The scene when Pepper buys drugs from Astro was filmed at Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens, Van Nuys, opened in 1966 at a construction cost of $4 million dollars. In 1979, the park closed to make way for a major brewery expansion. At its peak attendance, it was a major San Fernando Valley tourist attraction which was complete with a bird show, boat rides, free beer (Budweiser, Michelob, and Busch Bavarian), and a monorail tour of the brewery facility. In 1972, a 5-acre parcel was added that included a log flume ride that traveled through the main garden area then crossed over the Union Pacific railroad to a large netted bird sanctuary. The rocks below were excavated from the existing trailer lot which previously held the bird aviary. These rocks were buried 8' below the earth and were excavated on August 14, 2015.