be great, but if there's no health insurance in the position and they contract COVID from unvaccinated co-workers or customers, they could hurt family members or their children and be bankrupt from health expenses.

Rachel Bitecofer Is Getting Tired of National Democrats Screwing Up Election Campaigns, So She's Going To Fix The Problems Herself

Thank God she's on the job!:

What Strike PAC is doing is not within those two buckets. It certainly has overlap — it's performing both persuasion and mobilization. But what it's arguing is, "Look, the GOP doesn't really run anything except a marketing/branding op and it's predominantly a branding offensive against the left." They don't spend a lot of time on their own brand, but they do spend a lot of time in their messaging on discounting, discrediting and debasing our brand. That will go from everything from economics to the "woke" war, so it's always about showing us as unattractively to voters as possible. We've never answered that.

Democrats, up until now, have been told by their consultants, "Don't worry about it," or "Don't push back on 'socialism' or 'defund the police.'" To their credit, candidates are starting to understand when somebody is lobbing missiles at you, you can't just stand there and pretend it's not hitting. They are starting to try to put forward a response. But the it's a defensive mechanism, it's not offensive. The GOP is saying, "We're going to have a debate about these topics," and when you enter into that field, you are basically on the defense the whole time because you're having a conversation that's been structured by the opposition party. 

...It's flipping that GOP tactic over to our side. It's attacking the Republicans to make a conversation about their anti-democratic power grab, that goes back from contesting the results of 2020, an armed insurrection, Trump actually trying to use the Justice Department to stage a coup, and the Republican Party's wholesale embrace of that.

Amazing Goannas and Their Corkscrew Nests

Fascinating article about yellow-spotted goanna nests in Australia. I wonder if other goannas have the same sort of thing going on?:

By the time they were three feet down, with nothing to show for their efforts, Doody was confused. When most reptiles bury their eggs, they do so less than a foot beneath the surface. Even big sea turtles dig shallow nests. But the backfilled goanna burrow kept going. Stranger still, its path began to twist, corkscrewing as it descended. “My partner, who is also a herpetologist, was on the phone, saying, ‘You know, Sean, reptiles don’t dig that deep,’” he told me. “I was starting to doubt myself.”

At five feet down, on the second day of digging, Doody was mentally composing an apology to his colleagues when one of them, lying flat on the ground with his head out of sight and his arm curled down the spiraling burrow, screamed out, “EGGS!”

Conservative Activists Are Salivating For The Newsom Recall Election

It's apparent that conservative activists view the upcoming Newsom recall election as the equivalent of Christmas - a way to directly intimidate liberal voters and strip their votes away:

"An observer in Nevada County raised concerns about the race of a woman seen removing ballots from a drop box outside the county building, according to county records. The woman, who was Black, was the county registrar’s wife.

In San Diego County, a volunteer poll watcher upset voters by telling them they should surrender their hand-delivered mail-in ballots so they could be canceled and instead vote in person. And in Orange County, an observer attempted to interrupt a couple voting together, and another caused a disturbance for three hours by trying to interview voters as they left.

...“They were interfering with voters. They were interfering with our process,” Neal Kelley, registrar of voters for Orange County, said of Election Integrity Project watchers. “They chew up resources like you wouldn’t believe. … Eighty percent of the time it was just nonsense.” 

The activists are part of a national surge in poll policing, from Florida to Colorado. In California, the top cop is Linda Paine, a former Santa Clarita tea party activist who founded the Election Integrity Project and claims California — which has one of the country’s most permissive approaches to voting — is part of a national scheme to replace the “constitutional Republic” with a “globalist socialist oligarchy.”

...Buoyed in recent years by support from Republican Party officials and major conservative donors, the Election Integrity Project and a second organization, the Institute for Fair Elections, have challenged more than 3 million voter registrations since 2018, The Times found.

...The activists hunt through these changing, imperfect voter rolls to compile lists of registered voters they say should be removed because they are probably dead, have moved, have multiple registrations, haven’t voted in years or, in some cases, are guilty of double voting.

They have had uneven success in demanding that state and local election officials investigate the names on those lists. Interviews, state government records and data analyses by The Times show activists often made major errors or targeted problems that had already been corrected. Still, these continued claims have succeeded in promoting suspicion in conservative enclaves that fraud is a significant problem in California’s voting system.

