One On Top Of The Other - Rendezvous
Then … George has arranged to meet Monica at the Marina Green parking lot in the Marina district (map). The high-rise residential towers of Russian Hill array the skyline at left and upscale homes lining Marina Boulevard on the right have a view towards the bay across the Marina Green.
… and Now, Those homes are built on land filled in for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, in some cases using rubble from the 1906 earthquake. 20 years after the movie was filmed the 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake resulted in significant damage here caused by liquefaction of the fill. Short memories equates to great opportunities - this would have been a great time to buy because today those homes sell in the 3 to 5 million dollar range. But they still sit on the same landfill.
The earthquake hit this Marina apartment building particularly hard - the car sits under what was its 3rd floor.
Then … A cab drops Monica off. She looks every inch the high-class hooker that she is as she walks to his car. At center in the Bay is Alcatraz and off to the left, Angel Island.
… and Now, second verse, same as the first.
Then … She gets in and they drive off, still tailed by the insurance investigator. Everyone will recognize the Golden Gate bridge but probably not that structure just ahead. It started life during WW2 as a wartime degaussing building for demagnetizing large boats…
… and Now, … eventually closing down in the 1970s but recently reopening as the Marina Harbor Master Office.
Then … Any SF showcase movie has to include Chinatown, right? Director Fulci obliges by routing them along Grant Avenue, San Francisco’s very first street (it was originally named Dupont Street).
… and Now, The shot looks south along Grant across Washington Street (map). Despite being so close to the transformed Financial District it’s great that this neighborhood has resisted change since its reconstruction following the 1906 earthquake and fire. May that continue to be the case.
Then … At her apartment she wastes no time getting down to business. George is more than happy to participate in what follows - the movie’s second salacious romp amongst the sheets.