This week marks 20 years since Sex and the City debuted on our screens. After six seasons and two films the ladies left us – but while they may have departed our TVs, they have remained in our hearts ever since. After all, the show was revolutionary, and everyone had one character they identified with (“you’re SUCH a Samantha!”).
New York City has always been referred to as the fifth main character of the show – and we can see why. Everything from the towering skyscrapers, yellow taxis and classic Big Apple brownstones simply scream ‘New Yawk!’. And lucky for us, even though the show finished 14 years ago, and the last film was released eight years ago, New York is still holding on strong – and still offering up plenty of Sex and the City filming locations at that. Strap on your heels, finish up your Cosmo, and clamber into your tutu – we’re off to the city that never sleeps!
Carrie’s Brownstone
In the show Carrie’s flat was in the Upper East Side, but scenes at her front stoop were actually filmed in the (still lovely) West Village. There’s a chain across the stairs to prevent fans making like their favourite columnist and posing on the stoop (it’s a private house), but you can stand on the footpath and take photos to your heart’s content!
Where: 66 Perry Street
New York Public Library
Big and Carrie’s wedding should have been one of the most romantic filmic moments of all time – not least thanks to its incredible location in New York Public Library. As Carrie said of her choice of venue, it’s “the classic New York landmark that housed all the great love stories”. While the wedding didn’t exactly go to plan, the library remains just as beautiful as ever. Head to the top of the right-hand staircase to stand in the spot where Carrie realises Big isn’t showing up, and snap away safe in the knowledge that it all worked out in the end.
Where: 476 5th Ave
Louis K Meisel Gallery
Are you a Charlotte? Make like the Park Avenue Pollyanna at the Louis K Meisel Gallery where she worked as an art dealer before her ill-fated marriage to Trey. Luckily you can still stop by and check out its popular contemporary art exhibitions and photorealism works.
Where: 141 Prince St
Magnolia Bakery
After all this sightseeing, we couldn’t help but wonder: are you getting hungry? Perhaps one of the most famous foodie moments on the entire show was Miranda and Carrie chowing down on frosted cupcakes outside this unassuming bakery on Bleecker Street. While the scene lasted less than two minutes, it sparked a run on sweet treats from Magnolia Bakery, leading them to open several other stores around the city and country.
Where: 401 Bleecker St
Columbus Circle Fountains
If you were on Team Aidan, this one will be a real tear-jerker for you. It’s while sitting at these pretty fountains that Carrie tells Aidan she isn’t going to marry him.
Where: 1800 Broadway
Manolo Blahnik
If New York is the fifth main character in Sex and the City, fashion – more specifically, shoes – are the sixth. As well as sweet cupcakes, the show also put Manolo Blahniks on the map – notably when Carrie’s are stolen from a baby shower and registers herself at this very Blahnik store for a replacement from the host. Voila! – she scores a new pair of kicks.
Where: 31 West 54th Street
The Loeb Boathouse
A very memorable scene was shot here – one where Carrie and Big end up swimming in the lake, fully clothed! After meeting for lunch, and enduring an awkward attempt at a kiss, Big and Carrie end up soaked through. Grab a bite to eat and pray that you don’t end up in the deep end!
Where: Central Park, East 72nd St & Park Drive North
Fancy your own slice of Carrie’s (Mr) Big Apple? Why not check out our New York:
