escape
h i t t h e r oa d
Get off the couch — and see these small-screen sights
In this era of obsessive-compulsive Netflix viewing, travelers are looking to their favorite TV shows for inspiration. Want to relive a pivotal scene from your favorite drama? Start with these small-screeninspired travel ideas. Venture westward to Los Angeles to experience “Mad Men” firsthand. Book a stay at the Millennium Biltmore (506 S. Grand Ave., 213-624-1011) for a taste of the mid-mod finesse that permeates the series. The hotel has an illustrious history that goes beyond being a filming location for the AMC drama. It’s appeared in numerous movies, hosted Academy Awards banquets, and served as the accommodation-ofchoice for presidents and celebrities. For a memorable night on the town, head to
the Art Deco-inspired Cicada Restaurant (617 S. Olive St., 213-488-9488), the filming location of the Clio Awards during Season 4’s “Waldorf Stories” episode. With classic cocktails and live jazz, it won’t be difficult to feel like you’re Joan Harris reincarnate. In Honolulu, stay at the Royal Hawaiian (2259 Kalakaua Ave., 808-923-7311) where Don and Megan Draper spent their Season 6 vacation, and take a stroll down Waikiki Beach in the footsteps of the glamorous — although not always happy — couple. Filmed in New Mexico, “Breaking Bad” showcased the beauty (and brutality) of the Chihuahuan desert. In Albuquerque, visit John B. Robert Dam, which served as a distinctive backdrop for the significant scene when Jesse made his fateful decision not to flee to Alaska. Next, grab a bite to eat at Twisters (4257 Isleta Blvd. SW, 505-877-2727), better known as Los Pollos Hermanos from the Gustavo Fring episodes. Take a seat in Walter White’s usual booth, and be sure to notice the Los Pollos Hermanos logo on the wall. Beerdrinking “Breaking Bad” fans can visit Marble Brewery (111 Marble Ave. NW, 505-243-2739, marblebrewery.com) in downtown Albuquerque to cap off their trip. The small town of Senoia, Georgia has earned itself notoriety as a filming location for “The Walking Dead.” Main Street, in
Death Valley? Ha ha ha! With a size and format that makes it about as unwieldy as an outsized wall calendar, Death Valley: Hottest Place on Earth isn’t exactly a handy guidebook. You won’t be tucking it in your jeans back pocket when you visit the valley famous for being, like, really really super hot. But maybe that’s the point. Death Valley: Hottest Place on Earth (Rio Nuevo, $12.95) is an eye-poppingly gorgeous coffee-table/guidebook for serious dirtheads who look upon the brutal washboard ripple of a hellish desert outland and feel their hearts flutter. It’s written by one guy, Roger Naylor, and his monomaniacal love for Death Valley — its plains, pits and peaks, its ghost towns and unlikely attraction for eccentrics, entrepreneurs and
22 | Desert
Companion | February 2014
desperadoes — has its own magnetic quality, and it’s not just in his intimate knowledge of the backcountry trails and dusty backstories. Death Valley isn’t exactly known as sitcom material, but the frequent humor in Hottest Place on Earth makes you realize how precious and self-consciously grave writing about the desert often is. Not in these pages. Sure, Naylor does a fine job in giving Death Valley its writerly due — “Desert rolls away in all directions, stark and epic, subtle and hypnotic.” But he never takes himself, or Death Valley, too seriously. Baffled by its magnitude, he sums up “the big bad boy of deserts” best when he writes, “Death Valley inspires me to admit something I never thought I’d say: I wish I had stayed awake more often in science class.” — Andrew Kiraly
Senoia’s historic downtown, played the role of Woodbury, the Governor’s attempt at a utopian society amid the zombie-induced chaos. Stop by the Woodbury Shoppe (42 Main St., 770727-9312, woodburyshoppe.com) if you’re in the market for “The Walking Dead” merchandise. If you can’t make it all the way to Senoia though, never fear! You can purchase your “Mrs. Daryl Dixon” hinged wallet and other apocalypse-themed items online. In Atlanta, drive towards downtown on Freedom Parkway, the route Rick takes on horseback in the iconic scene from “The Walking Dead’s” first episode. Once you’ve arrived in the city, catch a performance at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center (2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, 770-916-2800, cobbenergycentre.com), which masqueraded as the sleek and modern CDC headquarters during Season 1. This architectural gem is the venue for a variety of upcoming shows, including performances by the Atlanta Ballet, comedian Amy Schumer, the Atlanta Opera and guitarist Jesse Cook. For those who aren’t ready to drive through Georgia or fly to Hawaii, TV landmarks can be found right here. Just bring your least favorite antique to Gold and Silver Pawn (713 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-385-7912). Maybe you’ll have a chance to hone your negotiation skills on an episode of “Pawn Stars.” — Sarah Vernetti
Get loopy At the end of an amazingly scenic drive down Valley of Fire’s lone paved side road lies a short hike that’s long on scenery: White Dome Loop. The two-mile circle begins up a sandy wash, then drops down into an incredibly colorful canyon used as a backdrop in the 1966 Burt Lancaster western, “The Professionals.” From there, it’s all right turns (NASCAR fans can hike it backward) through a narrow slot canyon and back up to the trailhead. Difficulty: Easy. — Alan Gegax