A Breaking Bad Tour of New Mexico – Part 2

Here’s the second part of my New Mexico photo tour through the eyes of a Breaking Bad fanatic – and once again it’s was possible thanks to a great deal of help from friends (shoutout to Ron, Anna, Andrew, Ariana and Mary). If you read Part I then you’ll see I covered a lot of the more recognisable locations from the show – Walt’s house, Los Pollos Hermanos, etc. Here are some more BrBa places snapped between May 2014 and August 2018.

On my first day in ABQ back in May 2014 my tour guide for the day was Miguel, who ran down a list of places he thought I’d like to see, then suggested grabbing lunch at Java Joe’s (Tuco’s place) and then heading out to To’hajiilee. I just about held it together.

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“My name is Walter Hartwell White…”
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First Cook
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Ozymandias
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Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair

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To’hajiilee is out in Navajo country, it’s the site of the first cook, the incredible Rian Johnson episode ‘Ozymandias’, and the spot where Walt buried his barrels of money. Despite the GPS co-ordinates in the show, the creators didn’t want money-hungry people digging up sacred reservation land so the co-ordinates will actually lead you to Albuquerque’s Q studios, where a lot of the interior scenes were filmed.

I came here again in 2016 with my friend Ron and the clouds were just right – it’s a very peaceful and alien landscape and the colours of the rock and ground jump out at you.

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Dog House

Everyone in town knew The Dog House before it appeared in the show, and it was nice to see it pop up again in El Camino. Inside it’s what you’d expect – cheap and not at all fancy, but they must have something special because this place has been open for years.

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Granite State
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Walt got the number for Gretchen and Elliott from this payphone

I loved stopping here – the sign is exactly the same as it is in the show; all the New Hampshire scenes were filmed in New Mexico.

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The Denny’s from ‘Live Free or Die’
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Sitting in Walt’s seat

Sadly this location doesn’t exist any more. It’s the Denny’s where Walt arranges his breakfast bacon in a ’52’ and we see he’s living under an alias with a New Hampshire ID. This one was right here in Albuquerque but was closed down not long after I visited.

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S’all good, man
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Saul’s Office – and Mary

The building used as Saul’s Office is now a bar. Luckily the lettering was still on the door but there was no sign of the big inflatable wobbly man on the rooftop. Jimmy McGill’s office is another story – and another post.

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Uncle Jack’s Compound
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Nazi compound

This was another surprise – and a cool spot to visit. It wasn’t there for long after the show finished but it was recreated for the recent El Camino movie. The buildings you can see through the fence are part of Jack Welker’s compound for him and his white supremacist buddies – where Jesse was chained up at the mercy of Todd.

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This church in Albuquerque is where Jesse attended his meetings. On the day we stopped by there was a meeting being set up – chairs in a circle, people milling about – but we quickly left them to it.

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Old Joe’s Junkyard – recently seen again in El Camino
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Seemed appropriate we found a portaloo there

Here are some other cool spots we drove to which were seen in the show…

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The real location of the co-ordinates! Q Studios
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Where Walt Jr gets caught buying beer
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Offices of the DEA
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Big Chief Gas Station – where Jesse tries to sweet talk his way into getting gas
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One of the spots Jesse goes dealing
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Frank and Jackie’s RV – tours available!
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Where Walt gets the bus after his ‘fugue state’
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Where the cousins come to kill Hank
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Mike’s bench – near his granddaughter’s favourite playground
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Mike’s house
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Madrigal Electromotive
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Casa Tranquila! Gus Fring’s last stop as he goes to visit Hector Salamanca
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The Spooge House – from ‘Peekaboo’
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Better Call Saul filming in progress
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Mike’s favourite bar – where he punches Walt

I’ll round off this post by sharing some photos of some of the actors I’ve been lucky enough to meet over the years.

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Bryan Cranston at the National Theatre, London
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Stage Door for ‘All The Way’, Broadway
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First time I met Bryan Cranston in NYC
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Giancarlo Esposito
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Jeremiah Bitsui
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Steven Michael Quezada (Gomez), Jeremiah Bitsui (Victor) and Max Arciniega (Krazy 8)
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David Costabile (Gale) at the Playwrights Horizons, NYC
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Steven Michael Quezada – Gomie!
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Gomie rocking his Schraderbrau t shirt!
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Charles Baker – Skinny Pete
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RJ Mitte (Walt Jr)
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RJ Mitte’s talk at MCM Birmingham
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Luis and Daniel Moncada – the Salamanca Cousins
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In the Green Room at the BrBa Fan Fest – Victor, Gomez, the cousins and Skinny Pete

While going through all my New Mexico photos I’ve sorted out my Better Call Saul locations shots too, so a post with all those pics will be up soon…