Definitely for The Birds

My husband and I recently traveled to the San Francisco area to visit my father-in-law for his 80th birthday. While there, we made a day trip to Bodega and Bodega Bay, which were filming locations for The Birds.

I won’t argue that it’s Hitchcock’s best film, but The Birds is still a favorite of mine, one I can watch over and over. For me, it has that perfect Hitch blend — surface beauty and a creepy undercurrent, with a dash of romance and dark humor.BirdBrain

I’m a big Hitchcock fan so this was kid-in-the-candy-store territory for me. We took lots of pictures, including some of me goofing around in front of the school building like I was being attacked by birds. My husband is a patient man.

The iconic Potter School in Bodega was used for several exterior scenes in the movie. Today it’s a private residence that is occasionally opened for tours by the owner.

Outside the Bodega Country Store, we posed with a mannequin that sported an Alfred Hitchcock mask, although hubby thought it looked more like Rodney Dangerfield. (It sorta does!) The owner of the store has amassed a huge collection of Hitchcock and Birds memorabilia that we enjoyed wandering through, and some items were for sale. We brought home a black and white movie still autographed by Tippi Hedren as a souvenir.

The Bodega Bay Visitors Center on Highway One provides information, including a m20150417_223856227_iOSap marked with the various locations used in the film, and at least on the day we visited, a helpful and chatty tourist guide.

Across the street from the Visitors Center at Tides Wharf is a scenic spot where you can look out across Bodega Bay and imagine Tippi Hedren riding in a motorboat as a seagull fiercely pecks at her finely coiffed hair!