Did you know that Patrick Dempsey’s apartment in Enchanted is two blocks away from Columbia? You do now!

Over the weekend, I had a bit nightmarish experience at the Apple store, and got home in need of comfort and cheering up, so I turned to a childhood classic: Enchanted (2007). Not only had I forgotten how magical Amy Adams looked in her wedding dress and how iconic Susan Sarandon was as Queen Narissa, but I also had the shocking realization that Patrick Dempsey’s apartment in the movie is only a block from my own residence in the Barnard quad.

The moment Robert goes to call a cab and says, “I need a car for 116^th and Riverside,” I let out a little gasp and replayed it. Later when he runs out of the building chasing his girlfriend, I had an exuberant little grin on my face, realizing I pass the building all the time. Apparently, this is something other people were aware of, but I was completely oblivious to it, and felt like I was watching the movie for the first time all over again. Every subsequent scene near the building was improved by the fact that I could walk less than a minute and be right there.

It feels like fate that I end up hundreds of miles from where I grew up, only to live a block away from the site of one of my favorite childhood movies. So, in honor of this fateful revelation, I made a pilgrimage to 116^th and Riverside to pay my respects to the temple of unabashed femininity and childlike wonder. It was really cold, and I just stood for a bit watching cars pass by and looking as the spot where James Marsden’s character gets peed on by a passing dog. Something in me wanted to say to everyone passing, “hey, did you know they filmed Enchanted here?” but I restrained myself.

I always loved movies like Enchanted and Legally Blonde for their portrayal of unapologetic femininity as valuable and advantageous, rather than something to grow out of. As a longtime fan of everything Amy Adams is in from Leap Year (2010), to Arrival (2016), Enchanted is a particularly beloved member of this movie niche. This little expedition was a great way to bring myself back into the Enchanted state of mind and sit with how wonderful life can be.

That little moment of serendipity standing outside a building I’d passed dozens of times without realizing its significance was absolutely joyous. I wanted to go running through the streets to accost a taxi mimicking Robert, hide behind a pillar and then get caught in the revolving doors like Edward, or sneak inside and cut out a dress pattern from curtains like Giselle, but just standing there, reveling in the good fortune life has blessed me with of late was enough. Ok, maybe I did run through the revolving door and back out again. 

Giselle image via Flickr

Image via Bwog Staff