Q. What is it supposed to be on the show? A. A security booth/lost & found at the Bayside Marketplace. Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show? A. On Biscayne Bay, in Miami. Q. When did we see it on the show? A. In Episode 9, of Season 5, "Teenage Wasteland". When Dexter learns that Astor (and her friend Olivia) are missing, he suspects the worse. But he soon learns that they has just been detained for shoplifting at Bayside. In this scene, we see Dexter, Debra, and Olivia's step-father Barry, come to get them, walking along a seaside boardwalk. They go to a small security/lost & found booth, where they find Astor & Olivia waiting. After scolding the girls, they speak with the security guard, who agrees to let Debra handle it, as long as he never sees the two teens again. Barry attempts to make Olivia go home with him, but she resists. Dexter tells Barry to let Olivia get her stuff from his place and they'll meet them later at the Roadside Cafe. ( Later, we learn that Barry has been beating her - prompting Dexter to return the favor. ) Q. What is it actually in real life? A. A seaside shopping/dining village.

Q. Where can I find it in real life?

A. This scene was shot at Shoreline Village, a tourist-oriented shopping/dining center next to the water in Long Beach, which shares a good deal in common with the actual Bayside Marketplace in Miami.

You'll find Shoreline Village on the south side of Shoreline Drive (at Shoreline Village Drive).

At first, I thought they filmed this scene inside the pink "On the Boardwalk" ice cream stand.

But taking a closer look, I see that they actually constructed a fake booth just east of that ice cream place, in a latticed patio area between "On the Boardwalk" and the Village's restrooms.

The patio normally houses dining tables and the "Off-Boardwalk Stage".

It looks like they took the SW corner of a thick white fence that surrounds the patio and created a faux booth there.

They used this exact same location back in the first season, for the Santa Land scene, where police found a dismembered body in a Christmas display.

They filmed another scene at the Village on the same day: the scene of Liddy phoning Quinn.


And they have filmed a lot here over the years, including the comic book store, Ramon's bar, Lila's bar, the parking lot stakeout, and the boardwalk cafe.






I shot the photo below in November 2010:
(note the white lattice-work fence surrounding the patio, on the left side).






Here is an aerial photo of the Village, with the spot marked. And here is a map link.

Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?

A.  I know Shoreline Village well, and it would be impossible to miss..

The only challenge was determining exactly where they shot it in the Village.

At first, I thought they had shot it inside the "On The Boardwalk" ice cream shop, since its pink walls are glimpsed in the scene, and I had assumed it was a real building.

But then I noticed the ATM (see the photo below) which I know is located against the east-facing side of that building, and I realized they had filmed it just east of that shop. Counting the white posts, it became clear that they had shot it on the nearby patio, and that the booth was a fake.



In the screencap above, it's possible to see a bit of that white latticework fencing below the fake booth's counter.
The pink building in the background is the "On The Boardwalk" ice cream shop, and the ATM is visible on its
east side, as is a blue newspaper rack that is on its south side.