Pluribus Filming Locations - Season 1

Links to 28 different "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" posts can be found on the sidebar of the Marc Valdez Weblog desktop website.  Choose the link that works best for you.  

This post focuses on Season 1 filming locations for "Plur1bus," or "Pluribus" (updated on November 26, 2025).

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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Inaugurating Pluribus!

Episode 101 - "We Is Us"

Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescopes, San Augustin Plain west of Magdalena, NM (also used in the movie 'Contact,' starring Jodie Foster.

Bookstore - Barnes and Noble Bookstore, 6600 Menaul Blvd. NE, at Coronado Mall (FB friend Xandra was in the scene, so any questions can be forwarded to her). 

USAMRIID labs - Appears to be CNM Rio Rancho campus, 2601 Campus Blvd. NE, Rio Rancho, NM.

ABQ Sunport - on landing, view looking northeast along SW/NE runway, towards Sandias

Sunport parking garage - Row I, Level 3?  This parking garage is holy ground in the Gilliverse.  Essentially, the parking garage is a map of the ancient American Southwest, featuring the ancient Pueblo Meridian, represented by the skylighted north-south open space within the garage.  All parking-garage filming locations in BrBa, BCS, and probably Pluribus too seem to be chosen to be as close as possible to the skylighted open space, which represents the Pueblo Meridian.  It will be important to nail this location down to the exact foot (see my discussion here).

Vicinity of Bar - Vicinity of Vernon's Speakeasy, 6855 4th St. NW (where the 2013 Walter White burial plaque is memorialized). 

Police car - on Bobby Foster Rd., near "Q" Studios.

Carol gazes over city on fire - Bobby Foster Rd, at almost exactly the same place where Kim Wexler has her car crash in "Better Call Saul."

Hospital - College and Career High School, 940 University Blvd. SE.

Street scene - Approximately 1500 1st St. NW.  Vicinity of Kinley Ave. and 1st St. NW.

Cul-de-sac where Carol lives - Roughly six houses on the slope of the JA Volcano (35.165335°, -106.746240°). I tried visiting there in February, 2025, but I could see security waiting for me, so I didn't visit. 

Episode 102 - "Pirate Lady"

Islas Canarias (Canary Islands)

Approximate location of Car Crash - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Barranca Guiniguada (28.102771°, -15.429149°)

Zosia climbs on motorbike - up above previous site? - C. Cruz de Piedra

Painted pavement - Camino Nilo (28.104666°, -15.422091°)

Near rug shop - 

Motorbike descends towards port - C. Sierra Nevada (28.104243°, -15.424704°)

Coastal drive pedestrian overpass (28.067770°, -15.417158°)

Airport - For some reason, this location is hard to determine.  Was it actually filmed somewhere else entirely?  Indeed, in the Pluribus Facebook Group on Facebook, this location is claimed by the Belen Regional Airport.  So, what is the model for the airport terminal?  I don't know!

Cul-de-sac again 

C-130 at Sunport - on landing, view looking northeast along SW/NE runway, towards Sandias

Shower at Hotel (thinking Sandia Casino, but who knows?)

Subdivision street - unclear.  Possibly Retablo Rd. NW

Crane - According to Frank Sandoval: "First Baptist Church on Paseo Del Norte east of golf course, north side of the building. They used the backside of the Baptist Church for the scene. 4101 Paseo del Norte Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114"

Driving on street - thinking around 9101 Retablo Rd. NW.

Cul-de-sac  

Helicopter 

Airport at Bilbao, Spain 

Estate in northeastern Spain - Getaria, Basque Country - Iturregi Hotela, 20808 Askizu, Gipuzkoa, Spain.

Episode 103 - "Grenade"

Sprouts (interior) - According to Apple TV podcast, this is the old Sears Store at Cottonwood Mall, same as location used for a department store in "Better Call Saul," episode "Nippy.".

Sprouts (exterior) - Sprouts Farmer's Market store #707, 13150 Central Ave. SE, 87123

Parking lot - Carol watches trucks approach not far away from the old Sears store location, over more by Dillards, at (35.197336°, -106.655171°)

Hospital - CNM Westside Campus, 10549 Universe Blvd. NW.

Episode 104 - "Please, Carol"

Storage units and house in Paraguay - Interior is on set, according to Apple Podcast.  Exterior, storage units in ABQ, off 4th Street, near Vernon's.  Perhaps Chamisa Self Storage, 7010 4th Street NW, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque.  These place are all near the El Camino Motor Hotel, which was an important filming location in "Better Call Saul."

