Gallery: Tour the Best Breaking Bad Locations With an Afternoon Drive Down Route 66
01Breaking Bad: The Route 66 Tour
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico – They really should've eaten the tableside guac. In the very tense dinner scene in the "Confessions" episode of *Breaking Bad* a few weeks back Walt, Skyler, Hank and Marie meet for enchiladas and blackmail at a Mexican restaurant called Garduño's. During said dinner, the only thing breaking the tension is the *Office Space*-esque insistence from the waiter that they try the restaurant's famed tableside guacamole. I'm sitting in Garduño's now and gotta say, they should've had some – it's delicious, so good it can completely erase a family-shattering betrayal. Since I'm a huge *Breaking Bad* fan, when I found out I was going to end up in Albuquerque en route to another assignment, I realized this was an opportunity: I could actually scarf a Dog House hot dog or go to the park where Jesse Pinkman ended his money-throwing run. (Attention citizens of Albuquerque: If you happened to notice anyone taking creep-shots in your neighborhood who looks like the person in the selfies in this story, I apologize in advance.) I'm not the only one. There's been [increase in the area's tourism](http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/aug/11/breaking-bad-tour-albuquerque) thanks to the show, and now that it's coming to the end of its run, these locations may soon be the only part of *Breaking Bad* fans haven't already seen. So here I am, asking a waitress if *Breaking Bad* [has increased demand](http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/breaking-bad-mexican-restaurant-reports-surge-table-side-guacamole-orders-113991) for my order and getting a smile and a sardonic nod in the affirmative. Since there are more *Breaking Bad* places to visit in Albuquerque than there are hours in the day, I asked for help and emailed the show's writer's assistant Gordon Smith and Jenn Carroll, the show's script coordinator, to tap their encyclopedic knowledge of the behind-the-scenes machinations of the show. After recommending the guac, Carroll gave me suggestions of locations to visit and mentioned that while there have been a number of online *Breaking Bad* tour guides, "I think it'd be really cool to do a condensed tour of all the places you can visit just on Central (also known as Route 66)." So my *Breaking Bad* tour of duty -- which is chronicled above in photos, complete with tourist-y Instagram filters -- is largely focused on one of America's most famous roads. Check out the locations adjacent to Route 66 in this [handy Google map](https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=209986294459231745671.0004e750489c821123a4e&msa=0&ll=35.098704,-106.60429&spn=0.165025,0.186424), and click through the gallery above for a quick tour of some of the most famous *Breaking Bad* locations that you can do in an afternoon.
02Dog-House
The Dog House restaurant ------------------------ Next up: the Dog House. (If *Breaking Bad* does [turn Albuquerque into the new LA](http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2013/08/11/breaking-bad-albuquerque-tourism/2636859/), this will be its [Pink's](http://www.pinkshollywood.com/).) Jesse goes here a lot – especially when he's in trouble, and I can confirm that the chili cheese dog is, indeed, amazing. There is, however, no guilt-stricken former meth dealer in the parking lot handing out fat stacks or calling people "bitch." (Maybe I shouldn't have gone in the middle of the day.)
03Tucos
Tuco's Lair ----------- The building isn't the home of a drug lord, it's actually a really cute, hip coffee shop called Java Joe's – but the espresso kicks like a mule with its balls wrapped in duct tape. Regardless, Tuco's lair looks a lot less scary when it's serving iced white chocolate mochas.
04DEA Office
The DEA office -------------- Just a few blocks from Tuco's is the Simms Building, which you may know better as the DEA office where Hank works. It's also the home of Rebel Donuts, which sells meth donuts (and *Breaking Bad*-themed T-shirts). It's becoming evident that as unappetizing as meth addiction is, meth-themed foods are amazing. The "Blue Sky" is heaven.
05Crossroads-Motel
The Crossroads Motel -------------------- A little further down Central is the Crossroads Motel – aka the "Crystal Palace" aka the place where Wendy the meth-head prostitute works. It doesn't seem nearly as rough as Hank seems to think it is.
06Civic-Plaza
Civic Plaza ----------- The Simms Building is surprisingly close to Civic Plaza, where Walt was supposed to meet Jesse earlier this season (before Jesse called him from a payphone to tell him "Nice try, asshole."). It looks almost identical to the way that it did on the show, except there are no payphones. A selfie is taken anyway.
07The-Park
The Park Where Jesse Tossed the Money ------------------------------------- A few blocks from the Crossroads Motel off of Route 66 is an idyllic playground – so beautiful it's hard to imagine why Jesse would end his money-throwing binge here. Sadly, there is no green merry-go-round for Jesse to spin around on listlessly, but there is a suspicious circle of dirt where one could've been.
08Jane and Jesse's
Jane and Jesse's Apartment -------------------------- Just up the street from the park is the saddest place of the day – the apartment building where Jesse and Jane lived. This emptiness was worsened by the fact that there was a rental sign on the building (You too could live in a place where Walt watched the love of Jesse's life O.D.!). I didn't stay long, a black BMW pulled up causing me to scurry out of fear that it was the building's owner or neighbor coming to shoo away the tourist. Turned out it was another pair who came to take photos of the building – they sped off just as quickly as I did.
09A1-Car-Wash
The A1 Car Wash --------------- In real life, the A1 Car Wash is known as the Octopus Car Wash. When I visited, the building oddly had some suspiciously-placed barrels outside (no joke).
10Loyolas
The last stop of the day is Loyola's, the familiar restaurant that didn't have the kind of tea that would make Lydia happy but where the wait staff knew Mike by name. Sadly it was closed – but it did have one funny feature considering it was Mike's haunt: An illustration of a 1950s cop on the side saying "C'mon in!" So by now it's obvious this tour has an omission: The White House. Yes, I went. I couldn't help but walk by. Maybe I could say "Hello, Carol" to a random neighbor. But as I got closer, I felt awful. The owner, Frances Padilla, has been welcoming of the tourists who stroll by her family's home, but I've heard rumors that people like to throw pizzas on their roof and I realize, suddenly, how odd it must feel to live in a de facto tourist attraction. I keep walking without even taking a photo or paying my respects to Heisenberg's residence. And, frankly, that family has [been through enough already](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJWOgKu_oJM). *Photos: Angela Watercutter/WIRED*
