Once Upon a Time in Storybrooke: Part 2! (BC, Canada)

I wrote about taking a trip to Storybrooke last May 2012! I had a lot of fun identifying where they shot a lot of Once Upon a Time scenes but back then, it was off-season so they didn’t have most of the set up (had to use my imagination!)

Well, a year after, my husband and I took another trip to Canada and this time it was on July and that means, it was shooting season!

The street where they shoot Storybrooke (Steveston) was just a drive away from where we were staying so I intentionally passed by the area on one of our free days just to ask the shopkeepers when they were shooting for the show again so that I could come back when all the action happens!

We were told that there was gonna be a shoot that week for Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Once Upon a Time’s spinoff series and by God’s grace, we didn’t have anything planned for that day so, hooray!

Actually, watching them shoot a scene wasn’t really the initial intention (although it was a happy bonus!) Truth is, I just wanted to walk through the city in all its Storybrooke goodness and pretend like I was also a fairytale character! And it was mission accomplished!

They use mostly just one street in Steveston; the one where the clock tower and Granny’s are.

What I found really cool though was that all these shops are actually actual working shops! Whenever there’s a shoot, their shopfronts (including all their signage) are all changed.

We were there multiple times during the course of the entire day but before you label me obsessed, it was totally (sort of) unintentional.

We passed by in the morning because I wanted to take shots with the sun out. But when we arrived, they were just starting to set the place up (apparently, the shoot was happening at night.)

So we came back a few hours later and hooray! Most of the places are now ready! Time for my tourist photos!

Last time I visited Granny’s, there were no Granny’s signage or anything. So I was super excited this time around! Now my photos look more legit! I wanted to wear my red riding hood coat again but it was summer so no costume for me. 😐

It was pretty cool to see the iconic yellow beetle! Plus, do you guys remember The Rabbit Hole? It was featured in the episode where Belle becomes Lacey (Or have you forgotten that story plot? Er, I don’t blame you! Once Upon a Time has been getting so confusing!)

I don’t remember why we went back late afternoon but we did. By this time, Mor must’ve started wondering what sort of crazy fangirling woman he married, but he still drove me there anyway (huhu best husband award!)

When we got there, they were preparing to close off the street. The shops were closing and they had vintage cars parked on the streets. It was pretty cool!

Since there was nothing more to see with the street closed, we left the place to have dinner and chill out for a bit, then we went back during the time of the said shoot. And OH MYYYY, they’re actually shooting already!!! WOOOWEE!!

One of my dreams as a teen was to be an indie film director (haha!) so I’ve always been interested on all the behind the scenes action. So aside from the fact they were shooting for one of my favorite shows, this was pretty exciting for me!

I later found out (while watching the series) that this was one of the first scenes in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland where Will Scarlet is seen walking down the streets of Storybrooke!

Well, more like Will Scarlet’s back and shoes are seen walking down the streets of Storybrooke! No, I didn’t see Will Scarlet in person because they used a double. Here’s a photo of the double though. Haha.

After a while however, it got pretty boring because they kept on repeating the same scene over and over again: Emma’s beetle passes by as Will the Double walks with a leafblower blowing in front of him. Cut! Action! Cut again! Action again! Repeat 1000x!

I’m sure it would’ve been more exciting if we saw some of the actual actors, but they weren’t there, so we left after around 5 million takes or so (plus, Mor was only there with me to be a supportive and loving husband so I didn’t want to prolong his agony haha!)

Obviously, I’m not cut out for the TV & film industry. Haha!

Again, for those asking, Storybrooke is set in Steveston which is a street in Richmond, Canada (a city around an hour away from downtown Vancouver).

If you get to visit, talk to the shopkeepers; they were all pretty excited about pointing out locations and sharing their own experiences and run-ins with the cast and crew of Once Upon a Time.

Hope you enjoyed this! With all my fangirling moments when I travel (Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Who), I think I should make a section in my blog dedicated only to all my geek adventures. Haha! What do you think?

(NOTE: THIS POST IS ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCE LAST AUGUST 2013.)