Some people believe in love at first sight. Us? It’s all about love at first landing in New York City
Visiting the Big Apple during the peak of Fourth of July weekend was quite an experience, to say the least. It was blazing hot, but even the summer heat couldn’t stop us from feeling like we were finally starring in our own NYC-based movie.
Since we’re still on a high from the recent star-studded events held in New York like NYFW and the Met Gala, why not sit back and rewatch these movies and TV series that weren’t just based there, but also actually filmed along the city’s hustle and bustle?
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Friends with Benefits
The popular friends-turned-lovers trope never gets old. With Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake at the forefront, portraying Jamie Rellis and Dylan Harper, respectively, this romantic comedy was definitely a banger. Though it featured some typical touristy spots like Times Square and Grand Central Terminal, the film also showcased more unknown areas to non-residents like Fulton Ferry Pier, where Jamie took Dylan out for a drink on his first night in the city, and the Olympic Tower (even though they actually filmed at 101 Park Avenue), which Jamie considers as her “New York version of a mountaintop.”
13 Going on 30
Yes, it’s another friends-turned-lovers plot, we know. But really, who can say no to Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo’s quirky Jenna Rink and adorable Matt Flamhaff? Wishing she would turn 30, flirty, and thriving on her 13th birthday, Jenna suddenly got transported to what turned out to be her luxe apartment along Fifth Avenue 17 years later. This classic early 2000s romcom not only featured the beauty that is Central Park, but also the historic look of various New York City apartments. Even with just a glance, those beautiful brick walls will already let you know you’re in the city that never sleeps.
Someone Great
For those who haven’t seen it yet, no, this movie isn’t your typical love story where boy and girl live happily ever after—or is it? Jenny Young, played by Gina Rodriguez, is a music journalist who is set on having one last wild ride with her two best friends in New York before she moves halfway across the country. Apart from the fun bars and apartments they all went to, the most prominent NYC location they shot at was in Washington Square Park a.k.a. Jenny and ex-boyfriend Nate’s “spot.”
Sex and the City
Moving on to TV, how can we not mention the six-season hit show that raised the bar for New York City fashion in the late 90s and early 2000s? Starring Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, and co-starring Kim Catrall as Samantha Jones, Kristin Davis as Charlotte York-Goldenblatt, and Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes, Sex and the City gave a well-deserved spotlight to a myriad of eateries in NYC like the Magnolia Bakery along Bleecker Street and Pete’s Tavern near Gramercy Park.
Gossip Girl
Last but not least, is it really a New York piece without the buzz on the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite? Gossip Girl catapulted up-and-coming actors like Blake Lively, Chace Crawford, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, and Ed Westwick into the sea of Hollywood’s glitz and glamour. The teen drama that aired from 2007 to 2012 never failed to give heart-stopping New York location b-rolls, but the scenes that highlighted DUMBO, the Empire State Building, and the iconic steps of the Met definitely take the cake.
