If you're a fan of friends like I am, you'll be excited to know that you can see the building they lived in!
Well, they didn't live there, and no scenes were filmed there, but the building was used for the exterior shot of the Friends apartment building.
Below I tell you how to make your way to where Monica, Rachel, Joey and Chandler had seasons of shenanigans.
It's at 90 Bedford Street, at the corner of Grove Street in the lively neighborhood of Greenwich Village, where you want to spend some time before or after seeing the apartment building.
Getting to the building is easy since several subways are within a 10-minute walk.
You can go to the West 4th Street Station, a stop along the A, B, C, D, E, F, and M trains or the Christopher Street Station via the 1 train.
Use this Google Map for directions to the building from your point of departure.
If you are coming from New Jersey, you can take the PATH train (New Jersey's version of the subway) to the Christopher Street Station using your subway Metrocard.
Greenwich Village is a really lovely neighborhood so I recommend you save time before or after your trip to the building to wander the charming leafy streets.
TIP: For a guided experience of the neighborhood, including the Friends building, join us on one of our Greenwich Village Tours.
The Friends building is a stop on our GPS-enabled audio tour of Greenwich Village, which you can use anytime you want.
Central Perk
When you get to the corner you'll see a lot of people staring up with their cameras posed at the top of a building.
But you'll also notice on the street level, a small adorable cafe, the Little Owl. The cafe is used for the exterior shots of Central Perk, the Friends cafe.
The inside of the restaurant doesn't look like Central Park but regardless it's still a very nice place to have lunch or dinner.
I've had a few meals with friends here over the years and think most people will enjoy it. But you don't have to take my word for it. it. Check out these excellent reviews.
THE FRIENDS EXPERIENCE - A FRIENDS APARTMENT TOUR
Seeing the outside of the Friends apartments building wasn't enough for me so when the Friends Experience rolled into town I immediately went to see it -- and you can too!
You may have heard about it, but if you're not familiar, the Friends Experience is an ongoing exhibition in Manhattan where some of the most well-known Friends sets have been meticulously recreated on two floors.
Ever wanted to get a selfie on the orange couch in Central Perk? Now you can!
Tickets
- $52 per person
- Dates: Thursday - Sunday
- Duration: 1 hour
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
Other Friends Locations in New York City
There are so many other places that were part of the show. If you want to see them, see our post about Friends locations in NYC.
HOW COULD THE FRIENDS AFFORD TO LIVE IN GREENWICH VILLAGE?
Friends is based in New York City, though it was filmed on set in Los Angeles, except for the season four finale, which had some scenes filmed in London.
Even the fountain in the opening sequence was part of a set in LA (though some of us New Yorkers like to imagine it took place in Washington Square Park's fountain).
One of the problems the show's writers faced was explaining how Rachel and Monica could afford to live in a big 2-bedroom apartment in Greenwich Village
It's one of the most expensive neighborhoods in New York City, and in the 1990s when Friends was on, an apartment that size in Greenwich Village would cost a few thousand dollars a month.
When we first meet Monica and Rachel, Monica is working as a cook and Rachel is serving coffee in Central Perk.
To make the show realistic, why didn't the writers simply have them living in a small apartment that matched their small salaries?
Here's why.
Friends was filmed in front of a live studio audience. For the audience to see the scenes acted out, the apartment had to have a large, wide-open floor plan.
When the show first launched, New Yorkers like myself laughed in disbelief that Monica and Rachel could pay the rent for such a massive apartment in one of the nicest neighborhoods in NYC.
The writers explained away the problem by writing into the script that the apartment was originally Monica's and Ross's grandmother's apartment which was "rent-controlled".
This city regulation determines how much landlords can increase rents in New York City buildings older than 1947 with six or more rental units.
This regulation applies to someone (like Monica and Ross's grandmother) who moved into such an apartment before 1971.
Rent increases happen but by such a small amount each year that it is realistic that the apartment was only $200 a month when Monica and Rachel moved in.
In 2023, a similar apartment in the building is around $6,500 a month.
One catch: rent-controlled apartments cannot be inherited. When Monica and Ross's grandmother passed away, Monica took over the apartment illegally.
Lucky for them the landlord never caught on!
As a side note, while the low rent was plausible, the view of 'Ugly Naked Guy'’s apartment across the street was not.
The gang could see into hs windows from the terrace. The only problem? There are no terraces in the building!
On Greenwich Village tours, you'll not only see the building but also learn more about rent control and how every New Yorker dreams of finding a rent-controlled apartment.
But with fewer than 20,000 apartments like this in a city of 8 million, I gave up my dreams decades ago!
