# Normal Places Made Famous by an Arts and Entertainment Thing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 6, 2023, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803 "2023-03-06T20:37:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/81 "2023-03-07T18:24:31Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Good one! The song came out in 1946 just when new cars started rolling off the lines for the first time in half a decade. And, between the song, its depiction in _The Grapes of Wrath_, and the 1960s TV series, it became a cultural icon. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/82 "2023-03-07T18:26:14Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Pizzaland in North Arlington, New Jersey apparently gets a lot of business from Sopranos fans ( As does [Holsten’s](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/holstens-sopranos-ice-cream-parlor) the place where the infamous final scene of the series was shot. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/83 "2023-03-07T18:40:30Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > Also also the [Exorcist steps](https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.3744925.0822/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg) in Georgetown, Washington DC. I was trying to think of anything otherwise unremarkable in the DC metro (where I currently live) and couldn’t think of anything. There is the national mall, of course, but thats hardly unremarkable. I somehow got the idea that William Forest Park, next to Quantico Virginia was the setting for the opening jogging scene in Silence of the Lambs, but IMDB tells me that is not the case: > **[The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Filming & production - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/locations/)** > > The Silence of the Lambs: Directed by Jonathan Demme. With Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine. A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a... The actual events of Exorcist (well some version of them) took place in Mount Rainer (near where I first lived in the DC metro), not really famous for it though (and there is debate as to exactly where the events took place): > **[How Mount Rainier Inspired 'The Exorcist'](https://www.hyattsvillewire.com/2017/10/28/exorcist-came-mount-rainier/)** > > The story of how the legend of the Mount Rainier exorcism developed is almost as interesting as the story of the exorcism itself. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/84 "2023-03-07T18:44:07Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > There’s also a restaurant in California that became famous just because it happened to have the same name as Arlo Guthrie’s song. They do trade on the name, but the prime location at the junction of Skyline Drive and Hwy 84 has a lot to do with the restaurant’s success. It’s the perfect place to stop for a bite to eat for folks out on day trip (especially bikers), and they do have decent food. The place would still be packed on the weekend without the Arlo Guthrie connection ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/85 "2023-03-07T19:08:51Z")
I used to live in Hoboken, NJ, and on weekends the store that housed the Cake Boss always had a long line around the block. It was kind of annoying. Also “On the Waterfront” was filmed in Hoboken. There were several locations in town that were used in the movie that are still around. Not really tourist destinations these days, though. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/86 "2023-03-07T19:16:13Z")
The [Mary Tyler Moore house](https://www.twincities.com/2017/01/26/peer-inside-the-mary-tyler-moore-house-which-remains-on-sale-for-1-695m/) was a tourist attraction in Minneapolis for many years. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/87 "2023-03-07T19:23:48Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Oh sticking with music there is Salford Lads Club Made famous by the Smiths (literally they get people traveling from all over the world to take their picture there): > [These charming fans: Smiths devotees pose outside Salford Lads Club - in pictures | Music | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2012/mar/06/smiths-fans-salford-lads-club?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other) It also made a brief appearance in the video for Dream Academy’s “Life In A Northern Town”. > [@Telemark](#): > > It’s gone now, and it was a fairly famous restaurant to start with, but [Lee Ho Fooks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Ho_Fook) became a destination with the Warren Zevon song _Werewolves of London_. > > I was walking through the streets of Soho in the rain when I came across it, and of course I had to eat there. I did not, however, order beef chow mein But how was your hair? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/88 "2023-03-07T20:08:37Z")
