Maps of Movies
North by Northwest (1959)
Where North by Northwest says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
An ad man is chased across America from the Plaza Hotel to Mount Rushmore, but the Indiana cornfield, the Townsend mansion interior and the Oak Room were never where the movie says.
View on the map
Scenes and places
Thornhill's Madison Avenue office (1959)
Advertising executive Roger Thornhill works his way through a busy Manhattan day. It is the ordinary life that is about to be taken from him.
Set in Roger Thornhill's office, Madison Avenue — The advertising office of Roger Thornhill in Manhattan. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A Midtown office tower on Madison Avenue.
Filmed at Commercial Investment Trust Building, 650 Madison Avenue — The Filming section names this building as the location of Thornhill's office; coordinates come from that page only. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The Oak Room mix-up (1959)
A waiter pages George Kaplan at the Plaza's Oak Room just as Thornhill calls the same waiter. Two men take him for Kaplan and walk him out to a waiting car.
Set in Oak Room, Plaza Hotel — The hotel restaurant where Thornhill is taken for a man named George Kaplan. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A grand New York hotel beside Central Park.
Filmed at Plaza Hotel (exterior) — The hotel exterior is real; the Filming section says most shots in and around the Oak Room were done on a set. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The Townsend estate (1959)
The men drive Thornhill to a Long Island mansion, where the man he is told is Townsend interrogates him. Thornhill insists he is not Kaplan, and nobody believes him.
Set in Lester Townsend's estate, Glen Cove, Long Island — A fictional waterfront mansion where Thornhill is interrogated; the film places it in Glen Cove.
An early 20th-century estate with formal gardens on Long Island.
Filmed at Old Westbury Gardens, Old Westbury, New York — The Filming section names these grounds as the Townsend estate. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The United Nations plaza (1959)
Thornhill goes to the UN to meet the real Townsend, who turns out to be a different man. A knife thrown from the crowd leaves Thornhill looking like the killer, and he runs.
Set in United Nations headquarters, New York — The UN building where Thornhill goes to meet Townsend. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The international headquarters on the East River.
Filmed at United Nations headquarters, New York — The Filming section says the crew shot at the UN illicitly. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Grand Central departure (1959)
Hunted by the police, Thornhill slips into Grand Central and boards the Chicago train. He has no ticket.
Set in Grand Central Terminal, New York — The station where Thornhill boards the train to Chicago. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The 1913 Beaux-Arts terminal in Midtown.
Filmed at Grand Central Terminal — The Filming section names Grand Central as a filming location. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The 20th Century Limited (1959)
On the train, Thornhill meets Eve Kendall, who hides him from the police in her stateroom. She helps him get away from the dragnet in Chicago.
Set in 20th Century Limited train — The overnight train to Chicago, where Thornhill is hidden in a stranger's stateroom.
A famous overnight express between New York and Chicago.
Arriving in Chicago (1959)
Thornhill and Eve get past the police at the station. She tells him a meeting with Kaplan has been set up outside the city.
Set in LaSalle Street Station, Chicago — The Chicago station where Thornhill arrives with Eve. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A former Rock Island Line terminal in the Loop, since demolished.
Filmed at LaSalle Street Station, Chicago — The Filming section names LaSalle Street Station as the Chicago arrival. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The cornfield bus stop (1959)
Thornhill waits alone by a country road for a man who never comes. A crop duster dives at him, forcing him into a cornfield.
Set in Prairie Stop, Highway 41, rural Indiana — A lonely rural bus stop in Indiana; the film's setting is not the place it was shot.
Flat open farmland far from any city.
Filmed at Near Wasco, California — The Filming section says the scene set in rural Indiana was filmed near Wasco, California. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Kaplan's hotel (1959)
At Kaplan's hotel, Thornhill learns Kaplan checked out before Eve said she spoke to him. He goes to her room and confronts her, but she gets away.
Set in Ambassador East Hotel, Chicago — The Chicago hotel where Kaplan is supposed to be staying. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A historic Gold Coast hotel.
Filmed at Ambassador East (The Ambassador), Chicago — The Filming section names the Ambassador East; coordinates come from that page only. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The art auction (1959)
Thornhill follows Eve to an auction, where Vandamm is buying a small statue. Thornhill disrupts the sale until police remove him.
Set in Art auction gallery, Chicago — A Chicago auction room where Vandamm buys a small statue.
A Chicago salesroom.
Chicago airport (1959)
At the airport, the Professor tells Thornhill that Kaplan was never real and that Eve is their agent. Thornhill agrees to help keep her cover.
Set in Chicago airport — The airport where an agent reveals what Kaplan really is. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A busy Chicago airfield.
Filmed at Midway International Airport, Chicago — The Filming section names Midway as the Chicago airport. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Mount Rushmore visitor center (1959)
Thornhill, playing the role of Kaplan at the agency's request, meets Vandamm at the visitor center. He suggests he knows when Vandamm is leaving the country and asks what his silence is worth.
Set in Mount Rushmore visitor center (Memorial View Building) — The cafeteria where Thornhill, as Kaplan, meets Vandamm. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A visitor facility beneath the carved monument.
Filmed at Memorial View Building, Mount Rushmore — The Filming section names the Memorial View Building as the one Rushmore location the park allowed; coordinates come from that page only. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Characters
- Roger Thornhill — A New York advertising executive mistaken for a man named George Kaplan.
- Eve Kendall — The woman who hides him on the train to Chicago.
- Phillip Vandamm — The leader of the group that is after Thornhill.
- Lester Townsend — The name given to the man who questions Thornhill on Long Island; the real Townsend is a UN diplomat.
- The Professor — The head of the intelligence agency that invented Kaplan.
Questions answered on the map
- Where was the Indiana cornfield scene in North by Northwest really filmed?
- Which real places does Roger Thornhill's chase pass through?