Chasing The Sopranos mobsters was never part of my whimsical travels bucket-list; not in the slightest. However, somewhere between stumbling over the show’s reruns on HBO and starting an exciting photography collaboration with Get Your Guide Tours, I ended up doing just that.
The first Sopranos episode I watched, I hated. The next day, I hated it less. The next after that, I became intrigued. Within four days, I became hooked. I have just finished the series, and am embarrassed to admit I know as many details as Sex and the City.
Few months after my first tour with On Location Tours, I was happy to be back on the bus. I was greeted by Marc Baron from Oroloro Entertainment. Our guide for the day, his knowledge of the show was astonishing; it turns out he worked on 13 episodes of The Sopranos.
“I will give you all the inside scoop, but I am no rat.”
Prior to starting our 4h journey into the mob scene of New Jersey, we were surprised by meeting the character Vito Spatafore played by Joseph R. Gannascoli. He spared us from being “whacked” and so we hopped on the bus, prepared to hear some “colorful” language.
As we drove through the Lincoln Tunnel on our way to see the New Jersey shooting locations, just like Tony Soprano does at the beginning of each episode, Alabama’s 3 “Woke Up This Morning” was playing along.
Skyway Diner, where Christopher was shot was the first stop, a scene I had seen just the night before.
The bus then proceeded to AJ’s high school, to Father Phil’s parish, to Satriale’s and to Holsten’s where the last scene of the show was shot. We also passed by Carmine’s Funeral Home and Big Pussy’s auto repair shop.
The highlight of the tour however, was stepping inside the Satin Dolls, more famously known as Bada Bing. It was my first strip club experience, and naturally I was slightly curious to see how the most expensive shooting location would look. The girls were dressed and we were not allowed any photography; what was most surprising was realizing all locations look bigger and wider on TV.
We did not go to Tony Soprano’s house because it’s part of a gated community in North Caldwell, New Jersey, that does not welcome tour buses.
All in all, I had a blast and I shamelessly left with a much too vast knowledge of mafia endeavors 🙂
And as Tony always says, “end of story.”
To book a tour, see details below:
Where: 7th Avenue near 39th Street
When: Saturdays at 10am
Cost: $46 + $3 ticket fee
Duration: Approximately 4 hours
Disclaimer: On Locations Tours kindly offered me and a guest a complimentary tour, as photographer for Get Your Guide Tours, however all opinions are mine.
Update June, 19th: The actor playing mob boss Tony Soprano has died. RIP James Gandolfini, I am truly saddened. We have lost a great, humble, generous man and a genius!
