The recent release of El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie has led to something of a revival for the popular show, which is considered by many to be one of the greatest television series of all time. Regardless of whether or not you agree with that, one thing which cannot be denied is how fascinating the location of the show is.
Albuquerque, New Mexico is a city that isn't well known for being a popular tourist destination, but in the wake of Breaking Bad's insane success, it seems as if that has changed—and will continue to change as the years go on.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers for Breaking Bad & El Camino ahead
10 Walter White’s House
In the show, it turned into a place that everyone in the local area wanted to see, and the same can be said for the real life house.
Walter White’s residence isn’t anything special from the outside looking in, but perhaps that’s the point. This man was once considered to be an everyday citizen before he turned into one of the most notable drug lords in the United States of America. You simply cannot tell the story of Breaking Bad without this central location, and really, it isn’t all too difficult to find.
9 The Lake
The lake always did hold a special place in the heart of Breaking Bad fans, and after El Camino, they’ve got another reason for that.
In Breaking Bad it marked the site of Mike’s death after he was shot dead by Walt. In El Camino, there’s a great flashback scene between Mike and Jesse in which the two discuss the future and what they want to do with their lives. It comes across as being so peaceful, but in equal measure, there’s a lot of history that lies beneath the surface.s
8 Garduño's
Garduño's is a real-life chain of restaurants in the New Mexico area that just so happened to feature in the television series. The famous scene used in Garduño's came in the final season when Hank & Marie went and had a sitdown meeting with Walt and Skyler.
The tension was insane, but for some reason, this charming restaurant made it feel a little bit safer. Of course, safe isn’t exactly a word we’d use all too frequently in a TV show like this, but you can kind of get the gist of it.
7 Jesse & Jane’s Apartment
In the final scene of El Camino, we got a throwback to Jesse & Jane’s relationship and what could’ve been. In our mind, Jane will always be with Jesse in some way, shape or form, and the core of their story was told in that lovely little apartment that Jesse moved into.
A great deal of destruction and heartache took place there, as we all know, but it just felt like the kind of abode which shows off Jesse’s personality. Alternatively, Jesse’s other homes are also pretty nice and we’d recommend you check them out too.
6 Los Pollos Hermanos
Gus Fring is one of the best characters in all of television and we won’t have anyone try to deny that. The heart of Gus’ story lies within his fast-food franchise Los Pollos Hermanos which, to this day, is a place we still consider to be one of the most entertaining locations in the entire show.
In reality, there is an actual restaurant called Twisters there, and every now and then, they turn it back into the Los Pollos Hermanos site. If that doesn’t actively excite you, then nothing will.
5 The Cook Site
To’Hajiilee serves as the site of Walt & Jesse’s first cook spot, and then at the end of the series, it serves as the final showdown for Hank and Jack’s gang. As you can imagine it’s a pretty tense place to be, but in many ways, it’s incredibly beautiful. The desert is an odd place and can serve up some unique sensations for everyone, and in truth, it all depends on your state of mind.
If you do indeed decide to visit, prepare yourself for an incredibly bizarre yet fascinating trip.
4 Saul Goodman’s Office
Saul Goodman’s office is an actual place in the ABQ that you can visit because of course it is. The added intrigue courtesy of Better Call Saul makes this even better, and the thing we love the most is that it’s really not a very special building at all.
It’s integral to the series with several important scenes going down there, and it could wind up playing host to even more important scenes within the Breaking Bad Universe. If you manage to scout it out, then we’d be fascinated to see what it has become in the real world.
3 Las Cruces
This is a particularly niche selection, mainly due to the fact it isn’t mentioned all too much. In the first season, Jesse says to Walt that he has to drive all the way to Las Cruces in order to secure some of the supplies that he needs in order to cook meth. A quick Google search will tell you that it’s over 200 miles south of the ABQ and will take more than three hours to get to.
If you’re feeling up to it, then we’d highly recommend making the trip, because it’s pretty gorgeous.
2 A-1 Car Wash
The car wash was first seen in the actual Pilot episode of the show when Walt was just working there as a second job. Then, when the car wash is actually purchased by Walt and Skyler as a way to launder their drug money, it becomes an even more important part of the show.
The “have an A-1 day” catchphrase is quite literally legendary at this point within the Breaking Bad Universe, and rightly so. It seemed so innocent when in reality, there were so many secrets lurking beneath the surface.
1 Marie & Hank’s House
Out of all the homes in the series that are featured regularly, we actually think this one is our favorite. You can clearly see that Hank and Marie have been successful, and thus, have a bigger house than Walt and Skyler. The backdrop is phenomenal, too, and shows off everything that we love when it comes to the New Mexico area.
The outer design alone is worth your time, mainly because it’s just so overwhelmingly unique. Sure, it winds up being a pretty depressing place to be for Marie, but we’ll never forget the memory of Hank.