A. Public streets.

Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show?

A. Between the Miami Metro police station and the Stafford Bank, in Miami.

Q. When did we see it on the show?

A. In Episode 12 (the season 4 finale), "The Getaway".

After tracking down Dexter and confronting him on his job at the police department - and threatening his family - Arthur Mitchell (the Trinity Killer), leaves, smugly confident that he has bluffed down his opponent.

Dexter, enraged that he has put his family in danger, is determined to kill Trinity immediately.

So he follows him out to the parking lot and then (after shaking Quinn), follows him through heavy traffic, weaving between cars.

During this pursuit, Rita phones Dexter to say she wants to go on their honeymoon. The distraction causes Dexter to sideswipe another car (while driving with one hand), knocking off its side mirror and angering its owner.

Eventually, Trinity turns off into a parking lot at Stafford Bank, and Dexter follows, eventually capturing him there.

But the angry owner of the sideswiped car shows up with the cops, and everything goes downhill from there.

Q. What is it actually in real life?

A. A public street, but not in Miami.

Q. Where can I find it in real life?

A. This chase scene was shot on Seaside Way, in Long Beach, near the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.

Seaside Way is a small street that runs east/west between the more heavily travelled Ocean Blvd and Shoreline Drive.

During the car chase, they are headed west on Seaside Way. They reuse the same section of the street, just east of "Stafford Bank" several times, giving the illusion of a longer chase

Fittingly enough, Seaside Way is used as part of the race route during the annual Long Beach Grand Prix, and in the scene, you can see some of the white cement barriers used during the race. (As a footnote, the Grand Prix cars go the other way - east - on Seaside Way.)

We can also see the condos lining Seaside Way, and the top of the International Tower (that was seen in "Lethal Weapon.
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The "bank" itself is just off (south of) Seaside Way. And the convention center is where they filmed Dexter's rooftop confrontation with Miguel Prado in the last season. And the scenes of Trinity happily driving his Mustang were filmed nearby on Ocean Blvd and Shoreline Drive.




I shot the photos below in December 2009.



This shot is looking east down Seaside Way, in Long Beach.




And this shot is looking west up Seaside Way.



Here is an aerial photo. And here is a map link.

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

A.  Fortunately, I'm familiar with this area. When I first saw this shot, I thought it might be Shoreline Drive, but upon closer inspection, it became clear that it was Seaside Way. The view of the International Tower and nearby condos was definitive.

Then, of course, I went there in person and shot the photos you see above.