Albuquerque, N.M.
RVs look a lot more suspicious here. Thanks, “Breaking Bad.”
In the city where the award-winning AMC drama was filmed for years, we went off in search of the most famous locations from the meth-making world of Bryan Cranston’s Walter White. Of course, the first stop had to be at his home.
The White residence, 3828 Piermont Drive N.E.
We rounded the final curve of Orlando Place in a neighborhood in the city’s northeast section, and there it was, at the T intersection where Orlando ends at Piermont Drive. A more upscale SUV was parked where Walter’s oft-wrecked, puke-green Pontiac Aztek and Skyler’s old Jeep Grand Cherokee should have been, but the house was unmistakable.
Los Pollos Hermanos, 4257 Isleta Blvd. S.W.
In the southwest part of the city, along a road near the Rio Grande that eventually crosses onto an Indian reservation, is Twisters. The small, New Mexico-based burgers and burritos chain recently expanded into Colorado, but this is the only location I’m interested in visiting. It’s where Walter first encountered Giancarlo Esposito’s Gustavo Fring, the mild-mannered and cold-blooded drug kingpin and owner of the Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant chain. I had to order a chicken sandwich here, and sit in a booth where Walt sat. Painted on a wall is the only indication of this place’s claim to fame: the Los Pollos Hermanos logo. Another “Breaking Bad” fan was here on the same pilgrimage as me, stopping by the filming locations. Curiously, next to the restaurant is a bait shop with a llama, an ostrich, and an emu roaming around a fenced-in, dirt lot.
Car Wash, 9516 Snow Heights Circle
At least Walt and Skyler don’t have to go far from home to launder their, um, cars. The car wash is only about a mile from the Piermont Drive house. The uniquely shaped building that the Whites purchased is really part of the six-state Octopus Car Wash chain. The main sign on the building is covered during filming.
Saul Goodman’s office, 9800 Montgomery Blvd. N.E.
This strip mall that is the home to sleazy lawyer Saul Goodman’s office also is pretty close to the White residence on the city’s northeast side. The facade has changed (it also looks different without a big Statue of Liberty balloon on the roof). It now houses a bar called Hooligan’s.
The Schrader residence, 4901 Cumbre Del Sur Court
It’s amazing to see just how many RVs are parked alongside houses and in driveways in this city. I could only wonder how many of them were rolling meth labs. In the more upscale neighborhoods, though, luxury cars are more likely to be in driveways. This is where I found Hank and Marie’s house. It’s a little farther away from the city center, off Tramway Road near the Sandia Foothills. It’s only a couple of blocks from a popular trail system, and within sight of some even-pricier homes that offer breathtaking views of the entire city. It’s on a quiet cul-de-sac, probably only disturbed by the occasional “Breaking Bad” fan stopping for a glimpse of Walt’s in-laws’ place.
Also…
Of course, there are other draws in Albuquerque. Check out a few of the non-television-related scenes in the slideshow on the left.