DawsonsCreekFan.com // Capeside: A Dawson's Creek Archive

Joey and Dusk's Trip to Wilmington, NC (j.joiner14@att.net)

11/5/01

4:41 P.M.

We arrived in Wilmington, NC. about 1 hour ago. We are staying at the Four Points Sheraton, which we just arrived at no less than 30 minutes ago. We are about to go downtown and eat dinner and relax. It is beautiful here. I can't wait to see all the places that they film the show at. I will take plenty of pictures. We think we saw the production company in town, but we're not sure. We hope they are here, but understand that they are probably filming up in Boston. I am so glad I'm here.

10:58 P.M.

Dusk and I just got back from going downtown. We first drove by where we thought we saw the production company and sure enough that's what it turned out to be. We found a place to park and walked over to it. They were putting everything away just as we got there. We were standing there talking to what I thought was the 2nd A.D. when Dusk nudged me and I looked up and it was Katie Holmes talking on her cell phone about 12 feet away. It was so unreal. She was so beautiful. It was very hard to believe. We didn't talk to her as she was busy talking to someone else on her phone and the timing wasn't there. The guy we were talking to said that they'd be moving locations in a few minutes to a place on Front Street. We thanked him and headed downtown to find Front Street and a place to eat. And oh yeah, we saw the guy who plays Charlie on the show there too. He was just talking to the guy that we had talked to. So we went downtown and found Front Street and started looking for clues as to where exactly they were supposed to be shooting. I spotted a huge rent-a-crane thing with big lights strapped to the top of it and figured it was the place. So we ate at a Chinese place near the set and walked down there afterwards. It was a scene that took place at night that involved Charlie and Joey. It seemed like he was trying to get her to go for a ride with him on his red Harley Sportster. She was wearing a long gray coat and her hair was straight. They did a few set-ups and were about to wrap up for the day when I decided we had better go due to our lack of sleep and Katie's security guard telling us that Katie was too tired to take any pictures. He told us to come back tomorrow. So we will. What a day.

11/7/01

9:11 A.M.

I was too tired to write last night so I am writing this morning. Yesterday was the best day! We first called a number that we got from some fellow fans that we saw at the set the night before. The number was to Screen Gems Studios. The lady I spoke with was really nice and we asked if they needed any extras. She said that they would need some for a fraternity scene on Thursday. She gave us directions and told us we could come by and fill out a card and take a photo if we wanted to be an extra. Of course, we agreed. So we go there and see the lady I spoke to. She was, again, real nice and asked us where we were from. We told her Dallas and she looked really surprised. I filled out a card and she took my Polaroid. She asked us how long we were in town and we told her until Sunday and she said she would try to get us in before we went back. Needless to say, we were excited.

Our next stop we decided was the "Potter B & B".

We knew where it was from a locations map that one of the interns from the set the previous night had given us. So we went there and found that it was gated and we couldn't get it. So we drove down a driveway that was next door. We finally got to the end of the drive and found two houses and an old black man working on a tracker. He was giving us the eye pretty hard so I walked over to tell him what we were doing which, at that point, was to try to walk down to the water and see if we could see the "Potter B & B". He said he wasn't supposed to let anyone down there but I kinda' got him to let us. I just said we'd be really quick. So we went down there and found that we couldn't see anything. So we took a few pictures anyway and walked back up to our car. On the way back up the driveway we saw a place through the trees that we could see the B & B through. We could see a maroon truck and some people so I decided that we would park and walk over to them. We did and when we got up to them we kinda' just stood there until they noticed us. One of them finally asked us how we where doing and our conversation started from there. They were really nice and we were really nice too. There were four of them and they said that they were the people who dressed the sets and took care of all the plants and everything. They were shocked when we told them we were from Ft. Worth and the lady that was there said we could take a look around and even go inside. We were so stoked at that point! So as we walked around the backside of the B & B I got so excited. We got around and saw the backside of it and it was so neat. We were basically in a different state of mind it seamed. We took a lot of pictures inside and out and even got some of the little dock. They told us that the creek is actually named Hewlett's Creek, It was cool being there. I tried to soak it all in. The inside was so neat. It was just the way it was on TV. The guys said that they filmed interior scenes there as well. We snapped some photos and again tried to soak it all in. We finally left and thanked the people so much. The lady was so nice and so cool that she gave us a script for the next episode that they were to be filming. Can you believe that? I still can't. But anyway, its called "Sleeping Arrangements" and it won't air until the spring they said. While we were on the little dock one of the guys came back and dipped a Styrofoam cup into the creek and gave it to us. He jokingly said we should sell it on ebay. I decided to keep the cup and water anyway. I still have it. We asked where Dawson's house was and he told us but not without a "you didn't here it from me". We thanked him.

