The Sex and the City Tour of New York

Everyone always thinks that this blog name, Caroline in the City, is a play on the novel and subsequent television and film franchise Sex and the City, when in fact it’s based on the 1990s sitcom. But I play off of the show anyways.

I’ve been a fan of the show for as long as I’ve been able to watch it, as it was off the air my junior year of high school and I didn’t have HBO. But as soon as I could buy the DVDs and watch the edited versions of it on TBS, I did. I’ve seen every episode and can quote them at length.

Since my twice-yearly trips to New York have become a routine, I knew I wanted to have at least one day to be a tourist in the city before starting work last week.

On Location Tours serendipitously emailed me a few weeks beforehand, asking if I’d like to check out one of their wildly popular TV and film tours. I searched their website to see which one best suited my interests and schedule and ended up on the Sex and the City tour.

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Sex and the City Filming Locations

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Sammi and I met our guide, an actress named Elyse who was an extra in the movie, at the Pulitzer Fountain in front of The Plaza, where our bus tour began. It was a great place to start the tour, as it’s close to Central Park and accessible to the Subway, not to mention the fact that it was where Big had his engagement party with Natasha. It’s also home to The Oak Room, where Samantha met her senior millionaire

We joined 10 other females, mostly travelers from Australia and England who, like us, had seen most of the episodes in syndication. The tour is even run in multiple languages when requested.

Video screens played the relevant clips from the show and movie, as we went through Midtown, where Elyse pointed out Central Park, home to the men who act like freaks. Across the street is Tiffany & Co., where Charlotte proposed to Trey.

The city truly plays a character, as Sex and the City was one of the few shows to film on location in New York, which is a difficult and expensive undertaking.

Further down 5th Avenue was St. Patricks Cathedral, which played a role in the second film, as did the New York Public Library, where Carrie had her lavish almost-wedding to Big. We also passed the church of Friar F**k and the parks where Miranda tells Carrie she’s pregnant and Charlotte’s dog gets frisky with other dogs.

Elyse also showed us ABC Carpet & Home, a home shopping wonderland where Charlotte and Trey shop with Bunny, and Equinox, where Charlotte meets one of two dates that she double books.

Paul Smith Fifth Avenue is where Miranda tried to buy Steve a suit and Two Boots Pizza Restaurant is where Carrie and Miranda eat pizza after stalking out Smith at the raw restaurant.

The first stop of the day took place at Pleasure Chest, the sex shop where the girls bought Charlotte “The Rabbit.” Photos aren’t allowed inside, but obviously they get plenty of business from these tours, as the Rabbit was front and center, costing you about $95 before tax.

Back on the bus, we passed the New York Sports Club, which is where Miranda trained for the marathon and met her single dad boyfriend. Rather than film the scene in Paris and give away the finale spoilers, Carrie’s book party in the finale was actually filmed in the West Village.

At Cowgirl, Carrie and Miranda run into Steve and Aidan with their dogs and new girlfriends. The Bleecker St Playground was where Miranda sees Steve’s girlfriend Debbie and where Carrie faces her “look” girl with Heather Graham.

I’d heard of Buddakan from watching Top Chef, but I was excited when we made our second stop at the restaurant, which wasn’t yet open for the evening but was nice enough to let us look around. It served as the site of Carrie and Big’s engagement party and is one of the most beautiful restaurant spaces I’ve seen. Stanford and Anthony’s New Years’ kiss in the movie also took place here, within the diversely decorated rooms.

The tour took a turn into the trendy Meatpacking District, where animal carcasses have been replaced with high-end boutiques and nightclubs. We were shown Aidan’s furniture store that in reality is an architectural firm. Soho House New York in the district is where the girls cool off after Samantha finds a membership card.

The Vitra Store was transformed into a restaurant for Samantha’s birthday in the movie, while the Diane von Furstenberg store played the cafe. Bubby’s High Line rooftop was where the girls partied with the trans women.

Our third stop was in the Village, where we were served cupcakes from Chelsea Market, not the famous Magnolia Bakery, which has a line out the door at all times. We were given time to walk around the neighborhood, poking into shops, before hopping back on board. Cipriani Wall Street was where the girls read the Sunday wedding section or the “women’s sports pages.”

The final stop of the day was Onieal’s, a speakeasy that from 1900-1973 had a secret entrance for police officers, including during Prohibition. It was home to Scout, the bar that Steve and Aidan opened together. The wood interiors and comfortable seating made it easy to see why it was chosen. We ordered the drink of choice for the girls, Cosmopolitans.

A few more stops rounded out our tour, including the Starbucks Union Square, where Carrie met with Louise in the movie, and the Barnes & Noble Union Square, where Carrie looked at books before hers came out. The Hotel Giraffe served as Big’s apartment in the movie. The bus dropped us back off near Bryant Park.

The Sex and the City tour proved just how relevant the show is today, even ten years later. There are plenty of girls, and guys, who move to New York looking for love. I loved all the fun facts that Elyse shared with us gals on the three and a half hour tour.

The tutu in the opening sequence is the cheapest thing Carrie wore in the show, costing around $15. Vogue handled all of the wedding montage in the first movie. Sarah Jessica Parker’s contract stated that she got to keep every item of clothing she wore on the show, including the shoes. Charlotte’s gallery became too expensive to film in, so the writers changed her storyline.

You could definitely go see these sights on your own, but On Location Tours makes it easy for visitors. They show you both the sights to go back to and the ones important to the show. The tour also gives you discounts and coupons for the places you visit, like 15% off at Pleasure Chest, free drink with dim sum at Buddakan and a coupon for the Michael Kors store.

Before you go on this tour, you should know that you may need extra cash apart from the ticket price for snacks and shopping. Feel free to bring food on board. Cupcakes are included, but cosmopolitans will set you back $9.

Locations are subject to change, depending on street closures and unexpected situations. I recommend sitting on the left side of the bus, as that’s where most things were pointed out. There was a bathroom on our bus, but I don’t recommend using it unless you absolutely have to.

The Sex and the City tour is best for a girlfriends getaway, bachelorette weekend or just a day in the city. I recommend it for fans, but casual watchers can get something out of it as well. But if you’ve never seen the show, I think you should use your $50 elsewhere.

On Location Tours runs all sorts of themed tours in New York and Boston, including tours specifically for The Sopranos, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Gossip Girl, as well as celeb-spotting tours by TMZ and a Turner Classic Movies tour.

I received two complimentary tickets to the Sex and the City Hotspots Tour NYC, courtesy of On Location Tours, but all opinions are my own.