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Your Bond location pilgrimages.

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  • delfloriadelfloria
    Posts: 1,860
    Many, many years ago I went to the Cafe' Martinique and dove the cave where Spectre hid the nuclear bombs.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,812
    I'd love to try that @delfloria.


    Noticed this recent closing. I'm planning to be in the area later this year so this is a lost opportunity.

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    Las Vegas hotel that hosted James Bond torn
    down for baseball team
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2024/04/02/las-vegas-hotel-to-become-baseball-stadium/
    Old-time dealers weep as Rat Pack and mobster hang-out the Tropicana cashes its chips after 67 years
    Andrew Buncombe 2 April 2024 • 8:37pm
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    When it opened in 1957 at a cost of $15 million, the Tropicana was one of Las Vegas's most luxurious hotels Credit: Richard I'Anson/The Image Bank Unreleased
    There was a time when everyone who was anyone wanted to be associated with Tropicana Las Vegas.
    Built in 1957, making it the city’s third oldest casino, the Tropicana was once a hangout for the likes of Rat Pack stars Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr, and the place for acts such as the topless Folies Bergère show and jazz great Louis Armstrong.

    Even James Bond stayed there in the 1971 film Diamonds Are Forever, with Sean Connery saying: “I hear that the Hotel Tropicana is quite comfortable.”

    Now the resort once nick-named “the Tiffany of the Strip” is being pulled down to make way for a new Major League Baseball stadium.
    The casino officially closed its doors at 3am on Tuesday after regulars, staff members and curious tourists gave it a proper send-off. Many of the old-time dealers wept.
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    The Tropicana casino featured in the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, starring Sean Connery Credit: The Kobal Collection
    “It was kind of a special time,” Joe Simonetti told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, as he walked from the casino’s floor at the end of his final shift.

    “We just closed the pit, had some champagne and said goodbye. Now we’re going to go to a bar and have a drink and move on with our lives.”

    When it opened in April 1957 with a price tag of $15 million, the Tropicana was considered one of the most luxurious of Las Vegas’s hotels.
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    Guests are invited to gamble for one final time before the casino closes Credit: Brian Prahl/Splash News
    It also became integral to the city’s lore, in part of because of its alleged links to Mafia-era figures such as mobster Frank Costello.

    It was also the place where magicians Siegfried & Roy, known for their performances with white lions and tiger, made their Vegas debut.

    In 2003, Roy – whose real name is Uwe Ludwig Horn – was attacked by a seven-year-old white tiger named Mantacore, severely hurting him and leaving him with permanent injuries.

    Following the demolition that is due to start in October, around nine acres of the 35-acre piece of land will be handed to the Oakland Athletics baseball team for the construction of a 30,000-seat stadium, the resort said. It is expected that the team will relocate from California, in 2028.
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    The Tropicana hosted Frank Sinatra and other Rat Pack stars Credit: Screen Archives/Moviepix
    In a statement, the owner of the property, Bally’s Corporation, said: “The master plan for the rest of the property will accelerate once the Athletics’ ballpark concept design is finalised. Bally’s is aligned to deliver a unique development worthy of this iconic site on the strip.”

    The Tropicana underwent two major hotel expansions – the Tiffany Tower opened in 1979 with 600 rooms and was renamed the Paradise Tower. In 1986, the Island Tower opened with 800 new rooms.

    ‘New standard for the time’
    Michael Green, professor of History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said what made the Tropicana unique when it opened was that it was “a new standard for the time”.

    “It cost a record $15 million to build … with everything from a production revue that opened with Eddie Fisher, one of the biggest names of the era, as well as a gourmet room with a prominent chef and four different room designs based on various kinds of international architecture,” he added.
    Casino Royale
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    The owner of the longtime favourite, currently operated by Best Western, is planning to build a new 699ft tall resort on the plot.
    In October 2017, when a gunman opened fire into a crowded country music festival from a high-rise suite at the Mandalay Bay in October 2017, the nearby Tropicana sheltered thousands of people fleeing gunfire. Sixty people were killed.
    “The Tropicana welcomed them all in. They provided some first aid as needed and a safe place for them until the danger passed,” said Tennille Pereira, director of the Resiliency and Justice Centre.
    Yet for all its past glories, the Tropicana struggled after the 2009 recession that led to the end of many of its most celebrated acts.

