True Detective Filming Locations (Season 2) (Episode 5)


Episode 7

The actual Southern California locations where
"True Detective" was filmed.

Episode 1  -  Episode 2  -  Episode 3  -  Episode 4
Episode 5  -  Episode 6  -  Episode 7  -  Episode 8




At 03:07,  we see Frank's new home "in Glendale".  Having fallen on hard times,
he's had to relocate from his original hilltop mansion to this more modest
(but still quite nice) home in an L.A. suburb.

This is supposed to be in Glendale, a city located east of Griffith Park.

In fact, this house is located on the west side of Hollywood, at
1400 N. Spaulding Ave, about a mile southwest of Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

[Warning: This is a private home.  Do not trespass on their property,
knock on their door, or do anything to disturb the residents.]

Here is a matching  Google StreetView of the house.

         




At 20:32,
we see cheap motel.

Inside, Ani speaks with the Hispanic woman that she earlier served with a foreclosure notice.
At that time, the woman had told the police that her sister was missing, and that her
sister was affiliated with the religious cult run by Ani's father.

That woman has relocated to this motel.  


She shows Ani the contents of a post office box from her missing sister,
which arrived late, due to her inability to pay the bill.

Among the contents are an invitation to a party, photos, and
(what catches Ani's eye) a photo of large, blue diamonds.

Later, Ania spots a Senator in one of these sex party photos.

This is the Travel Inn at 401 S. Westlake Ave., near L.A.'s MacArthur Park.

( A bit of L.A. trivia: Before MacArthur Park was re-named after
General Douglas MacArthur, its original name was Westlake Park.
The neighborhood around it still bears that name. )

And here's a StreetView of that motel.

         




25:35: Ray follows one of Frank's men as he picks up a group of call-girls at
Dr. Pitlor's estate, and watches as they are delivered in front of a club.


The above shot is looking east down E. 20th Street, from approximately 1800 E. 20th
(at the corner of E. 20th & Staunton, just north of Vernon, CA).

Ray is parked at the northeast corner of that intersection, facing south.
 
 That red & white building is 1951 Staunton Ave. It has
recently housed a wholesale clothing company.

Here is a matching Google StreetView.




The "club" that Ray is watching (through binoculars), where they drop off the hookers,
is also on E. 20th Street, but it is a block to the west of Ray's parking spot,
around 1874 E. 20th St (just west of McGarry Street.)

In real life, that building is (or was) a Forever 21 warehouse,
which now houses Central City Stages.

The large building's official address is 2001 Alameda Street,
but we are looking at its north-facing side, on E. 20th Street.


Here is a matching Google StreetView.


         




At 36:51, we see an aerial establishing shot of L.A., with a bridge in the foreground.


The camera is looking west/northwest from the east side of L.A.

The bridge in the foreground is the 6th Street bridge, spanning the L.A. River.

The large white building near the camera is at 2233 Jesse Street.

Here is a matching Google Earth view.

             




    36:54
    : Ray, Paul and Ani meet with state attorney Katherine Davis,
    who recruits all three of them into her confidential special investigation
    into Ben Caspere's death and Vinci's corruption.

    She uses Ray's need to keep his son as leverage to recruit him.


    We are back at the scene of that bloody firefight that ended Episode 4.

    In the screencap below, they are standing in front of that three-story
    brick warehouse from which the gunmen opened fire.

    It is at 625 S. Anderson Street,
    on the east side of downtown Los Angeles.

    Here's a StreetView of that brick building.

             




    At 41:30,
    we see an establishing shot of a train approaching a bridge.


     This was shot in Vernon, CA.

    The camera is looking south down the train tracks that
    run along the east side of the L.A. River channel.

    The curving trestle you see passes over the river just south
    of the 2600 block of Washington Blvd.

    The Vernon water tower is visible in the background, to the right.

    And here's a matching Google Earth View of the tracks.

             




    At 41:31,
    we a close up of L. A.'s Union Station.


