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Friends Locations in New York City

Could these spots be any more iconic?

How you doin'? If you’re a Friends fan on a break in New York City, you have to check out these familiar locations.

Despite first bursting onto our screens over 30 years ago, Friends remains ever-popular with audiences old and new. From the apartment in the Greenwich Village to the famous fountain in the opening credits, here’s our list of top Friends New York spots to visit, including...

  • 90 Bedford Street
  • Bloomingdale’s
  • The Plaza
  • American Museum of Natural History
  • Madison Square Garden
  • And more!

90 Bedford Street

bedford-street-historic-sign-midtown-manhattan

The first stop on any Friends fan’s tour of the city has to be 90 Bedford Street. You’ll see the memorable exterior of the apartment building where Monica, Rachel, Chandler, and Joey lived for 10 seasons. And though it’s not Central Perk, there is a café below the apartments called The Little Owl where you can stop for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.

While you’re in the area, take a tour of Greenwich Village to get a feel for the area where the gang lived and hung out.

The Plaza

facade-plaza-hotel-new-york

While The Plaza is a beautiful building so worth a visit in its own right, Friends fans will appreciate that it’s where Monica and Chandler intended to celebrate their engagement at the end of Season 6. In "The One with Monica’s Thunder," the friends face various hurdles and plot twists and never actually make it to The Plaza. Why not raise a glass of champagne in their honor?

Bloomingdale’s

Visit the luxury department store where Rachel began her fashion career as a personal shopper. You'll be able to walk the aisles of Bloomingdale’s and admire the luxury clothes and accessories. Inspired to do a little shopping yourself? Put together a stylish outfit Rachel would be proud of.

Solow Building

facade-tall-blue-skyscraper-modern-office

This building on West 57th Street is home to Chandler’s office where he works as a... “transpondster?” This famous building with its glass facade has also been featured in other TV shows and films Sex & the City, Zoolander, Cloverfield, Superman, and Lost in America.  In reality, law firms and hedge funds make up the building’s offices, as well as the designer brand Chanel. Fancy!

If you’re interested in other filming destinations around NYC, check out our guide to Central Park movie and TV locations 

American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History

Another place of work: the American Museum of Natural History. Sort of. Ross actually works as a paleontologist at the Museum of Prehistoric History, which doesn’t exist. Visit the next best thing at the American Museum of Natural History to see the fossils and dinosaurs up close.

Check out our guide to the American Museum of Natural History to make the most of your visit.

Newark Airport

Newark Airport

If you’re flying in or out of Newark Airport, New Jersey, note that this is where Rachel gets off the plane in ‘The Last One.’ Rachel is due to fly to Paris but decides to get off the plane at the last minute to be with Ross. Earlier in the episode, Ross and Phoebe mistakenly race to JFK airport to try to catch her, so make sure you don't make the same mistake!

 

Madison Square Garden

madison-square-garden

In the fourth-ever episode of Friends, Chandler, Joey, and Ross watch a Rangers game at Madison Square Garden. You can catch a game like the guys, just try not to get hit in the face with a hockey puck, as Ross did!

If you can’t get tickets to a game, you can take a tour of Madison Square Garden to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the famous stadium.

The Lucille Lortel Theater

Head to this off-Broadway theater to see where Joey acts in a play in Season 3 and receives terrible reviews. There's no reason why you shouldn't see a play there yourself, though! Check the website to see what’s on at Lucille Lortel Theater during your visit.

Theater fans will also be interested in taking a walking tour of Broadway to learn all about its history (and secrets)!

So that's a wrap on our list of the top NYC destinations for Friends fans. Be sure to get a photo with these famous locations, (especially on Bedford Street)! Hopefully, this list will give you a chance to experience where the Friends gang lived, worked, and had their adventures over the 10 seasons.

New York skyline at night

So that's a wrap on our list of the top NYC destinations for Friends fans. Be sure to get a photo with these famous locations, (especially on Bedford Street)! Hopefully, this list will give you a chance to experience where the Friends gang lived, worked, and had their adventures over the 10 seasons.

From Empire State Heights to Broadway lights, we've got you covered...

Discover our full line-up of New York attractions including the Top of the Rock Observatory, the Statue of Liberty, and more.  

🤩 >> If you want to see and do as much as you can, our All-Inclusive Pass is for you.    

😎 >> If you want to pick just a few attractions and visit at your own pace, our Explorer Pass is the perfect option. 

