The Matrix (1999) Filming Locations – Shot-for-Shot – Sydney, Australia [video]

Re:The Matrix (1999) Filming Locations – Shot-for-Shot – Syd... by DidYaWipe on Wednesday June 18, 2025 @10:50PM (#44315020)

The real Heart O' the City Hotel is in Chicago, like the rest of the place names in the movie (although the real name is Heart O' Chicago). The Wachowskis wanted to film there, but Major Daley (historic asshole and scumbag, in case you're not familiar) wouldn't let them. I can't remember what the rationale was, but then of course two Batman movies shot there.

The hotel: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh...

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Re:The Matrix (1999) Filming Locations – Shot-for-Shot – Syd... by DidYaWipe on Thursday June 19, 2025 @02:49AM (#44316124)

That should be MAYOR Daley, of course. But major D-bag nonetheless. His illegal destruction of Meigs Field in the middle of the night ranks up there with some all-time thefts from the public, along with his sale of Chicago's parking meters to a scumbag outfit for 100 years.

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Re:The Matrix (1999) Filming Locations – Shot-for-Shot – Syd... by wkat4242 on Thursday June 19, 2025 @06:49PM (#44323251)

Yeah I even know of that guy. The guy that destroyed Meigs field :'(

I got my pilot's license later and if it hadn't been gone I would have loved to do a few circuits there.

I'm surprised they wanted to pretend it was Chicago though. There's many well-known landmarks featured prominently like the AWA tower.

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Re:The Matrix (1999) Filming Locations – Shot-for-Shot – Syd... by DidYaWipe on Friday June 20, 2025 @03:36AM (#44325506)

Yeah there was no excuse for it. Daley lied repeatedly about his motivation. The real story? That's where downstate politicians flew in, and to spite them he destroyed the coolest GA airport in the country. Meigs was the default starting point for MS Flight Simulator for its entire existence until then.

We're about to see a similar crime now in Santa Monica. This time a lame-duck outgoing FAA administrator, Michael Huerta, struck an illegal back-room deal with the corrupt Santa Monica city council to let them seize and destroy the airport after 2028... if citizens let them get away with it.

Meanwhile, in the Matrix they weren't pretending that it was Chicago. They just kept the street names and so forth in the script when they called for extraction. They're all pretty well-known streets in Chicago. I was looking for a list, when I found something I didn't know: Neo's name came from the club where I had the first shot I really enjoyed (a Kamikaze). There's a timestamp for ya: https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/comments/cf0uv3/til_neo_fro...

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