"Why not a door? Sometimes you get fixated on something, and you might not even get why.
You open yourself up and go with the flow, wherever the universe takes you." - Jane Margolis
There are places that you will live during your lifetime that feel like home. They don't have to be home - they just feel like it. The neighborhoods in and around the University of New Mexico campus will always be that for me. I love the adobe buildings and their boldly painted doors. I love the crunch of the leaves scattered on the xeriscaped yards during the fall. I love smell of the fireplaces burning when the Indian Summer turns cold. It was the first place I ever lived that I had that feeling, and it's something I'll never forget.
Houses were always a secondary character on Breaking Bad, something I really loved about the show. When Jesse Pinkman started apartment hunting in the second season of Breaking Bad, I immediately recognized the neighborhood. HOME! Or at least my version of it. When Jesse drove up to Jane's duplex, I immediately recognized it as being somewhere in the university area. So many of my friends lived in duplexes similar to the one on the show during school - there was simply no way it could be located elsewhere! The screenshots from the show above show it from different angles - the style so familiar and easily placed.
Jane's Apartment
325 Terrace St SE
Albuquerque, NM
It came as no surprise at all when I looked up the Jane/Jesse duplex to find it just south of campus on Terrace St. The building was built in the early 1900s, and is part of a group of buildings rented out by UNMRentals.com called 325 Terrace SE (which happens to be the exact address of Jane's apartment). The buildings have studio, one bedroom, and two bedroom apartments, along with at least one 3 bedroom, standalone house. Surprisingly, the Jane/Jesse building is on the corner of a fairly busy street… it would have been interesting to have seen them film here. From what I can tell, the actual interiors of these apartments were used on the show. I'm not sure what the going rent is for these buildings in particular, but similar one bedroom apartments in this neighborhood range around $550 - 700/month. Not bad, especially when you compare to similar homes in California! You can visit this location for yourself at 325 Terrace St SE in Albuquerque. Be mindful that these are private residences on a fairly busy street, and the surrounding streets are one way only - use caution and visit at your own risk.
The last location for our do-it-yourself Breaking Bad tour was the Pinkman residence, at first owned by Jesse's parents and later owned by Jesse himself. This beautiful home was given the fictional address of 9809 Margo St, but a quick Google search will show you that Margo St doesn't exist - the closest to it would be Margo Rd in the somewhat rural South Valley. In reality, the Pinkman residence is located in the beautiful Huning Castle neighborhood, close to Old Town and Albuquerque Country Club near the heart of the city.
Jesse's House
322 16th St SW
Albuquerque, NM
This is one of my favorite locations in Albuquerque for a variety of reasons. I like the older, established neighborhood because it's one of the few in Albuquerque to still have grass lawns and trees. It's near both Old Town and Downtown, which in turn are close to many of my favorite restaurants, stores, and museums. And I love the style of the homes around here - it's not a cookie cutter 'hood at all! As with the duplex, the Pinkman residence is a real private residence. The actual interiors were used in season 1, but the show was forced to rebuild the interiors on a soundstage after the home was sold in Season 2. You can stalk it at 322 16th St SW in Albuquerque, but again use manners and common sense when visiting. Stay off the lawns, out of the road, and definitely do not disturb the people that reside there.
While you are in the area, feel free to visit some of my favorite spots! The Dog House mentioned in my last post is only a half mile away (easy walk), or you can pop over to Old Town for delicious New Mexican dining and shopping. The Albuquerque Zoo, Aquarium, and Biopark are also nearby and worth a stop while you're here. Heck, while you're in Albuquerque… stay for a while! There's a lot to love about my favorite city, and more to do there than you would think. Casinos, hiking, dining, museums - it's a cultural mecca that I wish more people would take advantage of. I make it a point to play tourist every time I go home for a visit (you can read about my visit last year here). If you do go, let me know what you think! And if you need suggestions, feel free to ask. : )
Hope you enjoyed the notes from our tour! Until next time…
--- Becks
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