Seren Morris
Go City Travel Expert

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Things to Do in New York in August 2018

There's always something to do in the city that never sleeps; home to some of the world's most famous museums, iconic landmarks and unparalleled mix of cultures. Take advantage of the warm weather in NYC this summer out on the water or escape the heat at one of the great museums New York has to offer. If you’re looking for things to do in New York in August 2016, check out our list of the best local activities and attractions, including... Hop On Hop Off Sightseeing Tour New Exhibits at the MoMA Landmark Cruise Star Trek: The Starfleet Experience at The Intrepid Museum and more... Save on Attraction Admission Regular admission to a number of these popular New York attractions is available on the New York City Explorer Pass. Choose as you go from dozens of top attractions and save up to 50% on combined admission vs paying at the gate. See all available passes, attractions & prices – Learn more. Please note, the seasonal events taking place at these attractions may be separately ticketed and not included on the New York Explorer Pass. If you want a bigger list of seasonal events, then check out our suggested things to do in New York in the summer. Take a Big Bus New York Sightseeing Tour Get acquainted with New York City on this Hop On Hop Off Sightseeing Tour by Big Bus New York. This tour goes through Manhattan and passes by many landmarks and attractions. You can also get off of the bus and go check out something that caught your eye, then hop back on the bus when the next tour comes by. Getting In: Hop On Hop Off Big Bus New York Tours are available on the New York City Explorer Pass. New Exhibits at the MoMA In addition to the MoMA's famous ongoing galleries, the museum is hosting several temporary exhibits worth checking out this August. Bodys Isek Kingelez (available through January 1, 2019): see sculptures and imagined cityscapes that reflect the vision Bodys Isek Kingelez had for his nation, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) when it declared independence from Belgium. Being: New Photography 2018 (available through August 18, 2018): explore how photography as an artistic mean can capture what it means to be human in this compelling exhibit that challenges conventional photography and tactics such as masking, cropping, and more. The Long Run (available through November 4, 2018): this artistic exhibition takes a closer look at the artistic process itself, discover how invention and 'breakthrough moments' in art are a result of continued experimentation, critical thinking, persistent observation, and other social and political factors experience by artists. Getting In: Museum of Modern Art tickets are available on the New York City Explorer Pass. Take a Landmark Cruise This cruise is one of the most popular in the world and a fantastic way to see Manhattan's skyline. This is one of the "must see" attractions in New York City and will help you become more familiar with the city if you're from out of town. Getting In: NYC Landmark Cruise ticket are available on the New York City Explorer Pass. The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Become a cadet, join the Starfleet program and, learn and interact with this one of a kind exhibit. This year, the Intrepid Museum is celebrating GROWLER'S 60th Commissioning Anniversary with a new exhibition, A View from the Deep; the Submarine Growler & The Cold War. Discover how USS Growler, one of America's first nuclear-missile submarines played a role in the most tense years of the Cold War and what life was like on board. Getting In: Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum tickets are available on the New York City Explorer Pass. New Summer Exhibits at the Guggenheim Museum Visit the iconic building designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and check out the Giacometti exhibit on view from June 8, 2018-September 12, 2018. You'll get to see almost 200 works of art by Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti including sculptures in bronze and oil, plaster sculptures, and drawings never before seen in the US. Another fascinating temporary exhibit at the Guggenheim this August is One Hand Clapping, an exhibition that explores how globalization affects our understanding and perception of the future through works of art by a range of contemporary artists. Getting In: Guggenheim Museum tickets are available on the New York City Explorer Pass. Remember to Save on Attraction Admission There you go - plenty of fun ideas for things to do in New York in August. Remember, many of these great attraction options are included on the Go New York Card, where you can save up to 50% on combined admission vs paying at the gate. Please note, the seasonal events taking place at some of these attractions may be separately ticketed and not included with the New York Explorer Pass. Consider adding a few of these fun options to your August vacation itinerary.
Lindsay Eagan
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Last Minute New York Vacation Tips

The prospect of visiting New York City for a day, a weekend or even longer can seem a little daunting at first but don’t let it worry your too much - people have been doing it for decades! The standard belief that residents of the City are rude and obscene is only half true; in reality, New Yorkers are just too busy to stop and help tourists and have no patience for people who slow them down. If you want to have a great vacation in NYC, that’s the first thing you should know - Don’t be one of those people. Here are a few other tips to help make your trip to Gotham the best it can be. NYC Subway Map[/caption] Take a few minutes and familiarize yourself with the city map: Obviously you aren’t going to be able to memorize the map in a few minutes but even just giving yourself a general idea of where certain things are (Wall Street is Downtown) and learning the names of various areas of the city (Midtown, Lower East Side, Hell’s Kitchen) will be a big help. Most of the city is a grid with the street numbers increasing as they head north and the avenue numbers increasing as they head west which makes getting around a little easier than in some places. Also, a good trick to remember when trying to orient yourself is that Broadway runs south throughout much of the City. Don’t forget to look up: Of course you want to be paying attention to what is in front of you and what your kids are getting into (hopefully nothing) but don’t forget to take a peek at what is above you from time to time. New York is filled with buildings both new and old that are architecturally significant and the artist community in NYC also likes to decorate up in the sky. [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="269"] NYC Food Vendor[/caption] Be selective about what you buy on the street: Some people love coming to the city and loading up on all the off-market goods (cologne, perfume, watches, purses, etc) that are readily available in different areas of the city, but remember the old saying - you get what you pay for. Of course it can be nice to get a “designer” watch or purse for a vastly reduced price but don’t be surprised if it doesn’t last too long. As long as you don’t have an overly sensitive stomach, a better way to get bang for your buck is to eat from one of the local food carts or food trucks. Competition among food vendors is fierce and attracting customers is vital, so finding good, cheap eats is easier than you might think.
Go City Expert

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