There’s a moment of delight when you discover that somewhere you assumed was just set turns out to be a real place.
This happened when my now husband and I were planning our trip to New York in 2018 and I bought a copy of a New York DK Eyewitness Guide to do some research. Usually I find they’re the best for looking for interesting places to visit rather than the fine details of travel or accommodation – Rough Guides or Lonely Planets are my preferred choice for that. The DK Eyewitness Guides are beautifully illustrated with drawings and photographs which make it a pleasure to flick through.
Tucked at the bottom of a page Andy spotted a small image of a large globe and thought it looked rather like the Daily Planet in the first Superman film which came out in 1978. A quick google confirmed that indeed it was!
The globe is part of a handsomely decorated foyer to the News Building, an art deco skyscraper that was completed in 1930. It was the New York Daily News Building until 1995 and is still used as an office block with a security desk and turnstiles.
As the building was only a few blocks down from our hotel we of course paid it a visit. The foyer with globe is thankfully open to the general public and it was well worth going to see even without the Superman link.
We spent time looking at the features in the foyer and the exhibition they had about the history of the building and the globe, there was even a panel about the Superman filming that took place in 1977. After snapping a few pictures, we left satisfied that we’d not only bagged a great location but learnt a bit of New York history.
The 1978 Superman film also features Grand Central Station as Lex Luthor has his secret lair hidden beneath it. Grand Central Station features in so many films that it’s one of those places that you feel you know without having been inside. It is stunningly handsome and as it was next to our hotel, we got to experience it all pretty much all times of day. It’s deserving of its own blog post someday.
Some great links for further reading;
https://www.movie-locations.com/movies/s/Superman-1978.php
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-daily-news-building-globe-new-york-new-york
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-daily-planet-in-film-and-television-468536/
The maxim that all of New York is a film set stood true when we stumbled across a film crew as we wandered around. A new TV series called the First Wives Club series was being film on the street, based on the 1996 film of the same name. There were lots of extras hanging around and helpful information panels explained what was happening.
From scene to seen 