These 5 NYC tourist sites prove lasting popularity of 'Friends' TV sitcom
The last episode of "Friends" aired on May 6, 2004, yet the appeal of the show is evident 20 years later in the popularity of these five New York City tourist attractions.
"The Last One" aired on May 6, 2004.
Young adults around the world felt the loss.
It was the final episode of "Friends," the wildly popular sitcom that portrayed the lives of six 20-somethings in search of love and meaning in New York City.
With humor and heartbreak, slapstick and sympathy, the TV series shared tales of Chandler (played by Matthew Perry), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Monica (Courteney Cox), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Ross (David Schwimmer) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow).
"What has truly stood the test of time is its laugh-a-minute humor — a perfect storm of smart writing and flawless performances by the perfectly cast ensemble," Australian Women's Weekly reported last year following the death of Perry.
His loss was mourned around the world, as the Aussie magazine attests.
A global fan base has made New York City the bucket-list destination for "Friends" fans from far and wide — even though the show was filmed at Warner Bros. Ranch in Burbank, California.
This interactive new tourist attraction did not appear on the show.
"The One in New York City" opened only in 2021.
But it serves as a Manhattan museum of "Friends" lore and memorabilia, including the show's signature orange couch, the kitchen that was a centerpiece of the show and Rachel's memorable cow jacket.
The Friends Experience also boasts "The One in Boston" and — coming soon — "The One in Miami."
The connection fans felt to "Friends" was proven in Oct. 2023, when Perry died after a struggle with addiction.
Fans flocked to the Greenwich Village apartment building at 90 Bedford St., whose facade served as the setting of the series.
Distraught fans left flowers, mementos and held vigils outside the location as if it were the actual home of Perry and his "Friends."
The fountain that appears in the "Friends" famous opening credits looks quite similar to the Cherry Hill Fountain in Central Park.
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Given the show's setting in Manhattan, visitors naturally post pictures on social media boasting that they found the "Friends" fountain.
The group that manages Central Park has been forced to address the TV tourism controversy.
"Cherry Hill is still a popular destination for enjoying views of the lake and the cherries blooming in the spring," the Central Park Conservancy writes online.
"Although the Cherry Hill Fountain looks similar, the fountain in the show was in fact filmed at a studio in Los Angeles."
Perry's character works as a "transpondster" — monitoring data in an ominous skyscraper with a signature slope.
It is actually the Solow Building at 9 West 57th St. in Midtown Manhattan.
The skyscraper is a celebrity in its own right.
"This famous building has also featured in other TV shows and films," reports GoCity.com, including "Sex & the City," "Zoolander" and "Superman," among others.
The popularity of "Friends" made Ross the world's most famous paleontologist, working at the New York Museum of Prehistoric History.
The prehistoric museum does not exist.
The stately building that played the part was actually one of Manhattan's most famous landmarks, the American Museum of Natural History along Central Park.
It was the setting for "Friends" moments as monumental as its architecture.
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"Just in case you need your memory jogged," DigitalSpy.com reports, "it's where Ross and Rachel first do the deed, and lest we forget, was the setting for sandwich-gate."
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