Huh! I remember it most from the _ **Mission: Impossible** _ two-parter where the bad guys had an underground missile factory. Never in a million years would I have recognized it as the entrance to the Batcave! 😲 The IMF blew up the factory by jiggling the clearly labeled “FÜEL MIX.” ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/89 "2023-03-07T20:42:16Z")
There’s a certain streetcorner in Winslow, AZ… ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/90 "2023-03-07T21:34:24Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > And lots of people visit Winslow, Arizona, because of a song. > [@Telemark](#): > > There’s a certain streetcorner in Winslow, AZ… There are also some street crossings that are claimed to be the place in “Crossroad Blues” where Robert Johnson made a deal with the devil. > **[Clarksdale Crossroads](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/clarksdale-crossroads)** > > Giant novelty guitars now mark the spot where Robert Johnson is said to have sold his soul to the devil. ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/91 "2023-03-07T21:36:47Z")
Not sure it was made famous, but University of Oregon in Eugene was the location where they filmed Animal House. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/92 "2023-03-07T21:42:56Z")
Can you see this picture without hearing the music? [![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2f_405g3gos/WkBGyMAzY-I/AAAAAAAAFDY/UcSUuWg5xOQee0QPCQxlneQK9xF0nyTuQCLcBGAs/s1600/MwC%2Bopening.jpg) ](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2f_405g3gos/WkBGyMAzY-I/AAAAAAAAFDY/UcSUuWg5xOQee0QPCQxlneQK9xF0nyTuQCLcBGAs/s1600/MwC%2Bopening.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/93 "2023-03-07T22:36:48Z")
“Forrest Gump Point” [[Album] imgur.com ![](https://i.imgur.com/09jTavF.png?fb "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/VxK54Re) ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/94 "2023-03-07T23:57:41Z")
A bakery in Washington DC called Georgetown Cupcake was featured on a reality television program about ten years ago. As a result, it became very popular and there were often long lines to buy their cupcakes. People I know who tried them say they were fine, but not worth waiting in a long queue. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/95 "2023-03-08T00:12:26Z")
As I recall, Anthony Bourdain said that he sometimes purposely didn’t say exactly where some of the places he went to on his show were, because he didn’t want them to become overrun with tourists like that. ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_Henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/96 "2023-03-08T00:24:33Z")
The Dibble House in Eldon Iowa. [![](https://olioiniowa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/imgp2066-1024x681.jpg) ](https://olioiniowa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/imgp2066-1024x681.jpg) This house was used as the background in the Grant Wood painting, _American Gothic_. It’s currently a tourist attraction, open for business Wednesday through Sunday. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/97 "2023-03-08T00:59:15Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2GrdgPzi3-Q/hqdefault.jpg ""Al, Let's Have Sex. Uh, No Peg." \*flush\*") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GrdgPzi3-Q) ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/98 "2023-03-08T02:16:38Z")
The Billy Goat Tavern. Cheezborger! Cheezborger! Cheezborger! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/99 "2023-03-08T02:32:23Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > A bakery in Washington DC called Georgetown Cupcake was featured on a reality television program about ten years ago. As a result, it became very popular and there were often long lines to buy their cupcakes. People I know who tried them say they were fine, but not worth waiting in a long queue. Reminds me of this place: > **[Amy's Baking Company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy%27s_Baking_Company)** > > "Amy's Baking Company" is the 16th episode of the sixth season of Kitchen Nightmares, and the 82nd episode of the series. The episode first aired on May 10, 2013, and centered on Gordon Ramsay attempting to help Amy and Samy Bouzaglo, owners of Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale, Arizona. > The episode marked the only time in the history of both the UK and the US versions of Kitchen Nightmares that Ramsay was unable to complete the restaurant's transformation due to conflict with the owners. The... Certifiably batshit crazy! 🤪 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MC8i0gt5m-Y/maxresdefault.jpg "THE CRAZIEST MOMENTS OF AMY'S BAKING COMPANY - Best of Kitchen Nightmares") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC8i0gt5m-Y) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/100 "2023-03-08T02:50:37Z")
Here’s a story about Gram Parsons’ death from one of my favorite YouTubers. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/bYuNKbxnZDc/maxresdefault.jpg "Iconic Corpse: GRAM PARSONS") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYuNKbxnZDc) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803.md?page=6)