CNM Open Space?

Cul-de-sac

Hospital - CNM Westside Campus, 10549 Universe Blvd. NW.

Episode 105 - "Got Milk"

Hospital - CNM Westside Campus, 10549 Universe Blvd. NW.

House Interior

Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1901 University Blvd. NE.

(Rooftop built in studio)

Stairwell

City Vista as seen from top of the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Cul-de-sac

Street corner

Near playground - milk containers

Duke City Dairy

Cop car scraping bottom - 

Builder Materials, 1707 Commercial St. NE

Driving on the street

Sprouts at night - 

Agri-jet (exterior) - Monumental Studios, 1235 Aspen Ave. NW.

That's all I got at the moment!

Jasper Update

Since Jasper was featured in Nextdoor.com for doing his own self-directed walk around the neighborhood he's become even more-celebrated. People I've never met before now seem to know his name, and have heard of his exploits. 

Halloween came, and once again I was faced with the problem that no one comes to my house for Trick-or-Treat. Part of the problem is that there are no kids in the immediate neighborhood.  Also, my house stands considerably-higher than the street, making it a formidable, almost haunted, destination for little kids. So, this year, I grabbed my bag of candy as I took Jasper for his evening walk, and went searching for parties of the little kids. I was able to meet a number of them that way, and I gave away most of my candy. 

I wanted to make some comfort food, but didn't account for how slick the skillet was on top of the stove. Suddenly, there was a crash, and Hamburger Helper was piled in a smoking ruin on the kitchen floor. Jasper entered the kitchen. His smile seemed to say: "Best idea ever!"

Tuesday Kindergarten

Last week at the elementary school, I spent most of my time becoming acquainted with what the Special Education folks do. We'll see how it evolves. 

On Tuesday, November 4th, which was a short day at the school, I spent all day in kindergarten. The day was filled with various class projects. The teacher played a video about Canada, and assigned a project to use red crayons and maple leaves in order that everyone could make their own Canadian flags. Quite nice! 

I escorted the kids to lunch. As the kids stood in line for food they started rocking back and forth, particularly their shoulders and arms. "Six seven!" they all chanted. I saw a clip from "South Park," showing kids at their elementary school doing the same, and that looked exactly like this (except the Peter Thiel part). 

I monitored recess as well. One of the girls presented me with a gift: a wood chip cut into the shape of a Perfect Rhombus. It was striking, and sweet. There is something almost ethereal about this girl. 

Meanwhile, a few girls were playing a favorite game: chasing boys and making them kiss them. The boys ran away, but not very hard, and they were frequently caught. 

A group of four girls were hanging upside down from the bars at one end of the play structure. Their tops fell over their heads and they showed off their nipples to each other. I didn't need to see this, and so monitored more-boisterous play at the other end of the play structure. Still, I could hear much of what the four girls were saying. The leader of the four girls wanted to correct her playmates, who were making no distinction between boy nipples and girl nipples. As she explained: "Boys have nipples, but girls have boobies." 

After recess, a strange thing happened. A kindergartener from a different class was moved into the classroom - usually done to throw a misbehaving kid off-balance, and thus more compliant. The teacher asked me to take this boy along with three other kids into the recess yard for an extra recess. 

The boy immediately began misbehaving, with language and action - acting more like a 12-year-old rather than a four-year-old. He started trying to climb the fence surrounding the recess yard. His first attempt failed. I pulled him off the fence (contact with the kids is discouraged, but escape from the recess yard is even more strongly-discouraged). The boy started climbing again. Each time he failed, but he was getting faster and more assured. The boy then turned began attacking the other boy in the yard. I stopped that, but then I got distracted - I think another adult had entered the area - and suddenly, on the fifth attempt, the boy was gone. 

The office responded very quickly. They were alarmed. What is it with this boy? 

Post-school recess then started. The boys particularly liked a game on the slide they called "You Can't Catch Me Old Man!" The boys went down the slide as I lunged clumsily after them, with the pretense that I couldn't touch them. As the kids slid down the plastic slide they became charged with static electricity, so as they escaped my grasp I was still able to zap them with electric shocks. 

And, as sometimes happens, by the weekend I had come down with a fever and a cold. Working with kids can take a toll.