Addresses they flagged for having suspiciously large numbers of registered voters included college dormitories, convents and a monastery. Lists of voters whom activists claimed no longer lived at registered addresses and should have their voter registration canceled included members of the military away from home on active service. 

Four dozen people accused of voting twice in the March 2020 primary — among 9.6 million ballots cast — turned out to include 32 cases in which election computers erroneously listed them as voting twice. Among the remaining suspects were a set of twins whose names differed by a single letter and elderly people who election officials said probably forgot having voted before doing so a second time. 

In 2016, the Institute for Fair Elections alleged in testimony before a federal voting commission that one person, Jung Kim, illegally voted 14 times in five elections. The Times found the votes were cast by three different people who share the same first and last names but live in different apartments in the same large downtown Los Angeles complex. The three had different ages and were all registered under different political parties.

...Paine this year announced that the Election Integrity Project aims to recruit 30,000 people for the recall election to monitor polling places and vote processing centers, where fraud-seeking observers challenged voter signatures.

...The claim of mass voting by undocumented immigrants remains a motivating force. At a 2019 Placer County recruitment meeting with Paine, a local tea party leader said he was moved to join Paine’s group as a poll observer after hearing secondhand that a van carried migrant workers from poll to poll during a local assembly election at the behest of the United Farm Workers union. “I can’t say I actually [saw] vans pull in loaded with undocumented illegals,” he said, according to a video of the event. “What I can tell you is this: In my heart, in my gut, I know I stopped many buses and many vans from coming in.”

...Election Integrity Project observers protesting that they could not stand close enough to hear everything poll workers said to voters; complaining about couples voting together, even though they are legally allowed to; and calling out procedural deficiencies, such as the orientation of voting booths or presence of water bottles.

Paine apologized by email to the registrar of Nevada County after one of her group’s observers raised concerns about the registrar’s wife, who is Black, removing ballots from a drop box outside the county building. Paine said the volunteer would be dismissed, according to emails reviewed by The Times. “She was gushing with apologies. ‘That’s not what we’re here for,’” the county’s registrar, Gregory Diaz, told The Times, “but in my eyes, that’s exactly what they’re here for.”

...Other conservative and political organizations are also recruiting for the Election Integrity Project."

The Omega Pattern Gives and Takes!

It reached 112 degrees F in Portland today. That omega blocking pattern is wreaking havoc on the Pacific Northwest! Nevertheless, it's also allowed a premature start of the Southwestern monsoon. Mother Nature takes away, and giveth! And she'll shut down the monsoon again right after 4th of July, when it usually is about ready to start up. So, summer weather will be interesting this year! 

It's rained 0.95 inches so far in El Paso! That kind of rain is rare this time of year.

"Better Call Saul" Filming Locations - Season 6

This post is the seventh of eight posts regarding "Better Call Saul" filming locations (updated on November 26, 2024).

This post focuses on Season 6 locations.

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).

--------------------------

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.

--------------------------

The Influence of Salvador Dali on "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" 

On June 24, 2021, I gave a talk to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, FL!  Here's some bio information on this strange fellow, Marc Valdez.  There are other museum talks of interest here too. 

Exploring Frames: The Impact of Michel Foucault and Surrealist Artists on “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” 

On February 25, 2022, I gave a talk to the Southwest Popular American/Cultural Association in Albuquerque, NM on the impact of Surrealists other than Salvador Dali on these television series.

 

End Game – Streamline Moderne and Surrealism in the Last Two Seasons of “Better Call Saul” 

On February 24, 2023, I gave a talk to the Southwest Popular American/Cultural Association in Albuquerque, NM on the final two seasons of "Better Call Saul."

 

---------------------------------

Wine and Roses

Kim is cutting her nose to spite her face.

Nacho is lost in the Time Tunnel.

A shout out to American photographer William Eggleston.

Framed by the Marble Run, Mike becomes the moral center of "Better Call Saul."

---------------------------------
Hit and Run 

In Vince Gilligan's universe, architecture may be used for humor. 

For example, after Ted and Skyler's tryst in BrBa "Green Light," we see a drawing on the wall of a half-barrel vault in a gallery such as you might find in a Romanesque church. Skyler complains that Walt is frustrating her efforts to throw him out of the house. 

