No question, it was the TV sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S. who ingrained New York City on my mind at an early age. I believe it was on channel 5, then known as ABC 5, that I started to follow the Ross and Rachel story. Back in the day when TV shows only air a week at a time, I found a cable TV channel that played a FRIENDS marathon from midnight til dawn. It was my first ever case of binge watching and the consequential sleeping in class the next morning was worth it!
A quick search of "Friends apartment" in google maps and it will conveniently show you its location at the corner of Bedford and Grove st. From the Brooklyn Bridge, we took the A train from Cadman Plaza Park (High Street - Brooklyn Bridge Station) to Washington Square Station.
High Street - Brooklyn Bridge Station
We took a little detour and instead of going to Bedford st., we went first to Washington Square Park to see another familiar landmark.
The Washington Square Arch is featured in the in-between scenes of FRIENDS
The park is alive with lots of people hanging out, a live band playing, some pigeons, and well, a pigeonman. Enough about the park, it's time to see Monica's apartment!
The Pigeonman at Washington Square Park
Just a 10-minute walk from the park, we arrived at the corner of Bedford and Grove streets seeing only a handful of tourists. We even saw some passers-by looking at what we're looking at wondering what's so great about that building? It's the goddamn FRIENDS apartment!
"We were on a break!" - Ross Geller
This completes our FRIENDS tour after visiting the Central Perk Cafe set at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California.
Just a random park inside Warner Bros. Studios. This was actually the site of "Central Park" in the episode where Phoebe and Rachel were running in weird fashion.
You can see this building on the 3:38 mark of the youtube video below.
