Road Trip!

fintail

If I had been closer to Dayton, I would have stopped at the Packard facility. Maybe if I ever make it back.

imidazol97 said:

fintail said:

You should do it, no time like the present.

I just remembered I should have suggested the American's Packard Museum. The only museum
in a restored Packard dealership. It's in Dayton, but I've never visited. They don't have a lot of
cars but the slideshow on the home page shows many of them. Site says it is the largest collection of Packards
and memorabilia in the WORLD.
http://www.americaspackardmuseum.com/home.html
The building was a downtown Ford dealership in the 60s and 70s. Borcher's Ford.

fintail

Yep, the house in the trees is Cameron's house from Ferris Bueller.

I suspect most of the residential locations are probably safe from the wrecking ball, as they are nice houses in nice areas. You can never be sure though, as the Weird Science house was removed some years ago, and replaced with a bland mcmansion. The Family Matters house was recently razed and replaced by condos in a gentrifying neighborhood, and the house used for exterior scenes in Alf was too small of a house for Brentwood, so it was removed and replaced by something larger and less appealing.

From last week, this site has appeared in countless films:

fintail

I drove around Detroit most of the day. A little tiring. I've read this is the most dangerous area in the country for driving, and I can believe it - and it has nothing to do with crime. I wish I had my dashcam, this is as close as one can be to driving in a Russian cam video without being in a Lada and idolizing Putin. It's like a real life GTA video game. The roads seem no worse than Chicago, but the drivers, just some crazy stuff. I feel weird when I signal.

The above location is obvious, so here's one that might be a toughie, this detached garage. The only hint I will give for now is that it is a John Hughes location, and it is in a very very nice neighborhood:

Michaell

Looks like the house from 16 Candles where Jake lived. The Rolls was in the far right Bay of the garage.

fintail

You're good, Michaell. I should have thought you might know it, as you wanted a pic of Shermer High School. The garage doesn't appear for much time in the movie, but from what I can tell, the site is little changed.



Drove about 2 hours each way to Gilmore today. Worth the drive, even if conditions weren't ideal:

xwesx

Looks like fun to me! We have a little more snow than that here, but not by much. Octobers are so warm here lately that we don't see much snow that sticks around. This year, we had a few inches of rain during the month! If a "normal" October (for reference, "normal" in this context is at least ten years distant now), we would probably have a solid 3' or more of snow on the ground now with as much rain as fell last month!

Instead, we had one snowstorm early this week, and now have about 6-8" of total accumulation.

fintail

Most roads were slushy at worst, some bridges may have been dicey. I'll say the MI roads people work hard, they were out treating roads immediately. Maybe they work too hard, given the condition of so many cars there - I saw some sights that are alien to me, post-2000 cars that appear to be rusted hulks, and a virtual absence of cars on the road over 20 years old.

I drove from Detroit to Chicago earlier today, I am a little tired - traffic was a grind. Took around 5 and a half hours. Snowing when I left, snow on the ground until the state line. Supposed to snow tomorrow, I am leaving in the morning.

fintail

Movie location site, it's virtually impossible alone (I think), so I will ID it too.

This:



Is effectively the same location as this scene:



That lovely series III XJ6 driving off is a scene I always remember.

Michaell

fintail said:

Movie location site, it's virtually impossible alone (I think), so I will ID it too.

This:



Is effectively the same location as this scene:



That lovely series III XJ6 driving off is a scene I always remember.

Nice!

Trivia - the plate number on that Porsche was John Hughes' birth date (02-18-50)

fintail

I think I remember that. Notice in Hughes films, many characters have personalized or special plates.

Here's another Sixteen Candles pic, as I think you are a fan. Jake Ryan's house as it appears today - similar, but more foliage in the intervening nearly 35 years. I swear in the movie they go into an attached garage (been some time since I have seen it, but I have always enjoyed it, very good casting), but as you see, it is detached:



House zillows over 5MM, to put it in perspective.

Michaell said:

Nice!