    Now the only remaining casino from that era is the Sahara.
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  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,812
    Okay I saw more of interest in Kentucky.


    GF: FORT KNOX
    Fort Knox, Kentucky, USA
    Used for exterior and aerial shots only. The approach road (Gold Vault Rd) was recreated at Pinewood Studios, on the edge with Black Park.

    Viewed from the highway by me.
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    Adjacent to the military base and accessed from the highway side, I enjoyed the General Patton Museum which had a lot more than WWII items on display.

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    Plus I was aware an item from GF was still on display somewhere on site but I wasn't able to immediately locate it circuiting through.

    So I ended up at the Gift Shop asking the staff where the U.S. Gold Bullion Depository model used in GF was located. Of course it was there in the Gift Shop to my immediate left.


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    No opportunity to poke my head up from below and peek out, but still. Pretty thrilling.

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  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    RichardTheBruce wrote: »
    No opportunity to poke my head up from below and peek out, but still. Pretty thrilling.

    Fabulous! I had no idea this was on display.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    Wow, that's epic! You'd think they'd keep something like that at pinewood for expositions.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,812
    I'm realizing I failed to search out the (off limits) approach and intersection of Gold Vault Road and Bullion Boulevard from the base side. Have business in the area September, will likely swing through again.

    Here's the touristy gold bar magnet souvenir (3/4 inch x 1-3/4 inch) I purchased in the gift shop at the General George Patton Museum of Leadership, Fort Knox, Kentucky.

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  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    I have returned from a week staying with an internet friend (you might know her from Twitter as @3octaves or 007intheadirondacks) who lives in New York state, right in the heart of the action from TSWLM (novel) and not far from Saratoga Springs, which crops up in DAF.

    I sampled the water at Saratoga (yuk) and had a mineral bath (mud baths are no longer available which was fine by me), and saw all the midcentury motels and diners my heart could desire. Some places Fleming visited, some he might have done, and some he definitely didn't (like the Star Trek museum). Brilliant time.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,812
    Well that's epic you two could meet @Agent_99 very good to hear. So you must have circuited through Route 9 and other places of interest. I'm from the nearby Catskills originally and want to get around there myself.

  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,586
    Amazing photos of Fort Knox @RichardTheBruce

    I've explored every Bond location except Jamaica. No Street View there.

    New York would be excellent, wanna see it return in the films. I bought one of the items seen in the voodoo shop, and tracking revealed that it came from NY...
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 1,649
    Agent_99 wrote: »
    I have returned from a week staying with an internet friend (you might know her from Twitter as @3octaves or 007intheadirondacks) who lives in New York state, right in the heart of the action from TSWLM (novel) and not far from Saratoga Springs, which crops up in DAF.

    I sampled the water at Saratoga (yuk) and had a mineral bath (mud baths are no longer available which was fine by me), and saw all the midcentury motels and diners my heart could desire. Some places Fleming visited, some he might have done, and some he definitely didn't (like the Star Trek museum). Brilliant time.

    I might have to ask you for a map! I live in NYC and have never tried any Bond related excursions in the area.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    QBranch wrote: »
    Amazing photos of Fort Knox @RichardTheBruce

    I've explored every Bond location except Jamaica. No Street View there.

    New York would be excellent, wanna see it return in the films. I bought one of the items seen in the voodoo shop, and tracking revealed that it came from NY...

    What maps are you using?
    I’ve used street view in Jamaica.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,586
    Benny wrote: »
    What maps are you using?
    I’ve used street view in Jamaica.
    Just Google maps.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,812
    On the Tracks of 007 is a key resource for the film locations of course. Crossreferencing with Google maps and other resources.

    https://www.onthetracksof007.com/maps

  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    RichardTheBruce wrote: »
    Well that's epic you two could meet @Agent_99 very good to hear. So you must have circuited through Route 9 and other places of interest. I'm from the nearby Catskills originally and want to get around there myself.

    Yes, lots of Route 9, a lot of it unchanged! (The motel signs look exactly as they must have done in the '50s bar the addition of 'WI-FI'.)
    LucknFate wrote: »
    I might have to ask you for a map! I live in NYC and have never tried any Bond related excursions in the area.

    Apparently the trick is to know that Route 9 does lots of different things and calls itself 9N, 9L and others at different points!
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,812
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    Fortunate to spend a week in Lisbon, Portugal, traveling around Monday and Friday.

