HC Urban Adventures

The Godfather

If you want to check out a piece of movie history, be sure to visit Liberty State Park to see where they filmed part of the seminal film The Godfather. The famous “leave the gun, take the cannoli” scene was filmed here. In the scene, enforcer Peter Clemenza has been assigned the grim duty of ensuring that mob member Paulie is punished for the attack on mafia Don Vito Corleone. First, he makes sure to keep Paulie at ease through the long drive to Liberty State Park. Then, under the watchful visage of the Statue of Liberty, Paulie is calmly shot and left behind in the car. However, before leaving Clemenza reaches past the body to grab the box of fresh cannoli he promised his wife. 

Liberty State Park, 200 Morris Pesin Drive, Jersey City
Coordinates: 40.704167, -74.049167

Funny Girl

“Don’t Rain on My Parade”  

If you have ever wanted to recreate your favorite movie musical number, the Hoboken Railway Station is the place to do it! The musical Funny Girl filmed its iconic number Don’t Rain on My Parade here, and visitors can come check out the station, admire its beauty and maybe channel some of their inner Barbra Streisand. 

Pass goers interested in movie history may want to know that two other famous movies were also filmed in the Hoboken Railway Station, the Muppets Take Manhattan and Julie and Julia both had scenes filmed in this famous train station.  

Hoboken Railway Station, 1 Hudson Place, Hoboken
Coordinates: 40.735, -74.0275

Independence Day

The multiple storylines and cross-country nature of this film makes it important to introduce all the characters, a bit about them and where in the country their story takes place. When we are introduced to David, engineer, and technology expert, it is to him passing the time playing chess with his father in a local park. That park is Donnelly Memorial Park in West New York and guests can visit the park for themselves on this tour and maybe play a round of chess themselves.

Donnelly Memorial Park, John F Kennedy Boulevard East, West New York
Coordinates: 40.78422523820797, -74.00882211974142

The Karate Kid

A fan favorite for many years, most people know that story of the Karate Kid. The film follows Daniel, a teen from New Jersey who moves to California with his mother and is soon targeted by the local bullies. He receives help from Mr. Miyagi, a wise janitor who agrees to train him in karate for self-defense rather than violence. The opening montage of the movie shows Daniel and his mother’s cross country move and is shot on location in Harrison on both Franklin Avenue and Hamilton Street, though 10 Franklin Avenue is where you want to go to perfectly recreate the opening shot of the film.

Franklin Avenue & Hamilton Street, Harrison (10 Franklin Avenue)
Coordinates: 40.7488560949866, -74.14749322246743

When Harry Met Sally

Even though to most viewers it was a forgone conclusion that Harry and Sally would end up together, watching their romantic journeys was still entertaining. Early in the movie Harry marries and then separates from his wife Helen, something he bemoans to his friend Jess in between football plays at the old Giants Stadium. Unfortunately for visitors the old Giants Stadium has been torn down, but guests can still visit the site as it was absorbed into the new MetLife Stadium.

Old Giants stadium, 50 Route 120, East Rutherford
Coordinates: 40.812222, -74.076944

A Beautiful Mind

A Beautiful Mind, about the real-life mathematician John Nash, had a lot of famous scenes filmed in New Jersey. While a lot of the movie was filmed at Princeton University, many scenes set at the Nash household were filmed in Jersey City. This includes the crucial scene where Alicia realizes John is hallucinating again and has accidentally left their infant son alone in a running bathtub. If visitors would like to visit John and Alicia’s house, they need only go to 100 Grand Street in Jersey City to see the house as it stands today. Passholders should know that the house is currently privately owned so please use discretion when going up to the house.

100 Grand Street, Jersey City
Coordinates: 40.71573028124487, -74.03818471415629

Men in Black

Men in Black takes place and is filmed primarily in New York, but the plot occasionally crosses the Hudson, such as when Agents Kay and Jay get word that an alien is breaking the rules and straying beyond the limits of Manhattan. As Agent Kay interrogates the alien Redgick, agent Jay assists with the birth of a cuddly baby squid. This encounter takes place on the real-life Freedom Way, which runs through Liberty State Park.

