The stand-in for the planetarium exteriors and interiors is the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. The bus travels through miles of sparsely populated territory; the real Observatory is barely a half-hour drive from the Arnold house through Burbank and Glendale.
When Louis yells "Top of the world, Ma!" after the explosion, he is (almost) quoting James Cagney in "White Heat." The actual classic quote is, "Made it Ma! Top of the world!"
The observatory is Griffith Observatory. You can see the Hollywood sign in the background when Kevin runs after Winnie and they pan across the skyline.
One of the few episodes with scenes where Kevin is not present. The scenes where Chuck hitches a ride and where Mary Jo and Harlan talk are without Kevin.
Two actresses who starred in "My So-Called Life" appear in this episode. Devon Odessa, who played Sharon on "My So-Called Life," and A.J. Langer, who played Rayanne. Langer's character in this episode is very similar to her character from "MSCL."