Nick Gerlich, a West Texas A&M marketing professor who is a big fan of Route 66 and the acclaimed “Breaking Bad” television drama, will lead a “Breaking Bad” motor tour of Albuquerque on Saturday.
The tour will include more than 30 locations in Albuquerque where “Breaking Bad was filmed, including more than a dozen on Route 66, Gerlich said in a news release.
The free tour begins at 7:30 a.m. with a Dutch-treat breakfast at the Grove Cafe at 600 Central SE in Albuquerque. After that, members will be provided printed fliers of the route and loaned handheld radios for car-to-car communication. Lunch will be at Twisters (aka Los Pollos Hermanos on the show). The tour will make one full circle of Albuquerque, ending by 4:30 p.m. so participants may attend a Walter White Memorial Service in town.
Gerlich says no reservations for the event are required, but an RSVP beforehand by calling 806-683-6489 or emailing nickgerlich(at)gmail(dot)com would be appreciated.
The Emmy Award-winning show recently ended a five-season run on AMC. The series, set in Albuquerque, features middle-aged high school chemistry teacher Walter White, who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He begins cooking high-quality methamphetamine to ensure his family’s long-run financial well-being.
“Albuquerque is my favorite Route 66 city, and I go there often to photograph the historic buildings, explore old alignments in the nearby desert, and visit my friends,” Gerlich said. “But once I became hooked on Breaking Bad, I knew I had the perfect storm of passions intersecting one another.” […]
“In many regards, Albuquerque became the lead character in the show, but without any cast listings or Emmy nominations,” Gerlich added. “It would have been impossible to not feature many Route 66 locations, because they are so emblematic of the city. In the process, they made the show very accessible to fans who want to relive the action of Breaking Bad.”
If you can’t make it to the tour, Gerlich has put together this terrific interactive map of “Breaking Bad” locationsan interactive Route 66 map as well.)
The ABQ Trolley Co. also offers “Breaking Bad” tours, but those have booked up weeks and even months in advance.
(Image of the Dog House restaurant on Route 66, a “Breaking Bad” location, by amy_b via Flickr. “Breaking Bad” logo by Justin Taylor.)
I have used the services of Jesse & Mike of ABQ Trolley for a few of my small tour groups. They do an awesome presentation.
Also Bryan once made a stop at the Mid-Point while on a road tour with his brother-in-law. Happened while I was there so we got some photos and ran an article in the Pulse.
This was before he got involved in Breaking Bad.
Ron, I have to put this on Facebook.