Liberty State Park, 200 Morris Pesin Drive, Jersey City
Coordinates: 40.704167, -74.049167

The Royal Tenenbaums

The Royal Tenenbaums, the Wes Anderson film about a deeply dysfunctional family, is filmed entirely in New York and New Jersey. After Richie, who is in love with his adopted sister Margot, receives news of her sordid past from a PI, he attempts suicide. After his attempt he is taken to the hospital, which is in actuality the old Jersey City Medical Center. While the building is no longer used for medical purposes, the gorgeous art deco lobby still remains looking as it did during filming.

Old Jersey City Medical Center, 20 Beacon Way, Jersey City
Coordinates: 40.72264478277945, -74.06420772030704

War of the Worlds

Many of the opening scenes from the 2005 version of HG Wells classic War of the Worlds are filmed in Bayonne, including shots of the Bayonne Bridge, the Harrington’s car garage, and a little league field. For visitors wanting to see a building that looks the same on screen as it does in real life, you’ll want to check out 11 Kennedy Boulevard; the Ferrier’s house, before the whole town is destroyed by aliens.

11 Kennedy Boulevard, Bayonne
Coordinates: 40.64753499861446, -74.13930620440807

The Equalizer 2021 series

When Queen Latifah was cast in the 2021 reboot of the old TV show the Equalizer, it was important to her that the bulk of the filming be done in New Jersey, her home state. Large chunks of filming were done in Jersey City, with production shuffling between Gifford Avenue, Bergen Avenue, and Wayne Station. John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Bentley Avenue and the Van Vorst Park neighborhood also served as filming locations. However, the big draw for most fans of the series is main character Robyn’s house. The beautiful 4,500 square foot Victorian house is located at 50 Gifford Avenue in Jersey City and is a lovely neighborhood to take pictures.

50 Gifford Avenue, Jersey City
Coordinates: 40.72152061339973, -74.07523199466425

Picture Perfect

After advertising agent Kate is passed over for a promotion for ‘not being stable enough’ after a string of failed relationships, her friend Darcy makes up the lie that she is dating a successful traveling videographer to impress their boss. The Elks Lodge in Hoboken plays host to the first meeting of Kate and her fake videographer boyfriend as they bump into each other at a friend’s wedding and sparks fly.

Elks Lodge, 1005 Washington Street, Hoboken
Coordinates: 40.74905458293441, -74.02722384921827

Leon: The Professional

The 1994 film Leon: the Professional, sometimes known simply as The Professional is an English language French film famous for being the film debut of star Natalie Portman. Several of the film’s final scenes are filmed in Hudson County, especially Hoboken. After Leon dies, Mathilda returns to reenroll at her school, and plant the houseplant from Leon. Those scenes were all filmed at Steven’s University Campus.

Steven’s University, 1 Castle Point Terrace, Hoboken
Coordinates: 40.745441517882696, -74.02583309703307

The Basketball Diaries

The Basketball Diaries, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is an autobiographical film about a promising high school basketball star named Jim who develops an addiction to heroin. As his life begins to spiral out of control, he becomes more desperate to find a way to feed his addiction. This culminates in Jim and his friends breaking into a local candy store at night to steal all its money for drugs, that candy store is now health food store Alfalfa, though it still maintains the beautiful, checkered floor seen in the movie.

Alfalfa Health Food Store, 1110 Washington Street, Hoboken
Coordinates: 40.75053194615527, -74.02721921670167

The Perfect Murder

The beautiful Jersey City Armory was used as the interior of the Taylor’s opulent Manhattan apartment. Most of the movie was shot inside the apartment so there were a lot of great moments to choose from, but the one fans probably remember most was the tense final standoff between husband-and-wife Steven and Emily. Steven hired an assassin to kill her, which leads Emily to fatally shoot Steven with the hidden gun from her affair partner David. The movie A Bronx Tale also had its boxing match scene take place at the Jersey City Armory for bonus movie trivia!

