Beyond the screen: The real Beverly Hills San Jose Mercury News
Lindsay Blake sauntered into the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hilton, her blond bob fluffed like a pillow and her maroon dress showing a bit of wink, wink. Sitting at the legendary bar, the actress drank only water as she discussed her career, her goals and her obsession with Beverly Hills, on the TV screen and off.
"People put Beverly Hills on a pedestal. It has an allure, and 'Beverly Hills, 90210' made it more tangible," said the San Francisco native, referring to that seminal teen soap opera from the 1990s. "When I moved to Los Angeles, all I wanted to see was (teen twins) Brenda and Brandon's house. I could die a happy woman after that."
Blake tracked down the site of the central characters' pad (spoiler alert: It's in Altadena) and now runs a blog called I Am Not a Stalker, which documents her quest to uncover celebrity homes and filming locales. She scours Southern California for her trophies but carries a special valentine for 90210, the most famous ZIP code on Earth.
"Beverly Hills represents the rich and famous," she said, "and all of my hopes and dreams."
The 5.7-square-mile city northwest of downtown Los Angeles has played countless roles in our fantasies, as well as on the big and small screens. This fall, the CW network debuts its successor drama, "90210," almost two decades after Brandon and Brenda Walsh first aired their angst over dating, drinking and Dylan's affections. The old show, which ran from 1990 to 2000, was called "Beverly Hills, 90210"; the new incarnation drops the proper name, because, well, that would be redundant.
