The fourth series of
Torchwood brought the cast and crew to a whole New World: North America. As
part of the production deal with STARZ, much of Torchwood Miracle Day would
take place in the United States, China, South America as well as the United
Kingdom, creating an international scope and scale to the production.
Much of the show was shot
in and around Los Angeles, in areas ranging from downtown LA, to Venice Beach
and the area of LA known as San Pedro.
The opening episode of the
series takes place in Cardiff, London, LA and Washington, DC.
The following are the
LA-area locations used for Torchwood Miracle Day: The New World.
City Hall
An iconic structure known
worldwide for its appearance in numerous TV shows and movies, Los Angeles City
Hall was for years the tallest structure in Los Angeles. Known best around the
SciFi community as being blasted to pieces by Martians in George Pal's 1950
classic WAR OF THE WORLDS, City Hall
was used by the Torchwood Miracle Day: The New World production company for the
external scenes in which Esther arrives at the Central Intelligence Agency
archive.
Directions
City Hall is located
downtown on Spring Street, between Temple and 1st. It is a block away from the
101 (Hollywood) Freeway.
While getting to City Hall
is relatively easy, finding parking is not. Particularly during the work week.
My suggestion is to visit the site on the weekends, but be aware of the rather
large and sometimes aggressive homeless population in the area, particularly in
the park south of City Hall.
City Hall East
The second addition to LA
City Hall (there are three main buildings on the campus), City Hall East
features a large plaza and backdrop used by production companies over the years
for scenes involving protests and events at an official-looking building.
Torchwood Miracle Day: The New World was no exception, filming the scene in
which Jack Harkness describes Torchwood to Esther (for the first time) in the
courtyard section of the CH East complex.
Directions
As with City Hall proper,
finding City Hall East is relatively easy. It's the large building across the
street on the east side of City Hall. But visitors unfamiliar with LA should
exercise reasonable caution due to the large and sometimes aggressive homeless
population in the area.
Linda Vista Hospital
Like many older buildings
in LA, The Linda Vista Hospital, used for hospitals sets in both Cardiff and LA
story lines in Torchwood Miracle Day: The New World, has subsequently been
repurposed into low income housing.
Directions
Located at 610 S St Louis
Ave in the East LA neighborhood of Boyle Heights, the site is easily accessed
from several freeways. From the 5 Freeway coming up from Long Beach and Orange
County you'll want the Soto Street exit. From the 101 Freeway from downtown and
Hollywood take the 4th Street offramp. Best to use GPS to avoid wandering too
far afield.
There is a large
well-maintained park, Hollenbeck Regional, located directly across the street
which features an unusual view of downtown. Caution is recommended during
evening and night-time hours.
650 S Spring St
A former Bank of America
branch, 650 S Spring Street is in an area of Downtown LA undergoing significant
gentrification. Boarded-up storefronts sit adjacent to expensive security
apartments and crowded Starbuck's. The scenes filmed at this location served as
stand-ins for the CIA archive.
Directions
650 S Spring is relatively
easy to find, but parking can be problematic depending upon the planned length
of your stay. Metered street slots are a rare commodity, and there is a
relatively inexpensive parking lot just north of the building. Spring is
one-way, as are most streets downtown. It runs southbound, so 650 S Spring is
best approached on 6th Street. Summer 2016 saw much of the street torn up for
construction.
Sybil Brand Institute
Unlike the other buildings
on this list The Sybil Brand Institute is locked away (you see what I did
there?) from public view.
A former prison for women,
it's now part of the greater Sheriff's Department compound a few miles east of
Downtown Los Angeles. Closed to the public, it's in constant use as a prison
shooting stage for numerous television and film productions. The site was used
in Torchwood Miracle Day: The New World for scenes of Oswald Danes'
incarceration and prison.
Footnote
Steven is a travel writer,
whose fabulous travels can be found here: http://thumbnailtraveler.blogspot.com
All photos courtesy of
Steven Barber
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