This website came about as a labor of love and a first front-end development project.
I watched a lot of tv growing up and eventually became fascinated with the idea of the characters I observed daily existing in their specific locations. If we visit New York City, we could stand in front the Friends' apartment and imagine their lives through one of the many windows above.
This landscape was meant to not only serve as a database for sitcom locations within a particular era, but to explore the idea of different worlds existing at the same time.
While the Fresh Prince was trying to fit in in Bel-Air, Sam Malone was running his cozy bar in Boston. Designing Women in Georgia, Golden Girls in Miami, the students of a Different World at Hillman College – even ALF in San Fernando Valley, California – all immersed in their unique worlds, but synchronized across America at the same time.
Some were even co-habiting the same towns/cities/states. Martin, Home Improvement & Sister, Sister all took place in Detroit at the same time, yet presented completely different narratives.
This map serves to visually display these wonderful juxtapositions and is dedicated to all tv lovers and those raised by tv.
LOCATION DETAILS
All locations are based on accurate addresses provided by the series or in some cases — including fictional locations — references (landmarks, neighboring towns, objects, language, etc) provided within the series, or selected exterior shots were used to guesstimate locations.
Images: Thumbnail images are typically screenshots from the series while the enlarged version show more current images of these homes — from sources around the web, sometimes including googlemaps.
Where some locations are not available, approximations have been made, or images were taken from sites that inspired the location. (i.e. The exterior of the Redbury Hotel in Manhattan used for the Bosom Buddy location. The Redbury which was previously a women’s only hotel (Martha Washington Hotel) in the early 1900s and possible inspiration for Bosom Buddies’ Susan B. Anthony Hotel).
As expected from fictional television, there are some instances where the information given is a bit trickier — as it is for NewsRadio. Exteriors were used from the Continental Building at Broadway and 41st. The show gives its actual location at the Criterion Building on 58th St. & Madison Ave, but its address as 1460 Madison Ave, which is located at 100th St & Madison Ave. There is also a Criterion Building in Manhattan located at the 25th Street crossroads of Fifth Avenue and Broadway. I used the exterior of the Continental for the images, and the location specified in the pilot: 58th St. & Madison Ave for the map location.
© 2017 Cristina Gonzalez | www.cgonzadesign.com