Trivia - the plate number on that Porsche was John Hughes' birth date (02-18-50)

Michaell

Yes, the movie certainly implies that it is an attached garage. I'm guessing a sound stage was used for the front door scenes (Farmer Ted and the two geeks, including John Cusack)

And yes, I'm a John Hughes fan.

imidazol97

fintail said:

and a virtual absence of cars on the road over 20 years old.
.

I think you're wrong about the over 20 group of cars: they're still on the road. It's just that they're there in ferric oxide form as a powder, along with the tire rubber and other detritus. Back in the 70's I went to Cleveland to visit grad school buddy and he pointed out 2-year old Fords, like mine, had rust showing on the trunk lids from the salts.

fintail

That reminds me of something I read ages ago, a "Cleveland special" being a car that is rusted out everywhere below the window line. I recall in northern IN seeing a 97-01 Prelude that appeared to be made from lace, it was really gone.

While waiting around after the rental car incident in Milwaukee, I was chatting with the nice cop who got to deal with the scene, he told me he buys a winter car every year, usually an old Suburban or similar he picks up for no more than a couple grand, and tries to get as close to that out of it when he sells in the spring.

imidazol97 said:

I think you're wrong about the over 20 group of cars: they're still on the road. It's just that they're there in ferric oxide form as a powder, along with the tire rubber and other detritus. Back in the 70's I went to Cleveland to visit grad school buddy and he pointed out 2-year old Fords, like mine, had rust showing on the trunk lids from the salts.

fintail

Took off from O'Hare this morning, it was snowing again:



Nice view over Glacier Peak, with Mt Rainier in the background, Mt Adams to the left, and Mt St Helens hiding behind Rainier:



And another movie location. This one might be tough even for Michaell. It's from a John Hughes movie, but seen for only a short time, IIRC:

imidazol97

I wish you had more days on this trip. I'm enjoying the pictures, the cars, the movie scenes along with the explanations.

fintail

Glad you like it. I think some of the filming locations might be arcane or dorky to most people, but I am into it

Michaell

I give up on the grey house.

boomchek

Grey house is a tough one.

xwesx

Who is this John Hughes guy again?

tjc78

Yeah I tap out on the grey house too.  

fintail

That's Gary's house from Weird Science. Literally just around the corner from Cameron's house on Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Those who were around back in the day may be wondering who is this "Gary" character Not all movies are intended to be high theater.

This one should be much easier. The house on the left is seen a lot, the house on the right a bit, too:

ab348

A Christmas Story?

fintail

You're about as cold as the snow on the lawn

Speaking of A Christmas Story, visiting the house (in Cleveland) is worthwhile if one is really into it. It's a bit of a tourist trap/shrine now, but in a good way. The house appears nearly identical, inside and out, to how it did in the movie, and there's an adjacent museum full of props (which you can tour, along with the house, for a nominal fee), and a gift shop. I didn't know when I was ever going to be in the area again, so I had to visit:

ab348

Well, it doesn't look THAT different. It's one of the few movies I know.

fintail

I know most of the movies I have posted appeal to mostly those of a certain age demographic and/or sense of humor.

The current mystery houses are for a movie actually made in this century.

xwesx

Well, considering their sardine-like proximity, I'm not sure how you could have one without the other!

Given where you visited, I'm going to take a WAG and say Gran Torino.

fintail

Bingo! The house on the left is Walt's house from Gran Torino, the one on the right was Thao's family home.

I am sure you could buy those houses for about the price of a can of sardines, too.

fintail

This one should be easier - another Hughes house, but not specifically a teen movie:

xwesx

Wow. I must have had a moment of inspiration on that one! I really enjoyed that Clint Eastwood story, but I only saw it once (and when it was "new" at that).

This latest house makes me think of Uncle Buck, but I'm not sure if that had anything to do with Hughes.

jpp75

Great pics @fintail, enjoyed seeing your travels throughout the midwest.

fintail

You're on it today, xwesx, that's the Uncle Buck house. I too like Gran Torino, good story, one of the rare movies in the past couple decades I've seen that I really enjoyed.

I'm glad at least a few people aren't bored with this

xwesx

fintail said:

You're on it today, xwesx, that's the Uncle Buck house. I too like Gran Torino, good story, one of the rare movies in the past couple decades I've seen that I really enjoyed.

