The location: Tijuana.

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

A. Tijuana.

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

A. Tijuana, Mexico.

Q. When did we see it on the show?

A. In Episode 7 (of season one), "The Escape", when Ryan, Seth, Marissa & Summer drive down the coast to Tijuana (and Marissa ends up overdosing and in the hospital.)

Q. What is it actually in real life?

A. A permanent outdoor set at a local movie studio.

Q. Where can I find it in real life?

A. That's easy. Just go to Universal Studios Hollywood and take their narrated tram tour of the studio back lot. Right after the "flash flood", they will drive you past a permanent outdoor set of a Mexican village where they filmed, among other things, the Steve Martin/Chevy Chase/Martin Short comedy, "Three Amigos". As your tour guide will tell you, this is where they shot the Tijuana scenes for "The O.C." (Hey, if the producers won't even go to the real O.C. to shoot the series, did you really think they would drag the cast all the way to the real TJ?)



(You'll also see the same Mexican set in the movie "Big Fat Liar" - in the scene where 'Marty' is chasing them through the back lot at Universal Studios.)

Universal Studios Hollywood is a major amusement park (second only to the real O.C.'s star, Disneyland), and the studio tram tour is only a small part of what your ticket there buys you - we're talking show, rides, dining - the whole enchilada. As of 2006, the ticket price is around $53, but they usually have some great discount offer - such as buy a ticket and get an annual pass for free... You'll find Universal City Studios at 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA. That's just off the Hollywood (101) freeway between Hollywood & the Valley.

Here is a map link. And here is a link to the studio's official website.




On a related note, on their way to Tijuana, the kids' car breaks down, and they are forced to stay at the sleazy Paradise Motel, yet another O.C. location that's really in the L.A.

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

A. I have an annual pass to Universal Studios Hollywood, and have taken their tour. Also, I created a page about the Universal studio tour for my Seeing-Stars.com website.