In BCS "Hit and Run," we get a view of Gus' tunnel to his neighbors' house. We see a small-scale half-barrel vault. The message seems to be that, unlike that lunatic Walt, Gus knows best when and how to leave his house. 

Half-barrel vaults are rarely-used in either television series. Why they seem to be related to leaving the house is a mystery to me.

---------------------------------

------------------

Saul Gone

The plot of "Better Call Saul" suddenly dovetailed nicely with "The Music Man," another story where the con man let himself get caught, for the sake of love, and the crew couldn't help but pay homage in the Prison Bus scene.

 

----------------

New Season 6 Filming Locations


I will present some of the work of James Gelet, whose love of photography and expertise in location hunting helps produce works of the highest quality!

Northeast Heights (E. of Wyoming, W. of Juan Tabo, S. of Osuna)

Saul Goodman's Office

Saul Goodman's office is located in a shopping center at the southeast corner of Eubank and Montgomery Blvds. NE (Seen again in "Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run'; First seen in "Breaking Bad," Season 2, episode 8, 'Better Call Saul'.)

Picture taken in August, 2010.

Kim:  "It's small, it's dirty, and this whole place smells funny."

Over the years, a number of nightclubs have occupied this spot. Prior to the coming of Saul, "Cowboys" was most-recently located here.

When I was an undergraduate student at the University of New Mexico in the late 1970's, I remember coming to this place. Unfortunately, I can no longer remember the name of the nightcub at that time. I was following the Holy Grail of all young men, of course: trying to get loose and 'get laid'. I remember big-hair rockers, too much cigarette smoke, and music so loud that conversation was impossible.

It's amazing to see the place reappear in my life as the offices of a criminal lawyer!

Saul's is available to the highest bidder. But you knew that already!

Saul's. Wow! They've been here recently!

Round arch on the sidewalk outside Saul's.

Saul's Office doorway is still preserved!

Arcade of round arches west of Saul's Office.

The Dirty Bourbon and Duke City Sports Bar, February 2018.

Saul's Office (February 2020).

Remarkably, for Season 6 of "Better Call Saul," the showrunners once again have access to the site of Saul's Office.  Glory be! (Probably due to the business ruination of the Covid-19 pandemic).

Saul Goodman's Office, February 23, 2022.

Mike watches Stacey's home on Alameda Dr., 8618 La Sala Del Centro NE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 6, 'Axe and Grind').

Upper Northeast Heights (E. of Juan Tabo, S. of Osuna)

J.P. Wynne High School (3), Eldorado High School, 11300 Montgomery Blvd. NE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11, 'Breaking Bad'). Saul prepares to enter the school.

Northeast Heights (N. Of Osuna)

(no new locations offered with this update)

Lower Northeast Heights (W. of Wyoming), & Lomas Blvd. Corridor

Saul Goodman's House, 4317 Altura Ave. NE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 1, 'Wine and Roses').  Flash forward to Saul's fall.  Saul awakens to Journey's "Any Way You Want It" ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 9, 'Fun and Games').  

Gus Fring's House, 1213 Jefferson St. NE (previously-seen in "Breaking Bad" and in "Better Call Saul," season 4, episode 7, 'Something Stupid'). Gus at home ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run'; episode 5, 'Black and Blue'; episode 8, 'Point and Shoot').

Gus' Next-Door Neighbors' House, 1209 Jefferson St. NE. Living amidst security ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run'; episode 5, 'Black and Blue'; episode 8, 'Point and Shoot').

Gus' Next-Door Neighbors' House

Twin Pine Trees with Carport, 4623 Sunningdale Ave. NE ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run'). Classic Mid-Century Modern House.

(Photo by Mary Arnold)

Twin Pine Trees with Carport.

Tomato-Red House, 4526 Sunningdale Ave. NE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run'). Poor neighbors!

(Photo by Mary Arnold)

Tomato-Red House

Sandpiper Crossing Carport, Sandpiper Crossing, Sunset Pointe Apartments, 6500 Montgomery Blvd. NE ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 5, 'Black and Blue').

(Photo by Mary Arnold)

Sandpiper Crossing Carport.

