The Grove from "The Hills", "Modern Family", "I Love You, Man", and more
LOCATION
The Grove, a shopping center adjacent to the Farmer's Market in the Mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles.
ADDRESS
The Grove
189 The Grove Drive
Los Angeles, CA
thegrovela.com
STORY & PHOTOS
The Grove, Los Angeles' premier outdoor shopping center, has popped up in TV and film multiple times. Aside from being a nice and easy place to spend a few hours shopping, eating, and catching a movie, it's very pretty and therefore a good place to film.
In fact, "Extra", hosted by Maria Menounos and Mario Lopez, used to film there every day. Stars showed up, musicians performed, and it was an easy (and free!) way to catch a glimpse of some of your favorite celebs. I've gone to shop or grab a bite to eat and seen Rick Springfield and the Jonas Brothers perform, without even realizing I'd be seeing a celeb that day. ("Extra" now films at Universal Studios Hollywood.) Currently, E! News films live from The Grove.
There's also a movie theater on-site, where premieres sometimes happen. I stumbled upon the "Perfect Game" premiere one day and saw Alyson Stoner (above) from "Camp Rock" and "Step Up". Here's a face-on photo of Alyson from the premiere, from alyson-stoner.us:
If you stick around and catch a movie at the theater, you can also get cheaper (validated) four-hour parking.
You may have seen The Grove on "The Hills". The apartment complex where the girls lived is right nearby, and in the first-season Christmas/New Year's episode "Somebody Always Has to Cry", Jason, Lauren, Heidi, and Jordan go there to see the fake snow fall.
They are standing on the little bridge by the dancing fountain.
You can stand there, too, and snap a photo!
This same area was used in the funny film "I Love You, Man", when Paul Rudd and Jason Segel's characters go shopping at The Grove. In front of the fountain, Peter (Paul Rudd) asks Sydney (Jason Segel) to be the best man at his wedding.
You also get a cool aerial view of the shopping center in that flick.
You might have also spotted The Grove on ABC's comedy "Modern Family". Since "Modern Family" is set in Los Angeles, it would make sense that the characters would go there. In the nineteenth episode of the first season, "Game Changer", Claire promises to get up early and get Phil an iPad for his birthday - which happens to be the same day the iPad is officially released. Of course it's a series of unfortunate mishaps, as Claire oversleeps and then can't find an iPad anywhere. Eventually Haley calls to tell her the Apple Store at The Grove has a new shipment, and Claire is already there.
She's in the entrance area, between the parking structure and the fountain detailed above. Here's a photo from above that I took from a higher level of the parking structure:
Claire rushes over to the Apple Store:
Once she's in line, she realizes she left her wallet at home so she has to call Mitch for help. After he arrives, they get into a fight with a line-cutter, and all three of them get kicked out of line.
Yup, they used the real location - that's definitely The Grove's Apple Store on screen:
You can see the same bench in "Modern Family" and in my photo above. In the episode where Claire takes Alex shopping but gets ditched, they're back at The Grove for those scenes.
You can visit The Grove at 189 The Grove Drive in Los Angeles. There's plenty of on-site parking and most vendors validate. Valet parking is also available. They've recently undergone an impressive remodel in the lobby. It's gorgeous, and there's a new Sprinkles Cupcakes kiosk at the base of the parking garage. (Weird side note: the bathrooms are beautiful. Best public restrooms in the area!)
The Grove is also adjacent to the original LA Farmers Market at Third & Fairfax, where you can find tons of different kinds of foods and gifts. You can dine there or grab stuff to go, and there are cute little kiosks with souvenirs and quirky gifts. The Farmers Market also includes a Pinkberry and a Johnny Rockets restaurant. The Farmers Market clock tower is a very recognizable landmark. (You can see it behind Paul Rudd and Jason Segel in some of the "I Love You, Man" shots from The Grove.)
Both The Grove and the Farmers Market are featured in the opening credits of "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson", as his show filmed right around the corner at CBS Television City.
STORY & PHOTO CREDITS
Written by Christina LeBlanc
Location photos by Christina LeBlanc
