New York, New York; the city that never sleeps is best experienced by a local and, while not strictly local, our favourite TV characters can often provide us with great insight into a city. When sightseeing New York who better to turn to for shoe and cocktail advice than Carrie? And if fashion and high society is more your thing, why not check out the sites associated with Gossip Girl?

Before you begin sightseeing New York, you’ll need somewhere to stay. Luckily, Manhattan has loads of attractive hotels; just ask Serena and Chuck. Serena and Chuck both live in suites at the New York Palace Hotel and many of Gossip Girl’s scenes were shot around the inside bar, Madison Bar and kitchen. Serena was often seen having a sneaky cocktail, despite being under-age.

Someone that knows a fair bit about Manhattan’s best bars is Carrie Bradshaw. Never one to turn down a few Cosmopolitans with her girlfriends, Carrie knows the hottest places to party in New York, and Pastis in the super trendy Meatpacking District is her favourite. This bar helped shape the Cosmopolitan and acted as the girls’ local, although they were known to visit other bars. One such bar was Scout, the bar co-owned by Steve and Aidan. Known in real-life as O’Nieals, the bar is distinctly Aidan with its intricately carved ceiling and brushed mahogany floors.

When sightseeing New York make sure that you also visit some more well-known tourist attractions. The Empire State building is unmissable and although it has featured in several episodes of Doctor Who, more recently it was the place where Hank Baskett proposed to Kendra in her self-titled reality TV show. You may remember the Sex and the City episode where Miranda gave birth to Brady. In the same episode, Big left for the Napa Valley and Carrie decided to see him off in style by taking him on a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park. Don’t confuse Central Park with Central Perk, the coffee house used in Friends. If you are a Friends fan you can visit the famous apartment building at the corner of Bedford and Grove.

If Will and Grace are more your thing, you may want to visit Grace’s apartment whilst sightseeing New York. This is located in the Puck building, at 295 Lafayette Street, so named because of the gold statue of Puck located outside the building. Will’s apartment is located nearby at 155 Riverside Drive. Will and Grace’s apartments are both popular, but visitor numbers are nothing compared to the hordes of tourists that flock to Carrie’s apartment every week. The immortal apartment is located at 238 East 72nd Street and although the stairs have been cordoned off to prevent fans from sitting on them, there is still the opportunity to take photographs. Not far away from Carrie’s steps is the legendary Magnolia Bakery at 401 Bleeker Street, The bakery’s appearance on the show kick-started the cupcake craze around the world, and lengthy queues should be expected.

Whilst cocktails and cupcakes did it for Carrie, Gossip Girl is more about college and couture. The girls attend the prestigious Constance Billiard School for Girls and this is filmed in two locations – Synod of Bishops and The Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn Heights. The Packer Collegiate Institute is used for its temple, whilst Blair and Serena are regularly seen chatting on the steps of Synod of Bishops.

Time your sightseeing New York just right, and you might just catch a glimpse of one of the city’s famous sitcoms being filmed.

Author Bio: Marta Sanders-Cooper is the New York Destination Expert for Shorex, specialising in unique and unmissable, expert-led tours & excursions in major cities around the world, for the best in city sightseeing. New York tours are custom made and constructed from an extensive menu of activities, attractions and excursions, many of which are unique to Shorex.com.

Category: Travel
Keywords: sightseeing New York