Perhaps you’re lucky enough to escape the grind of daily life by traveling a few times a year. More frequently, escapism demands shorter forms: A couple hours in the dark of a movie theater or an evening under the covers with a laptop streaming favorite television series. On occasion, the two modes meet and one finds oneself on the real-world location of a favorite fiction. This is the territory staked out in Film and TV Locations: A Spotter’s Guide (Lonely Planet, $11.99. https://shop.lonelyplanet.com), a showcase of over 100 real places scattered around the globe that have been transformed into landmarks of our collective imagination. These are spots that add subtext to selfies, bringing the eternal power of Hollywood to bear on our mortal wanderings.
While it’s hardly a surprise to learn that Harry met Sally at Katz’s Delicatessen in New York, or that Rocky’s famous stair climb took place at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, travelers to New Mexico will be delighted to learn which branch of the Twisters fast-food chain played Los Pollos Hermanos in Breaking Bad, and that you can actually get a slice of cherry pie at the restaurant in Washington State used as the Double-R diner in Twin Peaks. Fancy a ride on the very train route that brings Hogwarts students to school each year? All aboard Scotland’s West Highland Line. How about a game of chicken on the rocky cliff made famous by Thelma and Louise? Utah’s Canyonlands National Park served as the Grand Canyon’s stunt double. A light browsing pleasure more than a substantive trip planning resource, this is popcorn for your bookshelves.
If you love entertainment and love to visit New York, you owe Bob Egan a “thank you” for his obsessiveness. Egan, a registered tour guide has assembled Pop Culture New York City: The Ultimate Location Finder (Applause Books. $19.99. www.popspotsnyc.com), a map-packed directory of places seen in movies and comic books, sites from music history, literary landmarks, and celebrities’ homes. Want to lurk around the apartment Peter Parker called home in Spiderman 2? Did you know that, over the years, Edward Albee, Kahlil Gibran, Dashiell Hammett and Emma Lazarus had apartments on the same block? Would you like to pose for a selfie where album covers by Blondie, Billy Joel, or LL Cool J were photographed? Prepare to geek out!
