A. We first see the campus in Episode 5, of Season 6, "The Angel of Death".
Angel
& Quinn have gone to the University of Tallahassee because Professor Gellar,
the main suspect in the Doomsday murder case, used to teach there.
We first see them walking, talking about Angel's driving habits.
Then
they spot Professor Clarissa Porter, sitting on a garden bench.
They tell her the department head sent them. She's expecting
them, but doesn't seem happy to see them.
Quinn
asks her about Professor Gellar. She tells them he had nothing to
do with the Doomsday killings, that she was his teacher's assistant for
a year, and it's clear she admired him.
When they mention his eccentric blog, she says that Gellar "like to stir up trouble - make people think."
She gets up and they start walking, continuing the conversation.
She describes Gellar as "smart, charismatic, brilliant, even."
She
reveals that she & Gellar were lovers, living together, before her
time as T.A. ran out and he replaced her with "another cute brunette".
Quinn gives her his card, and she says that if Gellar reappears, she will contact them.
Before
leaving, Quinn asks if she knows of somewhere they could get a
drink. She says maybe. (Which leads to the later bar scene
where Quinn and the T.A. hook up.)
Q.
What is it actually in real life?
A. A university - but not in Florida.
Q.
Where can I find it in real life?
A. This scene was actually shot on the campus of California State University Long Beach (CSULB), located at 1250 Bellflower Blvd in Long Beach, CA.
So, exactly where on the large campus?
The stone bench, where they first started talking to the assistant, was moved near the northwest corner of the Fine Arts 1 (FA1) building. And they added the floral arrangement above her.
Then the trio walks northwest,
passing through a covered walkway, across a lawn, to a row of large Banyan fig trees
(that run north/NW between the Fine Arts buildings and the
Central Quad).
(That's the same covered
walkway where we first see Angel & Quinn walking, before they meet
the Professor. They were walking north/northeast.)
The Fine Art Buildings (and the Central Quad) are located at the far south end of the campus, just north of Seventh Street.
Here's a Bing aerial photo, showing the locations and the direction they took.
And here is a map
link
(This is the same campus where they shot the art museum scenes, seen earlier in the same episode. In fact, the gallery is just a few steps away from this spot.)
Two students from CSULB, Jason & Jennifer, were both kind enough to send me photos (and video!) of the campus filming location:
Jason shot the photos below, in October 2011.
Jennifer shot the photos below, in October 2011.
Jennifer shot this video:
And Jason shot this video:
Q.
How the heck did you figure out where it was?
A. In previous seasons, I've
usually had to hunt down the locations after viewing the episodes,
using clues from the various scenes. By the 6th season, though,
I'd developed a small group of fans, spies & tipsters who kept an
eye out for Dexter filming in their neighborhoods, and would let me know
in advance when something was about to film there.
Between those reports, my own personal reconnaissance around town, and a
few new resources I discovered, by the time the first episode aired, I
already knew most (but not all) of the filming locations, and only
needed to watch the episodes and match up the scenes with the correct
locations.
This group of helpful fans includes Kerry, Rick, Ellen, Susan, Jason, Elaine, Joel, Julie, Geoff, Jeff, and others. My thanks to all of them.
I already knew, from Rick, that they had filmed at CSULB more than once this season. So I had my eye peeled for a college scene. But as
a UCLA alum, the only place I had been on the CSULB campus was their
Japanese Garden, so I knew I wouldn't recognize the campus locations on
sight. Either I was going to have to resort to aerial photos to
match what I saw, or else I needed someone who was familiar with the campus.
Fortunately, two
different CSULB students emailed me (separately) to let me know where
this scene had been filmed. Better yet, they both sent photos and even
a video! (Great minds think alike.)
I was first emailed by Jason Z,
in October, who told me they were filming there. But that was for
a scene to be shown later in the season. Knowing that the earlier
scene was coming up in this 5th episode, I asked him to keep an eye out
for it, and to let me know if he recognized the spot. He did, and
got back to me with photos, a map and that video.
Not long after, I got an email from Jennifer R, who also let me know it was filmed near the Fine Arts buildings, and also sent photos and a video.
My thanks to both Jason and Jen. (Great work, guys!)