    First and one of the last stops was Guincho Beach, where the opening pre-title sequence to On Her Majesty's Secret Service was filmed. Walking around the site was a nice experience. Unfortunately no fishing boats and netting and grappling hooks lying around to play with, or to feign rescue of a lady.

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    Monday I tried to duplicate a screen shot of a tanker on the horizon as in the film. On the Friday visit there was a fishing boat for a second attempt.

    OHMSS
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    Films scenes for comparison
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    Monday picture of a tanker on the horizon
    Friday pictures of fishing vessel
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  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,586
    Well done @RichardTheBruce, hope you've had a great holiday. Love those sand dunes! I have several fond memories of exploring dunes. That fishing boat looks a fair bit like the tanker on screen, doesn't it? Similar shape from a distance.
    RichardTheBruce wrote: »
    Unfortunately no fishing boats and netting and grappling hooks lying around to play with, or to feign rescue of a lady.
    So, just a Mustang with the keys in the ignition then. Better than nothing.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,041
    QBranch wrote: »
    So, just a Mustang with the keys in the ignition then. Better than nothing.

    Cougar, please.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,586
    As you can see, I'm no expert on wild animals.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,812
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    From Guincho Beach I walked down the coast to the Cidadela area of Cascais the Aston Martin circuited through (as the titles end, Bond drives to his hotel).

    Actually too long of a walk, I realized when I drove the same route in a rental car on Friday. For that it seemed peak traffic, but I didn't mind as the creep through the area let me check out some stuff I wouldn't see if I quickly drove through.
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  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,812
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    I took an Uber over to Casino Estoril. Knowing the Palácio Estoril Hotel was very close.
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  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    Posts: 3,152
    Great stuff - must've been quite dreamlike to be on Guincho Beach, tbh.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,812
    Yes that describes it @Venutius, surreal to circuit through familiar territory firsthand.


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    Street view of one side of the Hotel Palácio.

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  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    How lovely, @RichardTheBruce! I'll be in Portugal on holiday in September and I'm looking forward to it even more now!
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,586
    The Uber - was it a Mustang? Mercury Mustang?

    Very envious, folks. Would love to see Portugal return in the films.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,041
    @QBranch , it's still not a Mustang, and especially no Mercury Mustang. There is and was a Ford Mustang, and it formed the basis for the Mercury Cougar (another Ford brand), which was the car Tracy drove. But neither a Mercury Mustang nor a Ford Cougar (not counting the one sold in Europe around the year 2000).
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,586
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    @QBranch , it's still not a Mustang
    The Uber? It wasn't a Mustang? How about the rental car? Was that a Ford Mercury?
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,041
    Reminds me of a guy on the IMDb forum who for weeks cultivated his supposed knowledge that Bond's car was an Austin Martin, not an Aston. Are you related, by any chance?
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,586
    You're an easy target JW - I could switch car makes/models all day and you'd take the time to correct every one, but you still haven't commented on RichardTheBruce's pilgrimage to Portugal yet, or at least something on topic.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    QBranch wrote: »
    You're an easy target JW - I could switch car makes/models all day and you'd take the time to correct every one, but you still haven't commented on RichardTheBruce's pilgrimage to Portugal yet, or at least something on topic.

    Perhaps because he drives an Alfa Martin? Or was it an Austin Romeo. I'm a little confused.

    Extremely cool photo's @RichardTheBruce! I realise now what I missed out on looking for when I was in Lissabon last year. Allthough we were staying in Sesimbra, which is a bit too far south to go to Bonds'beach.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    edited July 2 Posts: 13,812
    Everyone deserves a second chance @CommanderRoss .

    Don't mean to spoil anything for your future trip @Agent_99 hope you can consider my photos a recon.


    Many are aware, Palácio Estoril Hotel attracted spies during World War II including Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. And hotel and casino are noted for in part inspiring Fleming to write Casino Royale. Likewise Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and The Little Prince.

    So I stuck to plan and started at the Terraço Bougainvillea hotel restaurant. Choosing the Nordic Sandwich (salmon), a salute to @Thunderfinger and other Norse in the MI6 Community, and salad. Plus a Palácio custard tart for desert.


    Menu All Day
    https://www.palacioestorilhotel.com/wp-content/uploads/ING_Bougainvillea-Menu_ALL-DAY-LONG.pdf
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    And not least a 007 Martini. Brought along something to read plus a Bond film artifact.

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