The Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin
A Cold War era Russian spy ship plays a key role in helping Scot Harvath achieve his mission in STATE OF THE UNION. The flagship of a fleet designed to monitor satellite communications from the open sea in support of the Soviet space program, The Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was named for the first man in space.
Checkpoint Charlie
The nickname “Checkpoint Charlie” was bestowed by Western Allies on the former border control checkpoint between East and West Berlin. A replica of the iconic guard house now stands in its place, and the original is housed in the Allied Museum. This symbol of the Cold War is depicted on a significant clue in STATE OF THE UNION.
Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Known as the Church on Spilled Blood, the Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ sits on the site where Emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded in 1881. In STATE OF THE UNION, Scot Harvath and Alexandra Ivanova duck into this landmark to kill time before they dive back into the action in St. Petersburg.
Sobranie Black Russians
In STATE OF THE UNION, Scot Harvath finds a Soviet-era cigarette machine in an abandoned U-Bahn station. The machine is filled with vintage cigarette brands favored by Lenin and his contemporaries, including Sobranie Black Russians known for their black paper and gold foil filter end, and F6s that were launched in East Germany in 1959 and produced there until 1990.
Hotel Del Coronado
The majestic Hotel Del Coronado is where we find Scot Harvath at the beginning and the end of his mission in STATE OF THE UNION. Located in Harvath’s fictional hometown, across the bridge from San Diego, the Victorian structure – the second largest wooden structure in the United States – is an American architectural treasure.