A1A Car Wash, Albuquerque
The A1A Car Wash looks like any other suburban car wash in Albuquerque, but in Breaking Bad it became one of the show鈥檚 most unlikely battlegrounds. Early on, Walter White found himself working there part-time under the watchful eye of Bogdan Wolynetz, whose eyebrows alone could have run the place. Understaffing meant Walt often wound up scrubbing cars himself, culminating in the humiliating moment when he washed a student鈥檚 vehicle鈥攁 snapshot of just how far his life had slid. After his cancer diagnosis, he quit in spectacular fashion, storming out and leaving Bogdan fuming.
The car wash returned in a far darker capacity. When Walter and Skyler needed a respectable front for laundering drug money, Skyler zeroed in on the very same A1A. Bogdan initially demanded an impossible $20 million, partly out of spite, but Saul Goodman and his associate Patrick Kuby helped stage an 鈥渆nvironmental audit鈥� that painted the place as a financial sinkhole. Faced with phantom costs for filtration upgrades, Bogdan gave in, handing over the keys to the Whites.
From then on, the car wash became their fortress of respectability, complete with its cheesy slogan, 鈥淗ave an A1 Day.鈥� Behind the suds and the neon signage, it masked the flow of illicit millions, while on the surface it remained a place for locals to get their sedans rinsed and vacuumed.
The A1A Car Wash summed up Breaking Bad鈥檚 genius for mixing the ordinary with the outrageous. A bland strip-mall business became a front row seat to Walter White鈥檚 transformation, equal parts comedy, tension, and criminal improvisation.
The car wash returned in a far darker capacity. When Walter and Skyler needed a respectable front for laundering drug money, Skyler zeroed in on the very same A1A. Bogdan initially demanded an impossible $20 million, partly out of spite, but Saul Goodman and his associate Patrick Kuby helped stage an 鈥渆nvironmental audit鈥� that painted the place as a financial sinkhole. Faced with phantom costs for filtration upgrades, Bogdan gave in, handing over the keys to the Whites.
From then on, the car wash became their fortress of respectability, complete with its cheesy slogan, 鈥淗ave an A1 Day.鈥� Behind the suds and the neon signage, it masked the flow of illicit millions, while on the surface it remained a place for locals to get their sedans rinsed and vacuumed.
The A1A Car Wash summed up Breaking Bad鈥檚 genius for mixing the ordinary with the outrageous. A bland strip-mall business became a front row seat to Walter White鈥檚 transformation, equal parts comedy, tension, and criminal improvisation.
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A1A Car Wash on Map
Sight Name: A1A Car Wash
Sight Location: Albuquerque, USA (See walking tours in Albuquerque)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Albuquerque, USA (See walking tours in Albuquerque)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Create Your Own Walk in Albuquerque
Creating your own self-guided walk in Albuquerque is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Downtown Historical Buildings Walking Tour
The one-of-a-kind character of Albuquerque is the result of many different forces and centuries of history that have shaped the city. The core of Central Albuquerque is what most of the locals considered 鈥渄owntown鈥� 鈥� a place they lived, worked, shopped, governed and entertained themselves in for almost 80 years, since the arrival of the railroad in 1880.
The vibrant architectural... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles
The vibrant architectural... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles
Breaking Bad Locations Walking Tour
Breaking Bad鈥檚 screenwriter Vince Gilligan once said, 鈥淎lbuquerque is a character in the show...鈥� When Breaking Bad began filming in 2007, the city wasn鈥檛 just a backdrop鈥攊t became inseparable from the story. Gilligan may have picked New Mexico for its film production tax rebates, but the camera quickly proved how perfectly its desert horizons, strip malls, and quiet neighborhoods could... view more
Tour Duration: 9 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 22.6 Km or 14 Miles
Tour Duration: 9 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 22.6 Km or 14 Miles
Albuquerque Old Town Walk
The history of human habitation on the site of present-day Albuquerque, New Mexico reaches back 12,000 years. Long before the 鈥淏reaking Bad鈥� and 鈥淏etter Call Saul鈥� TV series made a splash for Albuquerque worldwide, the Paleo-Indians inhabited the region. By the time European settlers had arrived in the 1500s, approximately 20 indigenous tribes lined the 60-mile stretch of the Rio Grande... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
University of New Mexico Walking Tour
Founded in 1889, The University of New Mexico (UNM) is a renowned public research institution. Its branch campuses are scattered throughout the state while the main campus is located in Albuquerque. A good number of spots on this campus deserve a special note, either from an architectural or cultural standpoint, and we encourage you to explore them.
A must-go-to for students and visitors alike,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles
A must-go-to for students and visitors alike,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles