10 Famous Yet Non-Touristy Film Landmarks to Visit in LA

The Millennium Biltmore Hotel was the ‘Sedgewick Hotel’ in Ghostbusters, the ‘Pressman Hotel’ in Fight Cluband the ‘Beverly Palms Hotel’ in Beverly Hills Cop. Scenes in Cruel Intentions, Pretty in Pink, Blow, Ocean’s 11, Wedding Crashers, Entourage, That ’70s Show, Ally McBeal, 24, House, Heroes, Mad Men, Glee, Scandal and numerous other productions have been filmed on the grounds, everywhere from the swimming pool to the ballroom to the lobby. It also hosted the Academy Awards eight times between 1930 and 1943.

Dinah’s Family Restaurant was used in The Big Lebowskias the late night diner where a group of nihilists and their female companion with a missing toe ordered lingonberry pancakes and pigs in a blanket. More recently, it’s been used as the diner where Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) briskly interviews the desperately unemployed Rick Garcia (Rick Garcia) and offers him an unpaid internship in Nightcrawler. Episodes of Modern Familyhave also been filmed here as well.

Pat and Lorraine’s Coffee Shop was the breakfast spot that Quentin Tarantino used to film the iconic opening scene of Reservoir Dogs, in which Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino) offers what is perhaps the most famous interpretation of Madonna lyrics ever expounded, and Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) explains why he doesn’t believe in tipping.

Du-Par’s appears in Boogie Nights as the late night diner where Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) tries to sell Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) on working in the adult entertainment industry. It’s here that Horner famously reveals his dream of elevating the content of adult cinema by making ‘a film that is true and right and dramatic.’ It’s also where David Lynch and Mark Frost came up with the idea for what eventually became the pilot episode of Twin Peaks.

The Moonlight Rollerway has probably hosted more productions than any other rollerskating rink in the world. Its long list of film credits includes Lovelace, Beginnersand Semi-Pro, and numerous television shows including The Office, Modern Family, Glee and Cold Casehave filmed there as well. Pretty much every rollerskating scene that’s filmed in Los Angeles is filmed there, so if you see someone rollerskating in a film, television show, music video or commercial, they’re probably at the Moonlight Rollerway.

Griffith Park has hosted everything from The Birth of a Nationto Sons of Anarchy.In 2014 alone, it logged 322 production days. The Griffith Observatory featured prominently in Rebel Without a Causeand Terminator,and if you use the tunnel entrance on Mount Hollywood Drive to get there, you’ll also be driving through the entrance to Toon Town in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Bronson Canyon Cave has been equally popular, and even served as the Batcave on the Batmantelevision series.