The Golden State locations seen in "Back to the Future" and its sequels?
They stretch from Universal Studios Hollywood, to the Gamble House in Pasadena, to the Burger King on Victory Boulevard near Magnolia, to Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, home of the Sierra No. 3 engine, the locomotive from "Back to the Future Part III."
But there's another destination that's become a fan favorite, and though the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue didn't appear in the classic film phenomenon, something inside a building at that intersection definitely did.
It's the DeLorean DMC-12, Doc Brown's souped-up time-traveling machine, "... the first of three DeLorean Time Machines built for the original 'Back to the Future' movie starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd." It's on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum, and "Back to the Future" fans regularly gather at the DeLorean-boasting car institution for special events and screenings.
One such screening is ahead on Wednesday, Oct. 25, and if you know your BTTF lore, then you know the significance of the date. That's when the first movie opens, as in Oct. 25, 1985, and while, yes, Oct. 26 is the actual date that Marty McFly pilots the DeLorean back to 1955, everything begins in Hill Valley the day before.
The cost to watch "Back to the Future" in the museum's Mullin Family Grand Salon and admire the DeLorean DMC-12? It's five bucks for two people, but if you're a member of the Petersen, you can invite three guests along with your purchased ticket.
"Light snacks and refreshments will be served," because time travel can make a person peckish. Fact.
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The doors-opening time is 6:30 p.m., which makes one ponder what young Marty was doing at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 25, just a few hours before he'd travel back through the years to the time when his parents were teenagers. Having dinner with the folks? Hanging out in his room? Did he know what fate had in store for him?
Well, we know the significance of the date to film fans, and we know where to see a real DeLorean used in the movie: At the Petersen Automotive Museum at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue on the Miracle Mile.
Just make sure your flux capacitor is in tip-top shape before Oct. 25 arrives.