Alley, supposedly behind Saul's office. Behind Chez Axel, 6209 Montgomery Blvd. NE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 6, 'Axe and Grind'). Saul helps Francesca with a call. (Same alley where Walt got his money barrels.) (35.131777ø, -106.576749ø)

 

Gene breaks into a house, 4201 Royene Ave. NE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11, 'Breaking Bad'; episode 12, 'Waterworks').

Gene's Bus Stop, San Pedro Dr. and Prospect Ave. NE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 12,'Waterworks').  Just south of real bus stop (35.107015ø, -106.577458ø). This is the view across the street.

The view across the street at Gene's Bus Stop.

Kim's Florida House, 3800 Andrew Dr. NE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 12,'Waterworks').  Lots of digital help.

Downtown

Huell and Jimmy debrief at a parking garage after copying Howard's car key ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 3, 'Rock and Hard Place'). Bank of the West Center Garage, 500 4th St. Garage, 500 4th St NW (35.089882°, -106.650373°).

Eating Outside Courthouse ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run') No one wants to eat with Jimmy. (Photo by Mary Arnold)

Tabletops.

ADA Suzanne Ericsen calls Kim ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 13, 'Saul Gone').  Saul's testimony will affect Kim.  Also just outside Old Bernalillo County Courthouse.

Boxing Ring, 1512 First Street NW ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 5, 'Black and Blue'). Interior shots came from somewhere else, though.

Saul drives (1) - heading south, About 374 5th St. NW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 9, 'Fun and Games').

Saul drives (2) - heading east, On Lomas Blvd. at 4th St. NW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 9, 'Fun and Games').  Decoding the reflections.

Francesca's Driving (1) - Eastbound on Tijeras Ave. at Fifth St. NW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11, 'Breaking Bad').

Gene hides in a dumpster. The alley is located one-half block north of Central Ave., between 5th and 6th Streets NW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 13, 'Saul Gone').  (35.085329ø, -106.653476ø)

Bernalillo County Courthouse, Probably the real deal courthouse, but there are two courthouses near 400 Lomas Blvd. NW, so it's still unclear to me which one is the correct one ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 13, 'Saul Gone'). 

Prison kitchen at ADX Montrose, Albuquerque Convention Center ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 13, 'Saul Gone').

Downtown West and Old Town

Howard's Therapist, Rio Grande Plaza, 901 Rio Grande Blvd. NW ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run'). Jimmy re-parks approximately: (35.102744ø, -106.672342ø)

(Photo by Mary Arnold)

Howard's Therapist

Howard's Therapist

Howard drives to therapist (1) Westbound, about 1701 Lomas Blvd. NW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run').

Howard drives to therapist (2), Eastbound, about 1878 Mountain Rd. NW, next to the NM Museum of Natural History & Science ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run').

Jimmy drives in celebration (2) Southbound, about 805 12th St. NW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run').

Lalo climbs out of the sewer, 7th St. and McKnight Ave. NW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 7, 'Plan and Execution').

Gus makes a donation to YDI, Albuquerque Basketball Club, 501 Main St. NW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 7, 'Plan and Execution'). Lalo's call to Hector has been detected.

Albuquerque Basketball Club.

I was having trouble figuring out where Gus' Wine Bar is (Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 9, 'Fun and Games'), so I asked Teresa Martinez (moderator of Better Call Saul Three Strikes Group) and she said a friend of hers thought it was Casa Esencia at Hotel Albuquerque, 800 Rio Grande Blvd. NW.  I was skeptical at first, but now I think her friend is right.  Looks like the area behind the bar was completely redesigned for the show.  But it means many of us were in that same exact space for the 2014 Breaking Bad Fest.  

Above is a fuzzy picture of that space, featuring KT Au-Yeung, Adam Ramirez, William James Dickey, and maybe the mysterious RH too.  Other folks were here too: Donna McGregor, Frank Sandoval, Jennie Rexer, Charles Baker (Skinny Pete), and many others.  Things sure look different on TV.

Breaking Bad Fest 2014. Left to right, Charles Peters, Charles Baker (Skinny Pete), Fran Padilla, and Donna McGregor. 

Breaking Bad Fest 2014. The little Territorial-Style emblem on the lintel helps mark Casa Esencia as being the same location used in "Better Call Saul."