We finally found Dawson's house.

It took a little looking for even with directions. It is down a little private drive that clearly says, "no trespassing". We braved it anyway and went. We found it and our hearts must have skipped a beat. It was the single most significant moment in my life… well at least one of them. I rang the doorbell and no one answered. Jen's house, as you know, is right next-door and no one looked home there either. So we proceeded to attack the house with snap shots. I got a few and then the unthinkable happened... my batteries died. I was so pissed. So we finally left and I said we should go to the nearest store and buy batteries and go back. It sounded shaky seeing that we had already been there and not got caught. We didn't want to press our luck. But we did anyway and went back and I knocked, no answer, and we again showered the place with photos. We soaked it all in and left and again didn't get caught. We were very lucky. It was around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday so I guess everyone was at work.

We then went downtown and saw that they were filming at a place on Front Street called Marrz nightclub. We saw Katie sitting on the back of a film truck with some crewmembers. We made a couple of passes hoping not to look suspicious. We were successful and Dusk even got her on video walking in to a near-by deli. After they left we went in there and I sat in the chair where she sat. We ate and then left. While we were there some guy got arrested outside and we found out that he had robbed a place around the corner with a rifle a few weeks before and had the guts, or should I say stupidity, to go back. We walked around some more and bought some things from some shops and went back to our hotel. From there we went and saw "Domestic Disturbance" which was filmed in Wilmington and which also sucked! So if you want to see downtown Wilmington tonight, go see Domestic Disturbance. We came back and crashed. Hopefully today will be exciting!

11/8/01

10:00 A.M.

Yesterday was pretty fun. We first went to UNCW where they use to film all the exterior shots for the fictional school Capeside High.

We found as many places as we could that we recognized. We walked around the campus looking and checked out all the girls. It was a much bigger campus than I had anticipated. We got back to our car and found a parking ticket for $25 since we didn't have a campus parking sticker. We were going to throw it away until I read the back and found out that visitors were not required to pay the fines. So we went to the cashier's office like it said and explained what happened and the lady behind the counter said that everything would be okay. We took plenty of pictures.

The day before, a guy at one of the shops downtown gave us directions to the nearest lighthouse.

He said it was about 45 minutes away. We decided to go there and along the way we found that this guy's directions were no good. We finally pulled over at this little feed store and asked two old fellows how to get to Caswell Beach. This one guy had to have been the biggest country bumpkin' I have ever seen. He was real nice and told us where to go, but he was just so different that it was funny. So we backtracked a little ways and finally arrived at the lighthouse. It was called Oak Island Lighthouse. It was on some Coast Guard Base. We had to use a phone to get in the gate and the guy said that we couldn't enter due to the current security threat from what happened in New York in September. We told him that we were just going to take a few pictures and he put us on hold. He came back and said we couldn't take any pictures whatsoever. But screw him, we took them anyway.

11/9/01

9:41 A.M.

Yesterday was great. We first set out to find the curve that Mitch died at. We knew it had to be pretty close to either Dawson's house or the Potter B & B. The guy from the B & B told us the road it was on but we forgot. It took us about an hour to find it. It ended up being on a road named Airlie Dr. Looking back that was the road that the guy told us it was on…Hello?…McFly?…The tire marks were still there and we could see where they parked all the production trucks across the street as they left big ruts where the ground must have been wet.

