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miamijimf

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4 hours ago, Matt5 said:

After over 6 weeks - a buyer has still not been found for the Miami Vice studios up in North Miami.

The big screen 2006 "Miami Vice" movie was not filmed here - in fact Michael Mann did not approach Greenwich Studios at all, instead production was based mainly out of the Greenberg Traurig building at 1221 Brickell Avenue. ("Stones War", "Killshot", "Rising Sun of Death")

https://therealdeal.com/miami/2017/11/28/lights-camera-action-historic-landmark-greenwich-studios-hits-the-market/

Not good, the film studio availability encouraged productions in Miami even though some recent TV shows/movies have used other facilities.

 

Edited by miamijimf
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20 hours ago, miamijimf said:

Not good, the film studio availability encouraged productions in Miami even though some recent TV shows/movies have used other facilities.

 

A real shame Jim - that this studio may stand empty shortly:hippie:

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Just watched Bad Boys  II with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence (released July 9, 2003) filmed in a variety of locations but the Miami location are significant: Vizcaya, Stiltsville, South Beach etc.  Pretty entertaining.  Lots of new places, some challenging, it's ideal for the location sleuth who likes to find Miami locations.

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On 10/01/2018 at 12:28 PM, miamijimf said:

Just watched Bad Boys  II with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence (released July 9, 2003) filmed in a variety of locations but the Miami location are significant: Vizcaya, Stiltsville, South Beach etc.  Pretty entertaining.  Lots of new places, some challenging, it's ideal for the location sleuth who likes to find Miami locations.

There was a truck chase/ crash scene wasn’t there in Downtown near the BOA building if I recall?:cheers:

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1 hour ago, Matt5 said:

There was a truck chase/ crash scene wasn’t there in Downtown near the BOA building if I recall?:cheers:

Correct, big chase scene downtown/ Brickell area & good shots of the Miami Tower aka BOA bldg.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is a long but interesting article about the property where Big Fish Restaurant was located.  The property was originally owned by one of  Miami's founding fathers, William Brickell, in the 1800s.  In 1986 Tommy Sykes sublet half of a gas station on the property and opened Big Fish.  A very colorful character, he ran the restaurant until he died in 1995.

55 SW Miami Avenue Road

Kirk Semple | December 5, 1996

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/55-sw-miami-avenue-road-6361158

  • green = Big Fish Restaurant
  • blue = OCB (Miami Shipyards in real life)

http://s20.postimg.cc/ars1tplrh/Trust4.png

A condominium called The Edge on Brickell has been proposed for the property:

edge-miami.jpg

edge-on-brickell-night.jpg

Edited by airtommy
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 The walls were bedecked with cards scrawled with aphorisms -- "Architecture: The art of how to waste space"; "May your future be filled with lawyers"; "If he can't say anything good about anybody, seat him next to me."

We see these notes in "Leap of Faith":

BigFish4.png

BigFish5.png

BigFish6.png

 

BigFish7.png

 

 

Edited by airtommy
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"Some of the Sykes graffiti legacy still remains: Look for the words Big Fish on the wall at the corner of SW First Avenue and SW Miami Avenue Road."

We see this at the end of the car chase in "Down For the Count":

BigFish3.png

Edited by airtommy
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I like this view of Belle Isle and the Venetian Islands from the Beach.  On the skyline to the left you can see the Panorama Tower, now the tallest bldg. in Fla.  It will soar to 868 feet.  Its developers claim the lights of Bimini will be visible on clear nights from the high-rise's upper levels.

DUu93huXUAA_OSv.jpg large.jpg

Edited by miamijimf
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1 hour ago, miamijimf said:

I like this view of Belle Isle and the Venetian Islands from the Beach.  On the skyline to the left you can see the Panorama Tower, now the tallest bldg. in Fla.  It will soar to 868 feet.  Its developers claim the lights of Bimini will be visible on clear nights from the high-rise's upper levels.

DUu93huXUAA_OSv.jpg large.jpg

Great picture Jim - I like Belle Isle but not so much the Panorama Tower. 

Belle Isle is of course rich in Miami Vice history starting with a view of the condos on the west side of the Isle in “Heart of Darkness”. Other episodes we see Belle Isle include “Lend Me An Ear”, “Shadow in the Dark”, “Bought and Paid For” to name some.

Edited by Matt5
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On 28/01/2018 at 5:31 PM, airtommy said:

"Some of the Sykes graffiti legacy still remains: Look for the words Big Fish on the wall at the corner of SW First Avenue and SW Miami Avenue Road."

We see this at the end of the car chase in "Down For the Count":

BigFish3.png

Great information and to put them it together like that :hippie:

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On ‎1‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 6:28 PM, miamijimf said:

I like this view of Belle Isle and the Venetian Islands from the Beach.  On the skyline to the left you can see the Panorama Tower, now the tallest bldg. in Fla.  It will soar to 868 feet.  Its developers claim the lights of Bimini will be visible on clear nights from the high-rise's upper levels.