This picture of Casa Esencia comes from Flickr (Photo by Jeff Caven, 2010).

On August 29, 2022, James Gelet and I visited Casa Esencia.

Casa Esencia.

Marion rolls on griddish sidewalk, Probably adjacent to Pinkman family home - driveways at 501 and 509 11th St. NW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 10, 'Nippy'). View from directly-above.

Buddy drives away with his dog.  Approx. 509 11th St. NW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11, 'Breaking Bad'). Taxi dispatch of a sort.

Marion gets stuck, 12th St. and Roma Ave. NW - particularly SE corner ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 10, 'Nippy'). Sidewalk was snowy!

Jimmy pushes Marion's scooter, 407 and 409 12th St. NW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 10, 'Nippy'). Good times!

Marion's and Jeffy's House, 305 12th St. NW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 10, 'Nippy'; episode 11, 'Breaking Bad'; episode 12, 'Waterworks'; episode 13, 'Saul Gone'). Bird displays, cat videos, and a garage.

Marion's and Jeffy's House.

Marion's and Jeffy's House.

Huning Castle & ABQ Country Club

Albuquerque Country Club, 601 Laguna Blvd SW.

Albuquerque Country Club.

Albuquerque Country Club.

Thinking this place, where Kim and Jimmy spy on Howard and Cliff, is near Tingley Dr. and Central Ave. SW, about (35.090477°, -106.678241°) ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 1, 'Wine and Roses').

Kim and Jimmy spy on Howard and Cliff.

Margarethe's House, 1220 Iron Ave. SW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 5, 'Black and Blue'). A bit of Europe in the ABQ.

(Photo by Mary Arnold)

(Photo by Mary Arnold)

Margarethe's House.

Gene flees as a helicopter flies overhead, Near Central Ave. & Tingley Dr. SW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 13, 'Saul Gone').  It's the Albuquerque Biopark Train Tunnel!  (35.090309ø, -106.678867ø)

Gene flees.

Tunnel

Barelas

(no new locations offered with this update)

Huning Highlands/ Martineztown Locations

Francesca's Driving (2) - Francesca turns right on Edith Blvd. from Roma Ave. NE.

Then Francesca approaches Martineztown Park on Marquette Ave. at Edith Blvd. NW, Francesca gets paranoid, turns right on Edith Blvd., then right again on Martin Luther King, Jr., Ave. NE.  Then Francesca approaches Martineztown Park again on Marquette Ave. at Edith Blvd. NW, and turns left ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11, 'Breaking Bad').

University Area & Near Presbyterian Hospital

Crossroads Motel, 1001 Central Ave. NE, Central Ave. and I-25 ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run'). Jimmy and Kim hire Wendy for a job.

Crossroads Motel.

Crossroads Motel Office exterior, with its two gentle arches.

Picking up the video crew, UNM Science and Technology Park, 800 Bradbury Dr. SE ("Better Call Saul," Season 3, episode 7, 'Expenses'). "Maybe we should catch the bus." Jimmy runs to deliver the photos ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 7, 'Plan and Execution').

Trumbull Park, University of New Mexico (UNM), Just north of Zimmerman Library, about 1949 Roma Ave. NE (35.085667ø, -106.621360ø). Filming a payoff to the judge ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 7, 'Plan and Execution').

(Photo by Mary Arnold)

Filming a payoff to the judge - aka, Trumbull Park.

Francesca's Apartments, 1601 Gold Ave. SE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11, 'Breaking Bad').  Seeds and stems.

Francesca's Apartments.  The gridded facade really stands out.

Copper Lounge, 1504 Central Ave. SE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11, 'Breaking Bad'). A man with cancer.

Nighttime exterior of the Copper Lounge

Copper Lounge ceiling.

Copper Lounge ceiling.

Copper Lounge ceiling.

Nob Hill

Jimmy Walks with a Cone, Alley behind 3205 Central Ave. NE, near Richmond and Central ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run') Jimmy dressed as Howard.

(Photo by Mary Arnold)

Jimmy Walks with a Cone.

Jimmy Walks with a Cone - steps at the end of the alley.

Cliff Meets Kim for Lunch, Cafe Limonata, 3222 Silver Ave. NE ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run'). Kim sets Cliff up for a show.

