# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/101 "2023-03-08T03:20:52Z")
Luckenbach was a ghost town when Waylon Jennings recorded “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)” in 1977. It’s still a speck on the map, but they have live music at the dance hall every night and converted the old post office to sell merch to the tourists. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/102 "2023-03-08T04:13:43Z")
I kind of disagree with this one being a “normal place” - Monument Valley is so iconic from so many westerns, even the road leaving it wouldn’t be considered “normal”. The town of Roslyn, Washington became recognizable as Cicely, Alaska thanks to the show “Northern Exposure”. ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/103 "2023-03-08T04:35:48Z")
> [@cormac262](#): > > The town of Roslyn, Washington became recognizable as Cicely, Alaska thanks to the show “Northern Exposure”. You beat me by 19 minutes. Let us not forget Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York. Nobody every would have heard of this place had it not been for a little music festival called “Woodstock”. ---
**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, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/104 "2023-03-08T12:01:20Z")
> [@cormac262](#): > > The town of Roslyn, Washington became recognizable as Cicely, Alaska thanks to the show “Northern Exposure”. The Pacific Northwest was a popular location back then… > **[Twin Peaks | Snoqualmie, WA](https://www.snoqualmiewa.gov/379/Twin-Peaks)** > > Welcome to the mystical town of Twin Peaks! Find out more about the cult TV show and movie that were filmed in Snoqualmie and visit nearby filming locations. Before it burned and was demolished in 1991, the Woodburn Grange Country Club stood in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, not Torquay, Devonshire. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/FZPbo-HZjuw/maxresdefault.jpg "The Destruction Of Fawlty Towers - Wooburn Grange Country Club (1991)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZPbo-HZjuw) ---
**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 8, 2023, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/105 "2023-03-08T12:48:36Z")
To be fair, it’s a miracle Basil never accidentally burned it down himself. This is the guy that put a door in a retaining wall without bracing it. ---
**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, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/106 "2023-03-08T13:33:53Z")
Despite what some might say, I’m sure few people outside MPS/SP knew about the NW Weatherball until it was frequently shown in establishing shots of the city: > **[What happened to Minneapolis' famous Weatherball?](https://www.startribune.com/northwestern-national-bank-norwest-weatherball-sign-history/600248827/)** > > The glowing orb was a fixture on the city's skyline for decades. The same is true for a lot of Minneapolis landmarks like the Curtis Hotel, the IDS Building, Dayton’s Department Store, and the Nicolet Mall. Watching _ **MTM** _ takes me back to the '70s and beyond. ---
**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, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/107 "2023-03-08T13:37:40Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Can you see this picture without hearing the music? _ **In STEREO!** _😆 ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/108 "2023-03-08T14:52:49Z")
The Quick Stop convenience store in Leonardo, New Jersey was made famous by _Clerks_. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/109 "2023-03-08T15:01:08Z")
I wonder if it’s a popular metal detecting site? ---
**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 8, 2023, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/110 "2023-03-08T15:34:12Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Pizzaland in North Arlington, New Jersey apparently gets a lot of business from Sopranos fans (it was in the opening credits). I bought one of the bricks from the front of Satriale’s when they tore it down a while back. [![](https://www.nj.com/resizer/8yN9RhNFcMCeg197-gPup5tickw=/1280x0/smart/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/advancelocal/DL4Y3BCH2NH6VA7HYCETOCMYHY.JPG) ](https://www.nj.com/resizer/8yN9RhNFcMCeg197-gPup5tickw=/1280x0/smart/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/advancelocal/DL4Y3BCH2NH6VA7HYCETOCMYHY.JPG) ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/111 "2023-03-08T17:12:55Z")
Big Squam Lake in New Hampshire was the setting for _On Golden Pond_. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/112 "2023-03-08T18:15:44Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > The Chartwell Mansion in Bel Air, CA My dad drove us by that house when we were kids. It didn’t look all that special to me. There were a ton more houses I liked better. He supervised the special delivery P.O. guys who had Bel Air as their territory, so, he was always checking things out that his guys told him about. He did say Meredith Wilson (The Music Man) was a crappy tipper. ---
**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 8, 2023, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/113 "2023-03-08T19:51:23Z")
The small town of [Senoia, Ga.](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.southernthing.com/amp/senoia-georgia-2653294573) has been featured in quite a few movies and TV shows, but didn’t really become a tourist site until it stood in for Woodbury on _The Walking Dead._ The later seasons are also filmed there, with a newly built neighborhood doubling as Alexandria, Va. The city has enthusiastically embraced its fame, and features any number of opportunities to separate the show’s fans from their money. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/114 "2023-03-08T20:23:07Z")
Also, the bar from the set is now in the basement pub. I sat in Norm’s seat while I was there. It even had a little placard identifying it. Here’s a good one: The town of Vulcan, Alberta used to get some Star Trek fans visiting, so they leaned into it and basically built an entire tourism business around Star Trek. > **[Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station | Alberta Canada](https://www.travelalberta.com/ca/listings/vulcan-tourism-and-trek-station-3518/)** > > Vulcan Tourism and Trek Station offer comprehensive information on tourist attractions in and around the town of Vulcan and Vulcan County. The town of Vulcan was founded in 1913 by a CPR surveyor who had a fondness for Roman Their visitor center is designed like a space station. They have an annual Star Trek convention, and ‘Spock days’ celebrations, and the town dresses up in Star Trek costumes. > **[VULCON | Vulcan Tourism](https://www.vulcantourism.com/accommodations)** > > The official Start Trek Convention of the Star Trek Captial of Canada. Live long and prosper! Not bad for a small farming town that just happened to be named for a planet in a TV show. ---
**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 8, 2023, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/115 "2023-03-08T20:26:33Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Here’s a good one: The town of Vulcan, Alberta used to get some Star Trek fans visiting, so they leaned into it and basically built an entire tourism business around Star Trek. Much like Metropolis, a small town in far southern Illinois, which has built a tourist industry for itself around being “the hometown of Superman.” [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis%2C\_Illinois#Superman’s\_“hometown”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis%2C_Illinois#Superman's_%22hometown%22) ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/116 "2023-03-08T20:29:12Z")
Or Riverside Iowa, which declared itself the future birthplace of Captain Kirk, with the approval of Gene Roddenberry, and now has a few Star Trek centered establishments. [Riverside, Iowa - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverside,_Iowa) ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/117 "2023-03-08T20:51:47Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > There’s a certain streetcorner in Winslow, AZ… Speaking of streetcorners, but not from a specific song, rather a whole genre of music… > **[Haight-Ashbury](https://www.sftravel.com/neighborhoods/haight-ashbury)** > > Start your Summer of Love experience on the corner of Haight and Ashbury streets, where 1960s flower power blossomed. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/118 "2023-03-08T21:02:26Z")
> [@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. Other famous Zevon locations include the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel, Gower Avenue and the Pioneer Chicken Stand on Alvorado Street. All in Los Angeles. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/119 "2023-03-08T21:39:29Z")
There’s the 59th Street Bridge, referenced by Simon and Garfunkel. Also, Ms. P and I had our first kiss in its shadows. ---
**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 8, 2023, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/120 "2023-03-08T21:53:52Z")
> [@P-man](#): > > There’s the 59th Street Bridge, referenced by Simon and Garfunkel Well, there’s also 53rd&3rd, made (in)famous by the Ramones. I don’t know if you still find the same business there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803.md?page=7)