DUu93huXUAA_OSv.jpg large.jpg

Nice shot!

 

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Big Fish Restaurant began when Tommy Sykes "sublet half of Bud Dawson's service station at 55 SW Miami Avenue Road. The restaurateur converted one of Dawson Marine Service's mechanic's bays into a kitchen and jerrybuilt a lean-to roof with corrugated metal to create an outdoor terrace."

We first catch a glimpse of this Texaco station in Season 1 in the hostage scene near the end of "Smuggler's Blues":

Texaco2.png

We next see it in Season 3 in "Theresa" near the police property warehouse.  This is the same view as "Smuggler's Blues", with one difference.  In "Theresa" we are looking under the Miami Avenue bridge.  In "Smuggler's Blues" the bridge has been demolished and therefore is not in the way.

Texaco3.png

The best view comes in Season 4's "Cows of October":

Texaco1.png

Satellite view for orientation:

Texaco4.png

You see the gas pumps in Season 5's "Leap of Faith" when they are in Big Fish:

BigFish8.png

Edited by airtommy
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Interesting, didn't realize the Big Fish showed up so often but you don't get a good look at much besides the pumps and sign.

 

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I liked that scene from Season 5s “Leap of Faith” with Crockett and Cutler(was it?!) not the best MV episode - but a good location there showing a less glamourous side of Big Fish.:hippie:

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While I was studying Miami Vice scenes for views of Big Fish and Texaco, I noticed that the Miami Avenue bridge was completely replaced during Season 1.  We catch a few glimpses of the construction in the "Smuggler's Blues" hostage scene:

bridge1.png

bridge2.png

Edited by airtommy
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The bridge is nearing completion in "Made For Each Other" when Izzy & Noogie steal the dump truck:

bridge3.png

bridge4.png

bridge5.png

bridge6.png

 

 

Edited by airtommy
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I hope this is the right place to post this, but forgive me if not and please redirect.

MV is my absolute happy place. More so since my son passed away in 2016. I watch episode after episode to escape. I did watch the series every Friday night back when it first aired.

My question is, where would be some good places to check out when I am Miami later this month? I won't have very long, and thought I might be able to at least walk around on Ocean Drive and near that area. I figure The Carlyle is an obvious one, but are there any other filming locations nearby? I may never make it back, so it's now or never! I'm not sure why the show has affected me the way it does, but I loved it then and suddenly, for the past couple of years, I am hooked into it again.

Thank you

Vix

PS - reading some of the posts here I am amazed at the attention to detail by everyone! Very impressed.

Edited by Merely
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Welcome to the site, @Merely !

I am sorry to hear about your son. Many of us consider MV an escape. You are always with friends here at this site. 

If there are some particular locations you are wondering about, please feel free to ask for the addresses. Many people here have them committed to memory. 

You can also check out these links, courtesy of one of our members here:

Season 1 locations:

http://www.miamivicelocations.org/page3.html

season 2:

http://www.miamivicelocations2.org/page3.html

3:

http://www.miamivicelocations3.org/page3.html

4:

http://www.miamivicelocations4.org/page2.html

And season 5:

http://www.miamivicelocations5.org/page3.html

 

Here’s a thread from my most recent trip to Miami that you may enjoy:

 

Edited by Dadrian
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Thanks, Dadrian! I appreciate that very much. I went online searching after I left here as well, and remembered that Scarface also shares a memorable spot with MV. The Carlyle! That's a must on my visit.

I'll be sure and check out each of those links. Thank you again for the welcome.

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In the late 1890s one of Miami's founding fathers Henry Flagler was building the gigantic Royal Palm Hotel and needed housing for his workers.  So, he built the Royal Palm Cottages, about 30 in number, Victorian in style.   Only one survives today, though it has been moved from its original location. 

Good article on the history of the cottages:  http://miami-history.com/flaglers-royal-palm-cottages-in-downtown-miami/

Historical designation:   http://www.historicpreservationmiami.com/flagler.html

Palm Cottages in the foreground, Royal Palm Hotel in the background:

Palm_Cottages.jpg

Last surviving Palm Cottage:

Palm_Cottage.jpg

 

Edited by airtommy
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We catch a brief glimpse of the surviving Palm Cottage in "Smuggler's Blues" in the hostage scene:

PalmCottage2.png

We see it in "Made For Each Other" when Izzy & Noogie steal the cement mixer:

  • red = Miami-Dade County Courthouse
  • yellow = Flagler Palm Cottage
  • blue = Miami Tower under construction

PalmCottage3.png

And we get our best view of it in "The Good Collar":

PalmCottage4.png

PalmCottage5.png

Edited by airtommy
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