(Photo by Mary Arnold)

Cafe Limonata.

Wendy Dumped on Silver Ave. (35.079103ø, -106.607792ø) ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run'). Car stops on bike-lane sign.

Mural, Adjacent to Empire Board Game Library; Central at Amherst ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run'). Jimmy's hair looks great!

(Photo by Mary Arnold)

Mural

Mural

Mural

Mural

Kim's mom shoplifts earrings from Svenssen's. Classic Century Square, 4616 Central Ave. SE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 6, 'Axe and Grind'). The former location of the Texas Flag Mural is also visible in the scene.

Kim's mom shoplifts earrings from Svenssen's.

Jubilation Beer, Wine, Spirits, 3512 Lomas Blvd NE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 6, 'Axe and Grind'). Saul buys Zafiro Anejo.

Kim waits on a traffic light. Westbound Zuni/Lead Ave. at Washington St. ("Better Call Saul, Season 6, episode 8, 'Point and Shoot').  There are beautiful Glass Block Windows at Langford Sports and Physical Therapy.

Langford Sports and Physical Therapy.

Langford Sports and Physical Therapy.

Langford Sports and Physical Therapy.

South Valley (West of River), Southwest Albuquerque and Pajarito Mesa

Baptism in oil in an abandoned tanker ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 3, 'Rock and Hard Place'). Concrete-lined irrigation ditches are more-common in southern NM than in central NM. The Arenal Main Canal is an exception.  Nacho's Truck Stop is (34.967186°, -106.705494°). 

I understand that the cast and crew were fired upon during filming. The area might be contested gang turf. Exercise all caution in the vicinity of this location.  Nevertheless, on my visit, there was no sign of any problems at all.  So, probably no need to worry excessively.

Baptism in oil in an abandoned tanker.

Baptism in oil in an abandoned tanker.

Baptism in oil in an abandoned tanker.

Baptism in oil in an abandoned tanker.

Baptism in oil in an abandoned tanker.

San Jose Neighborhood and South Valley (East of River)


Supermarket, Stadium Super Market, 1312 Broadway Blvd. SE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 10, 'Nippy'). Schnauz Farms' cheddar is too sharp.

Supermarket.  Unfortunately, I understand it is closed now.

Supermarket.

Southeast Heights

Albuquerque Sunport. The airport, itself, plus parking at the ABQ Sunport, Level 4 ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 12, 'Waterworks').

Riding bus to Sunport Car Rental facility. Mostly on Sunport Blvd. SE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 12, 'Waterworks').

Sunport Car Rental Center, 3400 University SE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 12, 'Waterworks'). 

Sunport Car Rental Facility.

Sunport Car Rental Center.

Sunport Car Rental Center.

Sunport Car Rental Center.

Central Florida Legal Aid, 925 San Pedro Dr. SE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 13, 'Saul Gone').

Pigeons at Central Florida Legal Aid.

Near "Q" Studios

Lalo gets mad at the Coyotes, just east of where Ira Sprecker Rd. crosses Tijeras Arroyo ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 1, 'Wine and Roses').

Hay truck location is approximately (35.019211°, -106.608474°). Final camera position about (35.019689°, -106.609063°).

Mike's Burn Barrel ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 9, 'Fun and Games').  Probably at same location of the Preliminary Scene for Werner's Execution (see Season 4 post).

"Q" Studios

According to the BCS Insider Podcast this image is a studio creation ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 1, 'Wine and Roses').

Opening with blue flower. Rain starts falling on glass sliver ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 3, 'Rock and Hard Place'). On stage, according to BCS Insider Podcast. At first, I thought the flower was a Morning Glory, but now I'm thinking it's a Desert Bluebell (which, unfortunately, doesn't grow at the Upper Sonoran Zone elevations of the actual place).

Gus' Office at Los Pollos ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 5, 'Black and Blue'). This is a set.  The dingy office for the fake ID buyer is also the same space ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 12, 'Waterworks').

The sewers of Albuquerque ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 7, 'Plan and Execution').  According to Tom Schnauz on the BCS Insider Podcast, the sewers were created in the studio, in part, from the recycled oil tanker.

Mall Security Office ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 10, 'Nippy').  Beautiful architectural space.

