With the launch of the the X-Files mini-series coming up this Sunday, January 24th, we figured now is the perfect time to reflect on an old Vancouver pastime: spotting local landmarks in the show! Filmed here for the majority of its original 9 season run, you couldn't watch an episode of the old series without saying "Oh hey, there's [insert Vancouver thing/place here]!". Since the new series is also filming here we're hoping we'll have a freshly updated version of this game to play in the near future. In the meantime you can watch all 9 seasons on Netflix and play the game old-school, like so...
1. The Oceanic Plaza office building on Hastings - Season 1 Episode 3
Countless office towers were featured in the original series. Remember the one where the exec gets bought out of his own software company so he sets loose a virus/ghost in the machine that kills people? Yeah.
2. Pacific Central Station - Season 1 Episode 5
It has always doubled as a great police station, not just in the X-Files but in multiple other shows over the years.
3. The Skytrain - Season 1 Episode 7
Take a drink every time you see the Skytrain pass behind Mulder.
4. The Stairs at the Law Courts/Robson Square - Season 1 Episode 9
The FBI spent a lot of time on these stairs in the 90's.
5. SFU - Season 1 Episode 10
What better place to go and meet The Smoking Man than Arthur Erickson's SFU?
6. The Bus - Season 2 Episode 3
Remember when you'd just dump your fare into that bucket thing and the driver had to count to make sure you put the right fare in, then he ripped off a newsprint transfer and handed it to you? So does the guy in this episode.
7. North Vancouver Quay / Shipyards - Season 3 Episode 20
You can just barely see the big "Q" of the Quay on the left there. They filmed a ton of scenes in the then-creepy-and-decrepit shipyards next door.
8. The Ovaltine - Season 3 Episode 20
Mulder hung out here way before it was trendy.
9. Ryan Reynolds' teenager face - Season 3 Episode 13
So many local stars made appearances on the X-Files! Most of them before they became really famous.
10. Vanier Park - Season 4 Episode 8
Yep, that's the West End behind this guy, and way in the background there is the signature Museum of Vancouver building and Vanier Park. Even when they weren't filming in a location, they were showcasing our city's landmarks.
11. (BONUS) All of East Van!
Its alleyways, businesses, warehouses, all of it. East Van is featured heavily throughout.
