TV shows based in NYC

Welcome to part two of our “walk in your favorite NYC characters’ footsteps” series, where we give you the deets on popular TV show hangouts. We think it’s a fun way to spend an afternoon — or even a day — and potentially makes for a great date idea. You’ll also score brownie points with out-of-towners coming to visit you, especially if they’re major fans of any of the shows below.

Sex and the City

It’s a no brainer to include this popular TV show. I mean, it probably gets at least partial credit for making people think of NYC as such a sexy and cosmopolitan place.

Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte were all over the big apple, but so many of their hot spots were in Manhattan itself. Now, there are plenty of guided tours you can sign up for that may be of interest. For example, On Location Tours does a great one that includes stops at over 40 locations, and we imagine it’d be a lot of fun to pal around with other SATC fans on a tour bus.

If you’re more of an individualist or prefer to set your own pace, a self-guided walking tour may be more your thang. We like this one by FreeToursByFoot, which does a nice job of highlighting some of those favorite SATC moments.

For example, you could start at the flagship Tiffany and Co. (727 Fifth Avenue, between 56th and 57th St.), where Trey re-proses to Charlotte. And speaking of nuptials, hop on over to the gorgeous NYC Public Library (Fifth Avenue and 42nd St.), which is where Mr. Big and Carrie planned to get hitched. You can also pay homage to Carrie via a little shoe shopping at none other than Manolo Blahnik (31 W 54th St, between 5th and 6th Avenues).

Seinfeld

So Seinfeld was technically filmed in California, but the show itself was set in New York City, which is where you can find a lot of the TV show’s famous landmarks.

The number one must-hit spot, of course, is Monk’s Cafe, where Elaine, Jerry, George and Kramer spent way too much of their time. The cafe itself isn’t real, but the exterior of Tom’s Restaurant (2880 Broadway) is the filmed facade.

A second contender for where the crew spends most of their time is at Jerry’s Apartment, located at 129 West 81st Street, Apartment 5A. The outside of the apartment was actually filmed in Los Angeles, but it’s still cool to go to the location. Elaine’s apartment is located near Central Park at 447 Central Park West.

Two additional places you can venture to that are completely real (unlike Monk’s), is Kramer’s H&H Bagels (1551 2nd Ave), where he went on strike, or you could nab one of his favorite hot dogs at Gray’s Papaya (2090 Broadway), which is called “Papaya King” in the series.

If hot dogs and bagels aren’t your thing (I mean, they’re so New York, but we won’t judge you), perhaps you could slurp up some soup at Mendy’s (61 E 34th St) . This post by HuffPo has some other places you can visit.

Friends

This list would be so remiss without Friends. Like SATC, there’s a guided tour you can take with On Location Tours, which makes everything super easy for you. Note that Friends was filmed in California, but many of the exterior shots were filmed in NYC to keep that Big Apple vibe.

For those who prefer to do a self-guided tour, we’ve got your back. We recommend started at Pulitzer Fountain in Central Park (Grand Army Plaza at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue), which you’ll recognize from the opening credits. While this wasn’t the actual shooting location, the California fountain it was shot in is a replica of the original.

We’re bummed to inform you that Central Perk, the coffee shop where Joey, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Rachel spent a lot of time, isn’t real. They actually created a pop up shop, which closed in about a year’s time. Don’t fret, though. You can stop by the Solow Building (9 W 57th St #45), where Chandler worked, or hit up Lucille Lortel Theater (121 Christopher St), where Joey put on an off-Broadway performance.

Another cool spot to hit up is the Corner of Bedford and Grove, which is the apartment building where all six characters dwelled.

Stay tuned for part three of the series!

By Wendy Rose Gould

Hitting NYC and want to walk in the footsteps of your favorite TV characters? Or maybe you’re a resident looking for a new way to spend the afternoon? Why not!

Visiting the hallowed stomping grounds of well-known TV characters makes for an eventful day, a cool date idea, and would certainly earn you brownie points with anyone visiting from out of town.

Fortunately for you, we’ve compiled a list of popular television shows based in NYC, with this post focusing specifically on Brooklyn. Now you can eat where those characters have eaten, sit where they’ve sat, drink from the same cups from which they’ve possible drank, and frolic in the same gardens or down the same sidewalks they’ve too traversed.

GIRLS

We have to start with Lena Dunham’s GIRLS, which as you probably know, airs on HBO. Unlike some shows (ahem), this TV series does film in NYC, and in Brooklyn, to be specific. There, Hannah, Jessa, Marnie and Shoshannah get into their daily mischief.

Fortunately, you can find a surplus of resources to help you walk in their footsteps. In fact, avid watchers of the TV show have gone so far as to Google Map the show’s filming locations, pinning notable destinations for other fans. We’ll direct you to DailyDot, which has this very map of must-hit destinations available to you.

You can also check out the Huffington Post’s “Visit GIRLS” guide, which tells you how to get to Marnie’s Lehmann Maupin Gallery, the Tom & Jerry’s 288 Bar, Magnolia Bakery and Ray’s Cafe Grumpy.

P.S. If you’re able, get yourself to a Bushwick party and dance the night away a la wild girl Jessa.

Another good link to check out is this one, from the Guardian, which gives you the deets of Bushwick’s Country Club, where you can grab a pizza, and Beacon’s closet, which features a giant mural of none other than Lena Dunham’s famous mug. Weird? OK. But probably worth a visit if you’re a big fan.

2 Broke Girls

Sassy Max, played by Kat Dennings, and sweet Caroline, played by Beth Behrs, “reside” in good old Brooklyn and work as waitresses at a dive-y Williamsburg Diner. The show was actually co-created by Sex and the City‘s executive producer, so it’s no surprise that it’s set in good old NYC.

There’s a bit of a controversy on whether or not 2 Broke Girls accurately portrays what it’s like to be broke in Brooklyn, and some even say it’s a portrayal of an outdated version of Brooklyn. But does it really matter? Well, maybe, but today we’re just giving you the info on where the show’s set.

The girls are all over Williamsburg, so that’s where you’ll want to head. From there, well, things get a little iffy. The show technically shoots in Los Angeles, but we recommend grabbing a cupcake at Brookyln Cupcake or Cupcake Land in honor of the girls’ cupcake endeavors. And, to maintain that 2 Broke Girls spirit, get yourself something yummy at Jimmy’s Diner or Shorty’s Diner, and feel free to lament about your lackluster bank account and woeful dating life while you’re chowing down on greasy grub.

Sex and the City

Yep, though SATC has a very “cosmo” vibe to it, parts of the show were shot in Brooklyn. For example, Miranda, after proposing to Steve, decides to move their growing family to the borough. She later upgrades to a house in Brooklyn with new love interest, Robert, after things get serious.

For the record, there are entire Sex and the City tours you can sign up for, but most of the destinations aren’t in Brooklyn. However, some popular SATC destinations include the following:

First, There’s Brooklyn Bridge — technically Lower East Side Manhattan — but we’re including it because it connects to Brooklyn. It’s also one of the cooler destinations in NYC, so you should go there anyway.

Also hit up Junior’s Restaurant, at 386 Flatbush, where Carrie and Big dined. And if you wanna get real deep into SATC fan-dome, check out King’s County Supreme Court at 360 Adams and Johnston Street, where Carrie and Big ventured to tie the knot. I mean, we could also suggest you get married there, yourself, but that may be taking things too far…

By Wendy Rose Gould