Saul's Pit - 2 ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11, 'Breaking Bad'). According to Insider Podcast, out beyond the sound stages.

Strip Club ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11,'Breaking Bad').  According to Insider Podcast, club thrown together on sound stage.

Jail cell ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 13, 'Saul Gone').  Maybe studio.

Walt and Saul discuss regrets ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 13, 'Saul Gone').  Maybe studio.

Chuck says it's never too late to change direction ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 13, 'Saul Gone').  Maybe studio.

Flight back to ABQ ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 13, 'Saul Gone').  Maybe studio.  Nice view of southern Utah, however, plus a view of Navajo Mountain on the Arizona border.

I-25 Corridor, North

German Bar, Ranchers Club of NM, 1901 University Blvd. NE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 5, 'Black and Blue'). Lalo charms Margarethe.

(Photo by Mary Arnold)

(Photo by Mary Arnold)

Palm Coast Sprinkler, 2121 Claremont Ave. NE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 12, 'Waterworks'; episode 13, 'Saul Gone').  The cubes on the facade were placed there by the BCS crew.

Offices for Palm Coast Sprinkler, Albuquerque Journal Publ. Co., 7777 Jefferson Blvd. NE ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 12, 'Waterworks'; episode 13, 'Saul Gone'). By BCS Insider Podcast, offices were staged at the Albuquerque Journal (see post for BCS Season 4).

The Big-I, eastbound on I-40 ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 8, 'Point and Shoot').



North Valley

El Camino Motor Hotel, 6851 4th St NW, Los Ranchos De Albuquerque, NM 87107 ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 1, 'Wine and Roses'; episode 4, 'Hit and Run'; episode 5, 'Black and Blue').

Adjacent to South Wall of Motel ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run') Kim confronts her followers. 

The very first money I ever earned was here at the El Camino, at the age of 14, as a dishwasher. Just one or two sessions. Glad to see the beautiful neon sign is still in good shape!

El Camino Motor Hotel - South Wall.

El Camino Motor Hotel - South Wall.

El Camino Motor Hotel.

El Camino Motor Hotel Dining Room.

El Camino Motor Hotel Dining Room.

El Camino Motor Hotel Dining Room.

El Camino Motor Hotel Dining Room.

El Camino Motor Hotel Dining Room.

House with Spanish-tile roof, 6633 Guadalupe Trail, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11, 'Breaking Bad').  17 Delmar Place.

Northwest Albuquerque

Prime Mart Plus!, 3731 C Cottonwood Dr. NW, Cottonwood Corners ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 7, 'Plan and Execution'). "Listen to me; I'm a philosopher!" (According to BCS Insider Podcast, this is a quote from Tony Kushner's "Angels in America").

Lash Kissed at Cottonwood Mall.

Mall Security at Cottonwood Mall. The Department Store is said to be the old Sears space at Cottonwood Mall ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 10, 'Nippy').

Police Station, Albuquerque Northwest Area Command, 10401 Cibola Loop NW ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 12, 'Waterworks'). Jeff is under arrest!  This location was previously-seen ("Breaking Bad," Season 5a, episode 1, 'Live Free or Die'), where Walt and Jesse use their big magnet.

Police Station.  I talked with the guy at the counter, and he confirmed that the scene with Marie and Saul facing off was indeed filmed here.  Unfortunately it's an active police station, and no one is permitted to enter for the purpose of taking photographs.

Howard's House, 40 Camino Vega Verde. Bowling balls ("Better Call Saul," Season 5, episode 4, 'Namaste'). Howard warns wife about Jimmy ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 6, 'Axe and Grind'). Kim hands Cheryl an affadavit ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 12, 'Waterworks'). 

West Mesa (except Pajarito Mesa)

Kim driving to Santa Fe, Central Ave. on Nine Mile Hill ("Better Call Saul, Season 6, episode 6, 'Axe and Grind'). Discovering Casimiro has a broken arm (35.065624ø, -106.773793ø). (U-Turn takes place at same place as time lapse scene in "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie").



Sandia And Manzano Mountains

Gas Station ("Better Call Saul", Season 6, episode 3, 'Rock and Hard Place'). About 40 NM-333, Carnuel, NM (35.063399°, -106.460824°) The building just to the west of the gas station was a major filming location for that obscure 2005 Zombie movie, "The Stink of Flesh."