Jersey City Armory, 678 Montgomery Street, Jersey City
Coordinates: 40.72471347292736, -74.06584217131137

Sleepers

Sleepers is a dark legal crime drama about four boys who are sent to juvenile detention after severely injuring a man. While in juvie, they are relentlessly abused by the guards, especially by head guard Sean Nokes. The action really kicks off when, years serving their sentence, the boys encounter Nokes again at a local bar. After confronting him, they shoot him dead in front of witnesses. This bar confrontation takes place at the Elysian Café, the oldest bar and restaurant in Hoboken.

Elysian Café, 1001 Washington Street, Hoboken
Coordinates: 40.748665, -74.027321

Analyze This

This 90’s comedy film shares a lot with another entry on this list, the Sopranos. Both films involve a long time mafioso who begins seeing a psychiatrist for anxiety issues. In this scene, set at the old Maxwell Coffee plant, main character Paul Vitti is attempting to interrogate a victim before suffering an anxiety attack and needing to be rushed to the hospital. Note for pass goers, the coffee factory has been torn down and replaced by the Maxwell Place Condominiums.

Old Maxwell House Coffee Factory, 1125 Hudson Street, Hoboken
Coordinates: 40.75115082231071, -74.02543389791583

Joker

After being told by his mother that he might be the biological son of billionaire Thomas Wayne, Arthur attempts to sneak into Wayne Hall where a fundraiser is being held so he can confront Mr. Wayne. Thankfully a series of well-timed protests allow Arthur to sneak into the building. The exterior of Wayne Hall is actually the Hudson County Courthouse also known as the William J. Brennan Courthouse. This beautiful building is used for lots of exterior shots, including being a favorite of the Law and Order franchise.

Hudson County Courthouse, 583 Newark Avenue, Jersey City
Coordinates: 40.731959288390556, -74.05724976635294

On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront starring Marlon Brandon is frequently recognized as one of the best films ever made. One of the keys to that award is authenticity, the movie is about Hoboken and the movie is filmed almost entirely on location in Hoboken. Many of the places shown in the movie have been torn down or radically changed in some way, but one remains nearly the same as it did 60 years ago. Father Barry’s church, where the longshoremen meet, Terry and Edie have their romantic moments, and Father Barry convinces Terry to testify. This location is Our Lady of Grace Church on Willow Avenue, and it’s still open for pass goers to visit.

Our Lady of Grace Church, 400 Willow Avenue, Hoboken
Coordinates: 40.74235107484463, -74.0334239178965

The Sopranos

The Sopranos, widely considered one of the best shows ever created, was written to be a love letter to New Jersey. From the opening sequence which shows Tony Soprano drive’s past familiar New Jersey landmarks, to the strong commitment to filming on location whenever possible, New Jersey, and Hudson County especially are represented in every inch of this series. One of those key locations is the Cleveland Auto Body Shop in Harrison. In the show it is under the control of the DiMeo crime family, and they use it to swap out parts of cars that are under investigation, patch up damage to cars and run car related schemes. While not as frequently used as places like the Bada Bing or Satriale’s it still plays a pivotal role in the series. 

Cleveland Auto Body Repair, 5 Cleveland Avenue, Harrison
(Cleveland Auto Body as seen in 1×02, 2×07, 5×08, 6×06)
Coordinates: 40.745923511635546, -74.16396313001658

The Greatest Beer Run Ever

The Brass Rail Pub, which was renamed Doc Fiddler’s Pub for the duration of filming was the home of the very important opening scenes of movie, the one that sets the whole plot in motion. In a New York City bar in 1967, several men who have lost their loved ones in the ongoing Vietnam War gather when one of them comes up with an absurd idea sneak into Vietnam, find their fellow friends in combat, and give them messages from back home over a few beers. Among the men in the bar is one 26-year-old US Marine Corps veteran, John Donohue, who accepts the challenge of doing the impossible task.

