my unforgettable day at the ‘princess diaries’ house
do you want the house tour?
Happy Devil Wears Prada 2 release weekend!
No matter what movie I see Anne Hathaway in, she will always be Mia Thermopolis to me. Princess of Genovia—yes—but also just a normal girl from the Excelsior.
Princess Diaries is special to me because San Francisco doesn’t get a lot of cinematic representation. What SATC did for 90s New York, Princess Diaries did for 2000s San Francisco. The movie has all the romanticized trappings of the city’s artsy, pre-tech cultural reputation. The artist yoga mom! The band boyfriend! The scooter commute from the Excelsior to the Marina! (Also, RIP Lilly Moscovitz you would have hated AI).
And of course, there’s the iconic Thermopolis household: a refurbished firehouse, complete with a pole running from Mia’s bedroom straight down into the kitchen.
Last June, I got to visit the house and chat with the residents.
It’s not open to the public (people actually live there), but I sent the owner an email explaining my interest in writing about the house and its life 20+ years post-Princess Diaries fame. To my surprise, she replied and invited me for a tour.
On the day of the visit, I hopped in my Honda and clenched my steering wheel as we chugged up the hills of pastel-colored homes, holding my breathing as I felt the incline steepen. When I pulled up to 724 Brazil Ave. and saw the firehouse (you really can’t miss it) with Princess Diaries art in the window, I smiled. This place was actually real!
Carolin, the owner, came and greeted me outside. She looked like an art teacher, with her funky oversize sunglasses, chunky collar necklace, and lime green clogs. I felt at ease. When we stepped inside, I marveled at what I saw.