If someone asked me what movie most closely resembles my life, I would have to say 13 Going On 30. I am definitely a child of the 80s, I still dress like a 13 year old most of the time, and I’ve been known to do the Thriller Dance at a few parties, so it’s only natural that I would be slightly obsessed with the movie 13 Going On 30. While most of the filming locations for the movie are located in Manhattan, a few of them can be found right here in LA.
If you are as obsessed with 13 Going On 30 as I am, you’ll remember the scene in the movie when adult Jenna first shows up at Matt’s apartment and says “I don’t know if you’re him, but if you lived on Spruce Street and your favorite shirt is the grey velour one . . .” Well, Jenna and Matt’s houses really can be found on Spruce Street – only they are in South Pasadena, not New Jersey. Jenna’s house has been painted and looks a bit different, but you will recognize them immediately when you see them.
This location was extremely easy to find. I just happened to be getting my nails done one day in South Pasadena and the woman next to me was talking about how her home had been used in a Jennifer Garner movie. I almost flipped out when I heard it was 13 Going On 30 and I begged her to tell me all of the scoop about the filming. She told me that the producers also used the inside of her home – and they even used her real bed and bedding in the scene where Jenna crawls into bed with her parents. She was even nice enough to tell me where her house was and I went to find it just as soon as my nails were dry!
Another 13 Going On 30 location is located just a few blocks away at the intersection of Mission and Meridian at the train tracks. This is the spot where adult Jenna jumps out of Chris Grandy’s taxi cab and rushes to stop Matt’s wedding. This location was easy to figure out – I recognized it the first time I saw the movie.
Me hoping over the center divide like Jenna does in the movie! 🙂
If you turn directly around from this location and look behind you, you will see another filming location – Michael Meyer’s house from the original Halloween movie. The home has definitely been given a face lift and is not nearly as run down as it was back in Michael Meyer’s day, but it is still definitely recognizable.
Until next time, Happy Stalking!
Stalk It: Jenna’s and Matt’s houses are located at 1837 and 1839 Spruce Street, respectively. Spruce Street is just one street north of Huntington Drive in South Pasadena. Once you’ve stalked those houses, just drive north to Mission Street, turn left and drive to Meridian to see the intersection where Jenna ditches Chris Grandy. The Halloween house is located at 1000 Mission Street. After you’re done stalking, grab a coffee or a Fosselman’s ice cream at Buster’s Ice Cream Shop at 1006 Mission St. – all that stalking does work up an appetite!
Hilarious! I’m re-watching the movie tonight and I realized I had the exact same dresser that is found in Jennas childhood room! It’s the one just beyond the treadmill. I had no idea it was a popular piece of furniture.