I'm glad at least a few people aren't bored with this

*faints from shock*


TBH, I was initially going to suggest Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but I knew that was too far removed from all the other Hughes stuff being bantered about to be a likely fit. Then, after imagining the place without all the greenery, John Candy flitted through my mind, then abnormally large pancakes....

fintail

Wow, so you do know some pop culture - stuff which is now vintage, but that's the best kind

No more filming location pics for today - I am running out, unless I dig out some from past trips.

Instead, some icicles from last Thursday - we seldom get these west of the mountains, so they caught my eye:

xwesx said:

TBH, I was initially going to suggest Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but I knew that was too far removed from all the other Hughes stuff being bantered about to be a likely fit. Then, after imagining the place without all the greenery, John Candy flitted through my mind, then abnormally large pancakes....

Michaell

fintail said:

Wow, so you do know some pop culture - stuff which is now vintage, but that's the best kind

No more filming location pics for today - I am running out, unless I dig out some from past trips.

Instead, some icicles from last Thursday - we seldom get these west of the mountains, so they caught my eye:

xwesx said:

TBH, I was initially going to suggest Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but I knew that was too far removed from all the other Hughes stuff being bantered about to be a likely fit. Then, after imagining the place without all the greenery, John Candy flitted through my mind, then abnormally large pancakes....

Yeah, @fintail, I know you've got some shots from your CA trip (where you rented an Impala, if memory serves me correctly)

xwesx

fintail said:

Wow, so you do know some pop culture - stuff which is now vintage, but that's the best kind

No more filming location pics for today - I am running out, unless I dig out some from past trips.

Instead, some icicles from last Thursday - we seldom get these west of the mountains, so they caught my eye:

Yes. I'm so ashamed of myself! Hahaha

I think I had icicles that big hanging from my car tonight when I was getting ready to head home. Sadly, they didn't survive the journey.

boomchek

I haven't seen Gran Torino yet although I've been planning to watch it. Is it a good overall movie that happens to have a car in it, or a car movie with a good story?

Michaell

boomchek said:

I haven't seen Gran Torino yet although I've been planning to watch it. Is it a good overall movie that happens to have a car in it, or a car movie with a good story?

Good movie with a car in it.

boomchek

I'll try to see it next time I'm planning on watching something. Thanks.

fintail

Old pop culture is ok, it is mostly all I know too

I was so impressed by seeing icicles, I took pics of some on the Armada as well:

xwesx said:

Yes. I'm so ashamed of myself! Hahaha

I think I had icicles that big hanging from my car tonight when I was getting ready to head home. Sadly, they didn't survive the journey.

fintail

This one should be easy. A memorable/famous scene took place near the tree at left, IIRC:

fintail

Right on both counts. That was a pretty nice car, too.

Michaell said:

Yeah, @fintail, I know you've got some shots from your CA trip (where you rented an Impala, if memory serves me correctly)

fintail

Any takers on the latest location pic? Hint: "auto-mo-beeel?"

berri

John Hughes died way too young. Raised in the Chicago area, he was a prolific writer and producer of some great movies.

Michaell

fintail said:

Any takers on the latest location pic? Hint: "auto-mo-beeel?"

16 Candles. Long Duc Dong, the morning after the party, and the day of the wedding.

fintail

Yep, that's the Sixteen Candles house, and the spot where grandma kicks Long Duc Dong after learning he destroyed grandpa's automobeeel.

Hughes grew up in those leafy northern suburbs IIRC, which is why he set so many of his movies there.

fintail

Here's a good one, not in Chicago:

boomchek

Probably incorrect but reminds me of "The Burbs" for some reason.

fintail

Within a few years of The Burbs, but that's not it. It is connected to a pic I posted earlier.

The Klopek's house from The Burbs is on a backlot at Universal Studios. It has been altered over the years, mostly because that backlot street was also the location of "Desperate Housewives". Here's how the Klopek house appeared when I visited a few years ago:

imidazol97

fintail said:

Here's a good one, not in Chicago:

It reminds me of the house son lived in near campus at OSU>

fintail

Nice house, that's something I like in that part of the country, brick houses - not nearly as common out here, as when you live in a forest, you use wood.