On that same stretch of road right down from the curve was where Pacey pulled over and kissed Joey in Season 3

After that we drove down further on the road and found the marina that Joey worked at in season 3. The lady was real nice and allowed us to take photos.

After that we drove across the little draw bride into Wrightsville Beach where we were the day before. We found the pier that was in the 2nd season opening credits. It is behind a place called "The Oceanic" on the Southeast portion of the island. Of course, we took plenty of pictures.

We then drove to downtown and had dinner at a place called Water Street Restaurant, which doubles as Leery's Fresh Fish, the restaurant that Gale owns on the show.

The people there were super nice and the food was excellent. I highly recommend this place to anyone whose plans on coming down here. It's on Water Street you can't miss it.

We heard that Michelle Williams sometimes goes to the Blue Post, a bar just around the corner. So we went and ended up not seeing her but having a few beers anyway and meeting some of the locals. We met this one guy named Marleon. He was pretty cool and seemed to know a lot about the state and town. He said he had a run in with Van der Beek a few years ago at a bar and the almost got into it with him. Something about his little brother getting in trouble with some girls and Van der Beek stepped in or something. But who really knows what happened.

Today we are setting out to find the park where Dawson and Joey sat in a swing set and kissed and where Jen and Andie sat last season and Andie took one of Jen's X pills.

11/10/01

12:23 A.M.

Today, well technically 'yesterday', was good. We first set out to find the park that I mentioned earlier. We asked a few locals and finally found that it was a place called Greenfield Park on South Front Street. We found the place it had to be. Only thing was, we didn't find the swing set. I knew where it was in the show, which makes me think that it is a prop. that they only use for that location. I took a few pictures. The place itself was beautiful.

We went back downtown and took pictures of The Ice House where Joey used to work. It is abandoned now and is for sale. I took a picture of Water Street Restaurant while I was close by and the sun was in the right position. We then ate lunch at a place called The Italian Bistro on Front Street. It is the place that Jen saw Charlie with what turned out to be his sister. Throughout the day we took pictures of various places including Screenplay Video on Front Street which is now some hair salon or something, the dock where I think Abbey Morgan fell off and drowned, me sitting on the steps at the Post Office on Front Street where I am pretty sure that Dawson sat on the Season 3 opening credits, Boston Bay Radio 96.6 FM on Front Street where Charlie works and the store that Mitch last drove away from and were Dawson later cried in the parking lot. Keep in mind that they only shoot exterior shots and establishing shots up in Boston. They actually use Duke University and some other college in NC for Worthington where almost everyone goes now. We took some really good shots of Market Street between Water St. and Front St. Tomorrow we are taking the tour of Screen Gem studios on 23rd Street at noon. They only have one tour a week and it's on Saturdays at noon only. I will take tons of pics, trust me.

11/11/01

10:11 A.M.

I am back home in Fort Worth, TX, now. Yesterday we took the tour of Screen Gems and I am disappointed that the tour only consisted of Gram's new house in Boston. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the studios. I did manage to snap one when no one was looking. It didn't come out very well. It's a picture looking toward Gram's house, but you can't really tell what it is since they only build the sets for interior use. We also saw the inside of Pacey's yaught and the jail cell that Joey's dad was in, in season 1. And parked outside the studios were the picture cars (as the industry calls them) that they use on the show. We saw Dawson's Jeep and Andie's Saab as well as the taxi that I am supposing dropped Jen off in the first episode of the first season (the tags said Massachusetts). I can't imagine why they would still have it. And we saw an Ambulance that said Capeside Memorial Hospital that I am guessing is the one that hauled Abbey Morgan off after she drowned.

So that's pretty much it. We got back in one piece and all's well. If you have any questions that you'd like me to answer about my trip feel free to drop me a line at j.joiner14@att.net

Thanks for reading,

Joey Joiner
Ft. Worth, TX.