I’ve always been a huge fan of comedies, and “Pineapple Express” is definitely one of my all-time favorites. I mean, Seth Rogen and James Franco together? Comedy gold! So, the other day, I got this wild idea to track down some of the actual spots where they filmed the movie. I figured it would be a fun little adventure, and hey, who doesn’t love a good movie location hunt?
Getting Started
First things first, I needed to do some research. I hit up the internet, you know, the usual spots like movie location websites and forums. Turns out, a lot of the movie was shot in Los Angeles – no big surprise there, right? Hollywood loves its hometown. I found out that a lot of folks online were also curious about these locations, so there was a decent amount of info out there.
Mapping It Out
Once I had a list of potential locations, I started plotting them out on a map. I used a simple online map tool, nothing fancy. I marked down places like Saul’s apartment, some of the streets they drove down, you know, the key spots. It was actually pretty cool to see it all laid out like that. It’s like, “Oh, so that’s where that crazy chase scene happened!”
Hitting the Streets
With my map ready, I decided to go check out some of these places in person. I grabbed my camera, hopped in my car, and started cruising around LA. Now, LA traffic is a beast, so it took a while to get around, but I didn’t mind. It was all part of the experience. I drove by some of the streets they used in the movie, like the area around 3554 W. 1st St. and 3560 W. 1st St. That’s close to Saul’s apartment, apparently. It looks a bit different in real life, of course, but you can still kinda see the resemblance.
Some disappointments, but also some cool finds.
- Some spots were a bit of a letdown. Either they’d changed a lot since the movie was filmed, or they were just kinda ordinary-looking.
- But then there were other places that were pretty neat. I found this one spot that was used in a chase scene. It was this nondescript alleyway, but knowing what happened there in the movie made it kinda special.
More than just LA
I also learned that they filmed some scenes in Santa Clarita, which is a bit outside of LA. I didn’t make it out there this time, but it’s on my list for a future trip. It’s always cool to see how different locations are used to create the world of a movie.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it was a really fun experience. It’s not every day you get to walk in the footsteps (or drive in the tire tracks) of your favorite movie characters. And it’s a cool way to appreciate all the work that goes into making a movie, you know? Finding the right locations, setting up the shots, all that stuff. If you’re a fan of “Pineapple Express,” or just movies in general, I definitely recommend doing a little location hunting of your own. It’s a blast!
