7 Must See Iconic Film Locations in New York City
If you’re a movie buff visiting New York City for the very first time, you are in for a treat and a half. Filmmakers have been using locations in the city as backdrops for their flicks for a long time now. From the Plaza Hotel to Central Park, here’s a rundown of some essential cinematic places you need to visit on your next trip to NYC. Don’t forget to pose for pictures!
Katz’s Delicatessen
You know the one. The diner was already famous for its pastrami sandwiches, but really gained recognition from its appearance in When Harry Met Sally as the place where Meg Ryan fakes that loud orgasm. The diner has leaned hard into that appearance: you can even sit at the same spot, underneath a sign that says, “Where Harry met Sally… hope you have what she had! Enjoy!” Katz’s also made an appearance in Donnie Brasco and Enchanted.
Katz’s has quite the history. It was established as a kosher restaurant way back in 1888, although then it was called Iceland and Katz. The change to Katz Delicatessen as it is now known came about in 1910. The deli was moved from its original site during the construction of the subway, and is now located on the southwest corner of Houston and Ludlow streets on the Lower East Side. A point of congregation for newly immigrated families on the Lower East side since the beginning of the 20th century, Katz’s is still committed to its original vision of serving authentic deli food.
Grand Central Station
A US National Historic Landmark, Grand Central Station was built in 1913 and on a good day is the busiest of NYC’s transport hubs. It’s where Will Smith found aliens in the locker room in Men in Black, as well as where some of I Am Legend’s exterior shots were filmed. Its concourse is where the flash mob scene in Friends with Benefits was filmed. And below the station is the Oyster Bar, where George Clooney lunches with his daughter in One Fine Day.
The Plaza Hotel
(Sex and the City, Home Alone 2)
Part of New York’s architectural heritage since 1907, the Plaza Hotel enjoys a reputation as one of NYC’s most luxurious hotels. It has long been used by celebrities and dignitaries, and several national singers have performed in its famed Persian Room, including Patti Page, Peggy lee and The Mills Brothers. While ownership of the hotel has changed hands a number of times over the years, it is currently owned by Sahara India Pariwat, an Indian business group.
You have seen the Plaza Hotel feature in plenty of movies, including The Great Gatsby, Bride Wars and Crocodile Dundee. It’s most famous cinematic appearance, however, has been in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, as the base for Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister when he stays there after taking the wrong flight to New York instead of Florida. And thus, film history was made, as the young scamp canon balled into the pool, stuffed himself with desserts and thoroughly confused the management.
Empire State Building
If there is a building that simply screams “iconic”, it’s this one. Even non-movie goers recognize it as the building where King Kong swung around, a tiny blond figure in hand, as he fought off helicopters. Since the 1930 movie, this huge Art Deco building has been used in an incredible 250 TV shows and films, including An Affair to Remember, when Cary Grant waits for Deborah Kay to meet him on the 88th floor, unaware that she has been hit by a car. And its observation deck is where Meg Ryan’s character, a fan in-universe of An Affair to Remember meets Tom Hanks at the end of Sleepless in Seattle.
Tiffany & Company
Few places are as instantly evocative of a particular movie as Tiffany & company – Breakfast at Tiffany’s has the name in its very title, after all. It first became an unforgettable part of movie history when Audrey Hepburn steps out of a cab and looks through the windows in the movie’s iconic opening scene. “Nothing very bad could happen to you there,” says Holly Golightly as she breakfasts in front of the store, and indeed, the statement rings with a sense of truth. With sparkling window displays, a polished marble exterior and their signature turquoise boxes, Tiffany’s exudes a real sense of beauty and elegance. It has quite a history too, incepted as it was back in 1837 in Brooklyn, Connecticut.
The Met
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Met as it’s more commonly known, is located on Fifth Avenue at the edge of Central Park. Boasting a location of over two million items, it’s one of the largest art galleries in the world, with a main building that stretches for a full quarter of a mile along Fifth Avenue. You’ve seen it, again, in When Harry Met Sally, when Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal stroll through the Egyptian Room. And it’s in the 90s remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, when Pierce Brosnan steals a Monet painting (although in this example, you can only see its exterior, since the Met did not wish to be associated with even a fictional theft).
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library’s Schwarzman Building is probably one of the most grandiose in New York, with its marble walls, chandeliers, ceilings frescoes and grand sweeping staircases. Its Rose Reading Room alone is nearly two blocks longs long and 15 meters high, its ceiling painted with gorgeous clouds. It features as all kinds of buildings in movies – it was the foyer of The Met in The Thomas Crown Affair, as well as where Carrie’s failed wedding to Big took place in Sec and the City: The Movie. However, it’s best known for the place where the Ghostbusters were able to hunt down librarian Eleanor Twitty’s Ghost. It’s also featured in The Day After Tomorrow.
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