The Brass Rail Pub, 76th Street & Bergenline Avenue, North Bergen, NJ
Coordinates: 40.799895883646656, -74.00797900439915

The Marvels

The new MCU movie the Marvels, like its TV predecessor Ms. Marvel, has a lot of the action set in Jersey City because plucky teen heroine Kamala Khan is from there. While a lot of the shots of Jersey City are big shots of the skyline that would be hard for pass goers to recreate, there is a great moment as Monica Rambeau flies away from Kamala’s backyard. As she lifts into the air there is a fantastic view of the Roberto Clemente Baseball Field.

Roberto Clemente Baseball Field, 450 Manila Avenue, Jersey City
Coordinates: 40.726257934495045, -74.04184094673283

The Trial of the Chicago Seven

This historical legal drama by famous director Aaron Sorkin is about a group of seven men who are anti-Vietnam War protesters who are charged with conspiracy and inciting a riot.  The majority of the film was shot in New Jersey with various courtroom scenes set at different Universities in the state. However, the pivotal riot scene, where protestors clashed with the National Guard ,was filmed in Hudson County. Dino & Harry’s Steakhouse in Hoboken served as a stand in for Haymarket Tavern, where the protest turned violent. 

It Ends with Us

Based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover, It Ends With Us tells the story of Lily Bloom, a woman struggling to open her own business when she meets and falls for Ryle, a successful neurosurgeon. However, as their romance blossoms, Lily’s past comes back to haunt her. This movie filmed lots of scenes in Hudson County, including at a café, a local farmers market and most importantly Field Colony. The Hoboken art gallery served as a stand in for Lily’s dream flower shop where multiple important scenes between the two leads take place.

Field Colony, 1001 Bloomfield Street, Hoboken
Coordinates: 40.748908346242835, -74.02808034673146

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

The new Walking Dead spinoff “The Ones Who Live” is currently all the rage, having just completed its first season. The series follows the original series main character Rick Grimes and his wife Michonne as they fight their way through all kinds of adversity to make it back to each other. Unlike its predecessor which filmed primarily in Atlanta, Georgia, the spin off filmed almost entirely in different parts of New Jersey. From Wayne to Eatontown, Lyndhurst and the Ramapo Mountains this production has New Jersey written all over it. However, pass goers might be interested in checking out Port Liberty in Bayonne where several different fight scenes take place.

4 Port Terminal Blvd, Bayonne, NJ
Coordinates: 40.6646, -74.07462

Dumb Money

Remember when a bunch of people on Reddit shook Wall Street by driving up GameStop’s stock? The film “Dumb Money” tells the story of the crew from subreddit r/wallstreetbets who was responsible for the 2021 “short squeeze,” which took aim at hedge funds and investors short-selling the video game retailer’s stock. As part of the growing trend of films being shot on location in New Jersey, most of Dumb Money was shot in Jersey City. Also known as Wall Street West, Jersey City consists of more than 13 million square feet of Class A office space, making it a suitable filming site for a movie like ‘Dumb Money, which deals primarily with hedge funds, corporate investors, and other big financial companies. Also, anytime the movie showed Marcos, an actual GameStop employee, at work, those shots were filmed at the Hudson Mall in Jersey City.

Hudson Mall, 701 State RT 440, Jersey City, NJ
Coordinates: 40.721068060805194, -74.09589363323911

A Complete Unknown

A Complete Unknown, the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet as the title character, is already attracting attention from the media as filming works its way across New Jersey. The cast has been spotted filming at the Miss America Diner in Jersey City, a longtime local favorite. The film, which covers Dylan’s rise to stardom, his relationship with other performers in the genre, and his transition from folk to rock music, is highly anticipated. The scenes in the Miss America Diner will likely be part of the famous journey that Dylan takes hitchhiking from Minnesota to New York to meet his hero Woody Guthrie. Pass goers can check out this diner and imagine themselves as part of music history!

Miss America Diner, 322 West Side Avenue, Jersey City
Coordinates: 40.713281667853494, -74.08978091974564