If you have read my blog to the end, then thank you. And here is a little bonus for you.

A post about cinematic nostalgia.

The traditional viewing of the Christmas double feature "Home Alone" brought back many nostalgic thoughts about the places I managed to visit while in the USA. Yes, I wasn't in big cities for that long. In the aforementioned New York, I spent a total of about 5 days. No more. But that was enough for me to visit some of the places that once became part of big shoots, directors' shouts, and the general hustle and bustle of the entire team of makeup artists, set decorators, camera operators, and, of course, actors. It evokes some interesting feelings. The places you watch while sitting in a cinema or at home in front of the TV turn out to be just meters away from you. It is worth noting that I did not set out to visit such locations. It just happened by accident. I only found out about some of them today while researching the topic online. Camera. Action?

1. Since we're on a roll, we should, of course, start with "Home Alone 2", the filming of which, as you know, took place almost entirely in New York. True, at the time of filming, the author of these lines wasn't even in the project, let alone in New York, but, to be honest, the film still evokes nostalgia. Mentioning this picture, a first-class hotel where Culkin's character lived immediately comes to mind. Of course, I couldn't let myself pass by the famous The Plaza, but I didn't go inside. I don't think I would have been welcome there. By the way, speaking of time and the difference, at the end of the film, Kevin was presented with a bill for $967.43 for all his luxury services, and at the moment, according to rumors, just one night in a room starts from $2000-2200.

An equally important part of the film was Central Park, which "swallowed" the poor lonely hero in the middle of the night, but also led to a new friend. I was lucky that, without even walking half the park, I ended up in exactly those places. These places have united many films at different times. From the more childish Stuart Little to...

yes, yes, I have no doubt that most of the girls (young ladies, ladies) have now recognized these places thanks to the next frame.

In addition to the above, you can follow in the footsteps of the film "Home Alone 2" (and a dozen others) by arriving at the main square of the city - Times Square. In the picture, let me remind you, the main character's mother rushes past the souvenir shops of the square and asks passersby if they have seen a little boy. For comparison, I will just show Times Square in '92 and '14.

For those going to New York, I can also mention Rockefeller Center, which I, in my stupidity, did not visit. This is the one with the "biggest Christmas tree in the city".

2. Since I started talking about Central Park, I will add one more place that I want to note. This is a huge orchestral shell, which is personally known to me from a shot in the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's", but this is not the only film that was shot there. So everyone will have their own associations. In general, having googled it, I realized that it was created for various kinds of performances by groups or orchestras, but such a structure is now used more for photo shoots or, as you can see, for cinema. Although some street musicians still perform here, hoping for sound amplification. For example, #cityofthesun, whose performance I caught and it impressed me immensely. Listen for interest's sake.

By the way, speaking of "Breakfast at Tiffany's", I also managed to get to the famous store, but for some reason, I can't find the photo among tons of my shots. Although I stood in the very place where one of my favorite women in the world stood. Lovely.

Of the places I didn't get to in Central Park, I can mention: the zoo where the animals from "Madagascar" lived, as well as the famous fountain where the opening credits of the series "Friends" were filmed. There are dozens of such places, but they are not as famous as these.

3. From Central Park, it is very easy to get to the Museum of Natural History, which is quite famous not only in New York but all over the world, and which gained wide popularity thanks to Ben Stiller and the magic tablet from Egypt. Already at the entrance, I met one of the greatest US presidents, who was repeatedly played by one of my favorite actors, Robin Williams (Yes, now you can shed a small tragic tear).

It is worth noting that the statue in reality is not at all where it is in the film. (Outside - it's in the same place, but inside at the entrance I didn't find it). But in general, the museum is full of exhibits that come to life in the picture (funny. I'm writing this, and "Night at the Museum" is playing on TV right now.), but I want to share this most of all: see photo. Although here again, in the movies, everything is not as it is in life.

4. Continuing to talk about Ben Stiller, I will note that I accidentally walked past the so-called Trump Tower, which is a hotel of the person known from the name. This tower, in fact, was what Stiller and Murphy's characters wanted to "steal" in the famous comedy from 4 years ago, "Tower Heist". By the way, the real tower consists of 68 floors and ranks 51st among the tallest buildings in the city. The film indicates that the skyscraper is 9 floors lower.

ps I didn't find any normal shots/photos on the internet linking the film and Trump Tower.

5. I already mentioned about Madagascar that I didn't get to their zoo. But I made it to Grand Central Terminal, where the main characters managed to cause a stir, and the giraffe even fit into the clock. The clock, by the way, is exactly the same. In exactly the same place. The station in general leaves only incredibly cool impressions, but I liked the gorgeous ceiling the most, which is painted with a starry sky theme with all the appropriate consequences in the form of constellations, etc. Insanely beautiful.

6. The final movie spot in NY will be the Brooklyn Bridge, which has also repeatedly become a place for filming or destruction throughout its existence. In the photo, this very bridge became a trap for the old (and my favorite adaptation) Godzilla. Besides lizards, the bridge saw Will Smith in "I Am Legend", when infected people were cut off from civilization by bombing the central part of the bridge. More examples can be recalled: Cloverfield, Panic in New York, Life After People, Hellboy. But that was already googled.

Next, a little about San Francisco.

7. The first thing I remember when thinking about San Francisco is Fincher's famous, gripping film "The Game" with Michael Douglas in the lead role, the filming of which took place almost entirely in this city. And a shot always appears in my head that I saw with my own eyes when I ended up there. That moment when an unknown taxi driver tries to throw the main character into the Bay right under the Oakland Bridge.

8. The filming of the film "The Rock" took place almost entirely on the prison island of Alcatraz, where one of the main actors, Sean Connery, even demanded that a house be built for him. Unfortunately, I never made it to the island. I saw it up close while sailing on a barge, no more.

But by chance, I got very close to another place where the same Sean Connery met his daughter according to the plot of the film. And by itself, this is the Palace of Fine Arts.

A couple of days ago, I also watched Tim Burton's new film, "Big Eyes", the events of which take place almost entirely in San Francisco. And this place also appears there.

9. Well, I'm too lazy to write anymore, although the Golden Gate Bridge was mentioned in hundreds of films, just like the Brooklyn one. But the very last thing I remember is one of the parts of X-Men, when Magneto had the audacity to lift the bridge and send it to the aforementioned Alcatraz Island.

And the same Burton's "Big Eyes", where the bridge also appeared.

And each of these cases is just one of the most famous, but in fact, you can even have a whole hobby - collecting cinematic places from different parts of the Earth. From the places where I have been, more films can be recalled, but not all are known to the general public, just as not all places can be remembered. And also a whole bunch of locations I missed because I didn't think about it before the trip. Now, exploring these places, I found out that not far from the places where I was, there is a Ghostbusters base and various events of The Godfather. Although I still can't forgive myself for not getting to the bridge that appeared so brightly in "Once Upon a Time in America". I've wanted to see this bridge since childhood. And in general, it turned out very cool. And honestly, I didn't even expect that I visited such a number of similar film locations.

If you have read up to this point, then honor and praise to you. And thank you. Since I wrote for a long time. Out of boredom.