    The camera then pans to the right to reveal another, much taller and more modern building,
    which is supposed to be the headquarters of the Catalyst corporation.


    Inside, we see Frank talking to Jacob McCandless, a Catalyst representative.

    Frank tries to talk him into him giving back the land he was swindled out of after Ben Caspere died.

    McCandless feigns complete ignorance of any of the shady dealings going down,
    but after Frank threatens to expose them, McCandless makes a  promise to get
    Frank his parcels back IF he finds Caspere's hard drive
    (supposedly filled with incriminating party videos).

    That shot of Union station is indeed the real  Union Station,
    at 800 N. Alameda Street,
    in downtown Los Angeles.

    Built in 1939, this Art Deco landmark is still open for business.

    The camera then pans to the 12-floor tower next door, which is the
    Metropolitan Water District Headquarters Building,
    at 700 N. Alameda Street.

    Here's a Google StreetView of both buildings.

    And an individual StreetView of that MWD building.

             



    At
    47:09, we see Ani walking on a beach with her sister.


      Since her sister was in the porn business, Ani tries to get her put Ani in contact with hookers
    who might have gone to the Vinci sex parties, so she can find the missing girl. 

    The huge rocks you see behind them are part of Sequit Point, on the beach
    below (approximately) 36300 Pacific Coast Highway, in Malibu.

    (Or, if you prefer GPS coordinates. those rocks are at
    34.043598, -118.937773 )

    That's about 57 miles northwest of Santa Monica.

    Ani and her sister are walking west from Sequit Point, onto North Beach,
    which, along with South Beach (on the other side of the Point) are part of
    the greater Leo Carrillo State Park.

    Here's a Google StreetView of the those rocks & the beach.

             




    At 49:12
    : we see Paul inside a pawn shop, showing the clerk photos of the blue jewels,

    The shop above, with the green awning, is Dave Tipp Pawn Shop,
    at 561 S. Broadway, in downtown Los Angeles.

    After talking to that clerk, Paul goes across the street (east) to another shop:

    That would be Omid Jewelry, at 560 S. Broadway, in downtown L.A.

    (Both shops are at the corners of Broadway & 5th Street.)

    Here's a StreetView of that first pawn shop.

             




    50:59: Ray and his ex-wife stand on a hill, overlooking  downtown L.A.,
    as she tells him that they found the man who raped her, which
    surprises Ray, since he thought he had killed her rapist.


    They are standing on a hill in Elysian Park, just above (northeast of)
    the L.A.P.D. Police Academy, overlooking Dodger Stadium below.

    They are looking south/southwest, towards the skyscrapers of downtown L.A.

    The GPS coordinates are 34.082698, -118.236999

    The only access to this overlook is through this "Elysian Fields" section
    of Elysian Park, the entrance to which is off the winding Angels Point Road.

    Here is a matching Google Earth view.

             




    53:36: Ani and Paul go to investigate a cabin in the woods, which wasthe last place
    the missing girl called from, and which was also on Caspere's GPS list.

    They then follow circling birds to a bloody, dilapidated shack,
    where someone has obviously been tortured.

    This large, stone cabin is Harwood Lodge, located on Mount Baldy.
    in the San Gabriel Mountains, high above Pomona, at an elevation of 8,000 feet.

    (In the screenshot above, the camera above is looking south/southeast.)



    Here is a photo of the lodge:


    Harwood Lodge was built in 1930, and was named in honor of the first woman president
    of the Sierra Club, Aurelia Harwood.  It is not a public hotel or motel, it belongs to
    the club, and is available to Sierra Club members & guests at very low rates.

    (My guess is that the dilapidated shack, where Ani discovers
    the torture scene, was simply built by the film company.)

    Here is a Google Earth view.


             




    More "True Detective" locations coming soon!

         







    The photos on this page are stills from "True Detective - Season 2"
    (which you can buy by clicking here) and are copyright Showtime.

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