Spoiler alert: If you haven’t seen recent episodes of the Sopranos, watch before reading more of this article.Now, if you have, you might want to watch it again. You might recognize the Sunoco Station on Route 3 in Secaucus. That was the location where Christopher made a decision to stay in the mob after glimpsing the life of an average American. Apparently, life in Secaucus can’t compare to the glamour of being a member of a made-for-cable organized crime family!
For many people interested in Sopranos searching, Secaucus serves as a starting point for a sightseeing tour. It is the only New Jersey pickup point for On Location Tours’ bus tour of Northern Jersey sights that have appeared in the show.
Many Sopranos fans who live (or once lived) in New Jersey enjoy catching a glimpse of their favorite stomping grounds on TV. The four-hour tour brings them directly to more than 40 locations.
“They’re sights that are easily recognizable from the show,” says On Location Tours President Georgette Blau.
The tours begin in Manhattan, but fans can board at the second stop in Secaucus as well.
Some of the tour highlights include a visit inside Satin Dolls in Hackensack, also known as the Bada Bing strip club where Tony and crew spend their time. (Sorry guys – in real life, the dancers in the club are not fully nude.) There is also the Skyway Diner in northern Kearny and Satriale’s, the pork store in Kearny.
In Secaucus, the Extended StayAmerica Hotel on the Hackensack River was the place where the New York and New Jersey gangsters fought over control of a construction job. The segment was filmed when the hotel was under construction.
Other Secaucus locations include a murder on a boat docked behind the Red Roof Inn, and the basement of Meadowlands Hospital.
It’s just business
Secaucus has an ordinance requiring film crews to report to the town and pay any clean-up fees.
“Let’s say they decided to film in our downtown,” says Mayor Dennis Elwell. “They can disrupt traffic and leave litter we have to clean up. A few years back, we said they have to notify us and get a permit. They may need to put up money in case they don’t clean up when they leave.”
Elwell has been invited to the Sopranos premiere each season. He also has had the opportunity to meet the cast for dinner and a screening of the episode involving Secaucus.
According to Elwell, Secaucus has always been interested in attracting the motion picture industry.
“Generally, for every dollar spent for a movie, $110 gets spent in ancillary businesses,” says Elwell. “If they put a soundstage here, they need products very quickly, such as dry cleaning, lumber, hardware, and beauticians. All kinds of businesses flourish.”
Besides the benefits that filming brings to the town, Elwell is also a fan of the show.
“My favorite episode so far [this season] was where his sister got in trouble with anger management,” Elwell says. “If you saw, [Tony] was teasing his sister when she was trying to control her anger. You see the true colors of the character.”
Blau began her business five years ago, giving tours of New York City movie and television sights. Three years ago, she started the Sopranos tour, and six months later, she started one for Sex and the City.
The Sopranos tour attracts a crowd that is 70 percent male. It lures couples from their late 20s to their early 60s.
Blau says that many of the past and present tour guides have been Sopranos cast members and extras. Joe Gannascoli, who plays Vito, the large gay gangster, often meets tour members before the tour while they’re waiting for the bus in front of Houlihan’s at the Harmon Meadow mall.
Tour guide Mark Baron was a stand-in for Frank Vincent recently. Ironically, his last name was originally Tantillo, but he changed it years ago because he thought it would be difficult to get acting jobs as an Italian.
“A lot of the ‘dead’ [cast members] have come to us,” says Blau. “The Bada Bing stripper who was whacked called us because she needed a job, but she moved to L.A.”
The tour expands as the show shoots in new places. They receive insider information from Baron through his position on the show, and from a civilian aficionado, Jersey City’s Soprano Sue.
Participants in the tour get a free cannoli at the Lyndhurst Pastry Shop, and there are prizes along the way – a signed cast photo, a CD of the show’s theme song, and gag gifts such as water guns.
On tour
On Location Tours offers Sopranos tours every weekend.
When: Every Saturday and Sunday at 2:20 p.m.
Where: In front of Houlihan’s at Harmon Meadow Plaza in Secaucus.
Tickets: $35
For more info: See www.screentours.com or call (212) 209-3370.
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