Book on their siteFilm & TV · 2.5 hoursFrom the Met to the firehouse

STOP 1 OF 10
The Met, Fifth Avenue steps
Uptown · Paid entry
The front steps: Gossip Girl’s lunch spot, and the Met Gala in Ocean’s 8.
EThe editors
From the Met to the firehouse
Ten famous film locations on one long walk, uptown to Tribeca. Take the subway for the last stretch.
10 placesA full dayRead the guide ↓
1. The Met, Fifth Avenue stepsThe front steps: Gossip Girl’s lunch spot, and the Met Gala in Ocean’s 8.Gossip Girl (2007–2012) · Recurring, from season 1 +1UptownPaid entry3 hours or more$30 adults; pay what you wish for New York State residents
2. The PlazaHome Alone 2’s hotel, and North by Northwest.Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) +1MidtownFrom outside15 minFree to look
3. Tiffany & Co., Fifth AvenueAudrey Hepburn’s breakfast at the window in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)MidtownFree to visit20 min; 1 hour for the caféFree to browse; Blue Box Cafe about $60+ a person
4. Radio City Music HallThe Rockettes’ home, and a night at the pictures in Annie (1982).Annie (1982)MidtownFrom outside1 hour for the tourTours about $45 adults
5. Times SquareEmptied for Vanilla Sky.Vanilla Sky (2001)MidtownFree to visit20–30 minFree
6. New York Public Library, Fifth AvenueThe lions out front, and the opening of Ghostbusters.Ghostbusters (1984)MidtownFree to visit30–60 minFree
7. Grand Central TerminalNorth by Northwest, and the waltz in The Fisher King.North by Northwest (1959) +1MidtownFree to visit30–45 minFree
8. Empire State BuildingSleepless in Seattle, and King Kong before that.Sleepless in Seattle (1993) +1MidtownPaid entry1.5–2 hours86th floor from about $46
9. Katz’s DelicatessenWhen Harry Met Sally. The table has a sign.When Harry Met Sally… (1989)DowntownFood & drink1 hourPastrami sandwich about $30
10. Hook & Ladder 8 (the Ghostbusters firehouse)The Ghostbusters firehouse. A working station: look from the street.Ghostbusters (1984) +1DowntownFrom outside10 minFree to look
Watch before you go
Official clips and trailers from the studios’ own channels. They load only when you tap play.
The guide
How to do it: From the Met to the firehouse
New York is the most filmed city in the world, and a single long walk from the Met to Tribeca passes scenes from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Ghostbusters, North by Northwest and When Harry Met Sally.
It’s about four miles; take the subway for the last stretch from Midtown to Katz’s and the firehouse.
- The order to do it in
- North to south: the Met, the Plaza, Tiffany’s, Radio City, Times Square, the library, Grand Central, the Empire State Building; then subway to Katz’s and the Ghostbusters firehouse.
- When to go
- A weekday, when the library and Grand Central are busy and alive.
- Getting there
- Start at 86th St (4 5 6). From the Empire State Building, take the F to 2nd Ave for Katz’s, then the 1 to Franklin St.
- What to bring
- Comfortable shoes and screenshots of the scenes.
- What it costs
- Free, except the Met ($30) and the Empire State Building (from about $46).
Worth knowing
- Katz’s gives everyone a ticket at the door; don’t lose it.
- The firehouse is a working station: photograph from the sidewalk.
Started from the pins on On the Luce’s New York film locations walk (the map). Places, notes and the guide checked and written by us; prices and opening times change, so check before you go.
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