Drive to ADX Montrose, Highway 337 south of Tijeras.  Mirror-flipped elevated image of prison bus near Thunderbird Mountain Estates, about (35.016911, -106.344792).  Roadside view of passing bus (35.016117, -106.342691) - ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 13, 'Saul Gone').

To'hajiilee

Route 66 Travel Center, I-40 and exit 140, adjacent to Route 66 Casino. Lalo takes a shower ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 7, 'Plan and Execution').  Here are some photos from 2017.

Route 66 Travel Center, February 2023..

Zia Pueblo, San Ysidro, and Cabezon

Big Chief Truck Stop (35.494607°, -106.728325°). Used in "Breaking Bad" ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11, 'Breaking Bad').

Stock Tank ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 13, 'Saul Gone').  Regrets, and a drink of water (35.489964, -106.821725).

Santa Ana Pueblo & Algodones

On the road to Jemez Dam. (35.373617°, -106.563313°) ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 2, 'Carrot and Stick')

Bernalillo and Placitas

(no new locations offered in this update)



Santo Domingo, Cochiti, and La Bajada Hill

(no new locations offered with this update)



Santa Fe & Lamy

ADX Montrose, Just outside Santa Fe ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 13, 'Saul Gone'). Appears to be the real NM State Penitentiary (35.561755ø, -106.068650ø).

Near Los Lunas and Belen

Mesa Inn, 849 Highway 314 SW, Belen, NM 87002 ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 1, 'Wine and Roses'; episode 2, 'Carrot and Stick')

Courthouse in Los Lunas - BCS Season 6 Office

Nacho runs on a ditchbank. Many places look like this ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 1, 'Wine and Roses'). Ditch Road north of E. River Rd. (Hwy 309). Approximate location - needs in-field verification (34.658473ø, -106.745472ø).

 

Moriarty

Big Pat's, 500 Central Ave., Moriarty ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11, 'Breaking Bad'; episode 12, 'Waterworks').  Gene contacts Francesca - and Kim. Rancho Elisa Stables tack shop.

Bleak Crossroads (34.997106, -106.032413), Pso Poniete and Martinez Road ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11, 'Breaking Bad').

More Distant Locations

Howard's shoes are on a beach.  According the BCS Insider Podcast, it's Leo Carrillo Beach, off the Pacific Coast Highway, near Malibu, CA ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 8, 'Point and Shoot').

Kim driving to work, Eastbound on George King Blvd. at Dave Nisbet Dr., Port Canaveral, FL ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 12, 'Waterworks'). About (28.404654ø, -80.617288ø)

Gene drives and sings, N. Broadway Ave. and Northern Heights Dr. NE, Rochester, MN (44.049105ø, -92.455697ø) ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 12, 'Waterworks').  Blondie's "The Tide is High."

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Guessestimates and Wish List

Pleasant house, with some unpleasant things going on ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 1, 'Wine and Roses').

I don't think this is Hacienda Antigua Inn, but it begs the question of where it actually is ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 1, 'Wine and Roses').

Complete bicycle trek ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run').

Jimmy drives away in celebration ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run').

Kim drives - car follows ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 4, 'Hit and Run').

Creating a German keepsake ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 5, 'Black and Blue'). Embedding a slide rule in Lucite. According to Insider Podcast, shot at same time and in nearby/adjacent space to boxing scene.

Boxing Scene ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 5, 'Black and Blue'). Interior wasn't at 1512 First St. NW.  Where was it?

German residence in woods ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 6, 'Axe and Grind').

Industrial Laundry Security ("Better Call Saul," season 6, episode 6, 'Axe and Grind').

UNM film classroom ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 7, 'Plan and Execution').

Dark room at media lab ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 7, 'Plan and Execution').

Motel ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 9, 'Fun and Games').  Looks like Hiway House in Nob Hill, but I don't think that's it.

Snowy Field ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 10, 'Nippy').  It's so big, but I still don't know where they are!

Third Bar in montage ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11, 'Breaking Bad').

Various houses in montage ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 11, 'Breaking Bad').

Mobile homes across the canal from Kim's House ("Better Call Saul," Season 6, episode 12, 'Waterworks').

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