Opening last December, The Matrix Resurrections was one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Produced, co-written, and directed by original co-creator Lana Wachowski, and featuring the return of franchise stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, this next installment in the Matrix series promises fans not just a thrilling cinematic adventure but a gorgeous look at the City by the Bay, too.
Movie fans can take a walk in Neo’s footsteps and into the rabbit hole with this new self-guided tour we've created based on filming locations in the city. To access a digital map, visit https://bit.ly/MatrixSFTour.
Take the red pill and begin!
Russian Hill and North Beach
Prep for the tour by cueing up pioneering San Francisco band Jefferson Airplane’s acclaimed “Surrealistic Pillow” album. The psychedelic rock song “White Rabbit” is featured in the film's trailer. Jefferson Airplane began its career at the now-defunct San Francisco club, The Matrix, on Fillmore Street.
The first stop on the tour is from the opening scene of the trailer. Go to Vallejo Street at Jones Street. Take the stairs up and walk to a cul-de-sac, part of the National Register Russian Hill - Vallejo Street Crest Historic District. Enjoy the sweeping view captured in the film, with the Transamerica Pyramid, Salesforce Tower, and Bay Bridge starring in the cityscape.
This historic district escaped the great fire following the 1906 earthquake and is noted for its pioneering First Bay Area Tradition houses and Beaux-Arts street design and landscaping. You may even spot the famed wild parrots of Telegraph Hill perched in trees here. After taking in the view, head down the stairs towards Taylor Street. Of note is 1001 Vallejo, the house featured in season two of The OA.
Go east on Vallejo down one of the city’s terraced staircases that winds through a small urban park. Walk four blocks and turn right onto Columbus Avenue. Stroll past San Francisco’s famed City Lights bookstore, a literary landmark founded in North Beach in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin. It became a legendary gathering spot for The Beat Generation.
Soon you will reach the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Kearny Street, the location of the Sentinel Building/Columbus Tower (916 Kearny Street). The 1907 flatiron building is clad in white tile and oxidized copper and straddles North Beach, Chinatown, and the Financial District. Gaze at the landmark building with the 48-story Transamerica Pyramid in the background just like Neo does in the movie. Enjoy a drink at Café Zoetrope, Francis Ford Coppola’s café, on the ground floor of the Sentinel.
Chinatown and the Financial District
Next, head down Kearny to the nearby House of Nanking (919 Kearny Street) and grab lunch where Neo and Trinity made a stop. Opened in 1988 by Peter and Lily Fang, the restaurant is famous for its Shanghainese cuisine and the chef ordering for guests.
Continue walking down Kearny; make a right onto Washington Street and then a left onto Grant Avenue, the commercial center of Chinatown. San Francisco’s Chinatown—the largest outside of Asia—is the site of several scenes, including ones shot on California at Grant and Pine at Grant. Chinatown is a bustling place to shop, eat, and learn about the history of Chinese immigration to California. You can even take a short side trip to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory (56 Ross Alley) for a tour. Upon reaching Chinatown’s Dragon Gate at the Grant and Bush intersection, turn left onto Bush Street.
Next, turn right and head to 44 Montgomery, one of the towering office buildings in downtown San Francisco featured in the movie. Then, head east on Market Street until you reach One Front Street, another building where filming took place. Traverse Front Street and turn left onto Pine Street.
Two blocks up at 155 Sansome Street is the City Club of California. The Jazz Era lobby is the setting for a dramatic scene. One block further on Pine, past the grand Stock Exchange Tower, is Joe & The Juice (235 Montgomery Street). For the movie, Joe & The Juice was transformed into Neo’s favorite coffee shop, Simulatte. Enjoy an afternoon pick-me-up there.
Head north on Sansome to California Street, where a number of movie scenes were shot. You can see several buildings from the film and some of San Francisco’s oldest landmark buildings.
The landmark Beaux-Arts Merchants Exchange Building, located at 465 California Street, is included in the film. Built in 1904, the building is one of the few to survive the 1906 earthquake and subsequent fire.
The modern building at 425 California is also featured in the film. Not far from there is the landmark Bank of California Building. The 1908 Greco-Roman style structure located at 400 California is dubbed “The Grand Old Lady of California Street.”
The Embarcadero
Keep walking along California towards the waterfront. Pass by the famed Tadich Grill, which dates to 1849 and is the “oldest continuously run restaurant in California.” Tadich Grill now sits next to one of the city’s newest acclaimed restaurants, Estiatorio Ornos a Michael Mina Restaurant.
Also appearing in the film is 150 California. The building features a 330-foot-high glass feature with a rooftop spire. Follow California east until it reaches Market Street. Visit the Harry Bridges Plaza at the Embarcadero, another film location, in front of the Ferry Building. Artists, skateboarders, and others congregate at the plaza to enjoy the view.
Inside the landmark Ferry Building, sample local Bay Area favorites. Grab a cup of Blue Bottle Coffee, Humphry Slocombe ice cream, macarons from Miette, or sample oysters from Hog Island Oyster Company. If the outdoor Farmers Market is open, explore the stalls of fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs, meats, cheeses, and more from small regional farmers and producers.
Once you’re full, walk south to the end of nearby Pier 14 for some of the best views of the Bay, including many of the landmarks seen in the film’s sweeping skyline shots.
A Few Fan Extras
Salesforce Tower (415 Mission Street), the tallest building in the city, appears in skyline scenes in the film. Day for Night by artist Jim Campbell is a dynamic LED installation that circles the crown of the building. Enjoy a visit to the nearby Salesforce rooftop park, which sits 70-feet above the Grand Hall and runs the length of the four-block transit center. Several nearby intersections can be seen in The Matrix Resurrections, including Fremont and Mission streets.
The Avery at 488 Folsom Street in SoMa appears to be Neo’s home in the film. (The bathtub scene in the trailer is the giveaway). The 56-story glass tower is a luxury residential building with breathtaking views of San Francisco Bay and the cityscape.
Filming also took place on Powell between California and Market streets. For an iconic San Francisco experience, take a cable car ride from the Powell Street Cable Car Turnaround located just off Market Street past Union Square and California Street. The cable car ride ends at Fisherman’s Wharf.
For one last "Matrix Moment” take BART to your next destination. A pivotal fight scene in the film takes place at a downtown station.
The Holiday and Travel Magazine
https://theholidayandtravelmagazine.blogspot.com.au
https://theholidayandtravelmagazine.blogspot.com.au
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