Assuming no one mixed speed into our Earl Grey tea, there has been a helicopter hovering the downtown / SOMA / Lower Rincon Hill area all morning. It's low and it's slow. Anyone know why? Update: According to SFist Deborah N, the helicopters are for a filming of Monk. Curse you, USA network! Er, we meant Trauma.



the Alameda FAA office is closed for remodeling this week and I wasn't able to reach anyone directly but emailed them hoping for a reply.
If anyone wants to call and ask as well.
510.748.0122 select 0 for general questions.
"Hello this is the Alameda FAA. We're closed for remodeling so please don't do any crashing or exploding while we're putting up the wallpaper".
All throughout the morning, it was practicing landing on the helipad on top of the Grand Hyatt. Now, there seems to be a large group of people congregated on that helipad.
saw this comment on yelp-
"Actually gang, it is filming for an upcoming episode of "MONK", I only know this because I was sitting on the plane with the location scouters last Sunday."
saw this comment on yelp-
"Actually gang, it is filming for an upcoming episode of "MONK", I only know this because I was sitting on the plane with the location scouters last Sunday."
I was wondering the same thing. It was bugging me but seems to be gone now.
It was up there just to annoy us. Much like rainbows, birds and gods.
Here are some photos of the helicopter from this morning:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianbrooks/3427464196/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianbrooks/3426655467/in/photostream/
It's baack. And a second helicopter is definitely filming it atop the Grand Hyatt.
Does Monk really film anything besides the opening credits in SF or the Bay Area? The few episodes I've seen are definitely not filmed in SF. I've seen images of what is supposed to be the bay, and it's not our bay.
The SF Film Commission says the copters are filming Trauma:
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/around_town/the_scene/New-Action-Medical-Drama-Finds-Home-in-SF.html
Looks like the helicopters may be for the pilot of NBC's "Trauma" and not for "Monk":
http://twitter.com/lea210/statuses/1486339868
Yeah, it's Trauma not Monk.
I live in the area and they sent out a letter alerting residents that they would be "Pretending to land helicopters on buildings, but adhering to all FAA guidelines" and not to be alerted.
Yeah, I was suspicious of it being Monk as well:
1.) Location scouts on Sunday, then filming on Thursday?
2.) It was a comment on Yelp.
Hmm.. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/04/06/daily66.html
Monk films in Canada...
I will never read Yelp again. Promise.