All the shooting of our favorite New Year's comedy took place in the USA in the cities of Chicago and New York. The director does not use specially built sets and therefore all we see in the frame are real buildings in New York, most of which can still be visited. And there are not a few sights, such as the Plaza Hotel and toy store in Manhattan, Central Park, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Cornegy Hall and many others. The McCallister house itself was filmed the same way as in the first installment - in a private home standing on the shores of Lake Michigan. More recently, this house was available for purchase by anyone interested.
Miami International Airport
In movie
Scene where The McCallister family lines up in front of the baggage claim line at Miami Airport. They receive their bags and pass them from hand to hand until Kevin's bag ends up in the hands of Fuller (played by Kieran Culkin), he tries to hand it to Kevin but finds that he is not there.
Real
Scene was shot at the Los Angeles airport, not Miami, as the movie's plot suggests. The choice, of course, is a bit strange, since the McCallister house was filmed in Chicago, and all of Kevin's adventures in New York, it was possible to use the nearest airport to another filming location and not to take the whole crew and actors to a new location. The only explanation is that the departure scene of all the characters was already filmed in Chicago, and the arrival scene was filmed in New York. But if you look carefully at the footage, it was not necessary to use the airport at all, because except for the wall in the back there is nothing to see.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Airport
Carnegie Hall - House of a woman with pigeons
In movie
Scene where Kevin meets a woman with pigeons in the park and visits her home. She lives in the attic of Carnegie Hall, she tells him in detail why she lives there and shares her life story with him.
Timing: 01:05:45
Real
Scene was shot at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The filmmakers chose this location because of its location - as the building is a few hundred meters away from the Plaza Hotel and Central Park, and also a huge number of world-class stars have actually performed here.
New York
Carnegie Hall
Empire Diner
In movie
Scene where where Kevin walks through the streets of New York and on the corner of a cafe meets Santa Claus on stilts, takes a flyer from his hands and then waves to him and continues his walk.
Timing: 00:19:00
Real
Scene was shot next to the famous Empire Diner, which is located in Manhattan. This place is still open and anyone can visit it. In summer, the sidewalk near the cafe is occupied by a terrace, and a huge graffiti now flaunts above the building.
New York
Empire Diner
Hotel plaza
In movie
Scene where where Kevin visits the hotel for the first time and meets Donald Trump in the lobby, then goes to the front desk. There were also filmed scenes where the hotel manager asks where Kevin's father is, then the next day apologizes, and of course the scene where Kevin's parents Kate and Peter McCallister come to the hotel.
Timing: 00:25:08
Real
Scene was shot in the real Plaza Hotel, where the setting was the lobby, rooms and exterior of the building. The hotel is still in operation today, located in Manhattan across from Central Park. The director chose this hotel as it is a symbol of New York and luxury vacation in the city. The location also played a role, as it was convenient for Kevin to get to all the other locations in the movie.
New York
Hotel Plaza
Fulton Fish Market
In movie
Scene where the van stops at the market. When the door opens we see that the "Wet Bandits" who escaped from prison are hiding inside. They have a dialog about what they smell and leave the van full of fish and are finally free.
Timing: 00:20:01
Real
Scene was shot Fulton Fish Market - unfortunately moved to a new location in 2005 so you can't visit it, but it used to be on Fulton Street. We mark the past location of the market on the map. It is now marked on the Google map as a landmark.
New York
Fulton Fish Market
Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center
In movie
Scene where Kevin, having escaped from the Sticky Bandits decides he needs a miracle and goes to the heart of New York City to find the city's main Christmas tree and make a wish there - to meet his mom again.
Timing: 01:44:20
Real
Scene was shot by the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. This is a favorite place of New Yorkers and the main Christmas tree of the city. Access to this space is free and the best time to go is on Christmas Day. The director chose this location because it is an important point in the celebration of Christmas and is a symbol for both residents and visitors to the city.
New York
Rockefeller Plaza
McCallister's house
In movie
Scene where At the very beginning of the movie we see Kevin's house, where the whole family of his father, Peter McCallister and Uncle Frank, have gathered. Traditionally, both families gather in this house before going on a trip. In the evening, as always, the family is in conflict.
Timing: 00:02:08
Real
Scene was shot in the same house that was filmed in the first part of the film and has now become some sort of a Mecca for tourists. This house is private and cannot be visited. Apparently, the attention of the fans is so tiring for the owners of the house that its image is not even on Google maps, it cannot be viewed in Street View mode. The house is located in Chicago, on Lake Michigan’s third line.
Chicago
Ed Koch Queensboro bridge
In movie
Scene where Kevin is taking a cab in New York City from the airport to downtown, on the way he passes the famous Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, at which point he peers out of the cab window and takes a picture on his Polaroid.
Timing: 00:18:40
Real
Scene was shot on the actual bridge, "Ed Koch's Queensboro Bridge," which connects Long Island and Manhattan. This scene is only a few seconds in the timing of the movie, but is very important. It is where Kevin's journey through New York City begins. Although the bridge has two levels, the scene was shot on the upper one to emphasize the scale of the city and the view from the bridge.
New York
Ed Koch Queensboro bridge
Duncan's Toy Chest
In movie
Scene where Kevin orders a pizza, gets into a cab and goes to one of the biggest toy stores - Duncan's Chest. At the entrance he is greeted by a window decorated in Christmas style, and inside there is a huge number of toys.
Timing: 00:43:21
Real
Scene was shot in the actual FAO Schwarz toy store, since the Duncan's Trunk store doesn't exist, it was invented for the movie. The store is still in operation and open for free to the public. By the way, an interesting fact - in the movie Kevin went to the toy store in a limousine, but in reality it is very close to the hotel "Plaza" and walk there no more than 3-4 minutes.
New York
FAO Schwarz
Uncle's Rob house
In movie
Scene where Kevin arrives at his Uncle Rob's house, but finds that the house is being renovated and everyone has left. Later, he decides to return to the house to build traps and fight off the bandits.
Timing: 01:12:20
Real
Scene was shot in a large townhouse that is being renovated during the movie. The house was chosen by the director to show that not only Peter's family is very wealthy, but also his brother's, as a three-story house in the center of New York would cost a lot.
New York
