On Fri, 23 Sep 1994, Pam Wilson wrote:
 
> Thanks for the info about film and TV-related tourist traps...oops...sites. This
> is exactly the kind of localized knowledge I'm looking for. It seems like a lot
 
I'm a bit behind in my e-mail - I assumed someone would have noted this
by now:  "Cheers" is modeled after the Bull & Finch Pub on Beacon Street
in Boston.  Not only can you buy "Cheers" t-shirts, mugs, hats, et al at
the bar itself, but at just about any convenience store in town.
Countless tourist have stopped me on the street asking for directions.
Boston is a tourist town, and has plenty of other attractions, but I
suspect that a survey of the local tour trolleys would reveal the Bull &
Finch to be extraordinarily high in popularity among the tourists.
 
Myth meeting reality has hardly taken place in a more visible fashion
than the night of the final episode, when Jay Leno's "Tonight Show"
mounted a live production from in front of and within the walls of The
Bull & Finch Pub.  The fans in the bleachers outside were unruly and an
embarrassment, the sports figures and politicians inside were
uncomfortable and an embarrassment, and the cast members further inside were
drunk and an embarrassment.  As I recall, only Kelsey Grammer (sp?)
emerged with his dignity intact.
 
On the sunny side,
 
Rob McCausland
[log in to unmask]          "awaiting automatic cancellation"