It is without a doubt one of HBO’s most successful television shows of all time and, even 26 years after the very first episode aired, Sex and the City – and its protagonist Carrie Bradshaw – continues to resonate with women around the world.
The romcom drama series ran for a total of six seasons and follows the lives of newspaper columnist Carrie (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) and her three best friends – Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), and Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) – as they navigate their busy lives, as well as sex, dating, and successful careers.
However, as well as shining a light on dating from a female’s point of view, the show also serves as love letter to New York City – as the cast, including Chris Noth as Mr. Big and the late Willie Garson as Stanford Blatch, spent hours upon hours filming many memorable scenes on the streets of Manhattan.
It’s no surprise then that the Sex and the City Hotspots Tour is still thriving, as day in day out, hardcore fans hop on a bus to revisit the various sites dotted around the Big Apple and reminisce about some of the show’s most iconic scenes – including the exact street where Carrie was robbed of her Manolo Blahnik heels and Fendi Baguette in season three.
As well as the 94 episodes of the show, On Location Tours also pays homage to the first Sex and the City movie, which was released in 2008 and grossed over $415 million at the box office worldwide.
Sex and the City is one of HBO’s most successful TV shows and ran for six seasons from 1998 until 2004
The iconic Sex and the City intro scene was filmed on the corner of 58th and Fifth Avenue
Having been a die-hard fan of Sex and the City myself for almost 20 years, I jumped at the chance to experience the Hotspots Tour – it was certainly the perfect way to celebrate one whole year of living – and working as a journalist – in the city that never sleeps.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched the series, and I think it’s fair to say that my never-ending fountain of SATC knowledge shocked even our tour guide, as well as my fellow hardcore fans.
We met New York-based actress Amanda Levy at the Pulitzer Fountain – which is situated in front of the Plaza Hotel on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue – and features in the season two finale, Ex and the City, when Carrie has a brief conversation with former boyfriend Mr. Big on the day of his engagement party.
However, the iconic five-star hotel also appeared in an earlier episode of season two when Samantha befriends a 72-year-old millionaire who is enjoying a drink with none other than Donald Trump – who owned the Plaza at the time.
Sadly, we didn’t get to go inside the hotel for a quick peek as it was time to get comfy on the tour bus, and once we were, Amanda wasted no time in spilling all the facts and figures that only a true SATC fan would appreciate, and also prepared us for the various filming hotspots to look out for as we headed downtown on Fifth Avenue.
Some of the first places pointed out included upscale department store Bergdorf Goodman, which was used for several shopping scenes throughout the show as well as the second Sex and the City movie – which was released in 2010.
Another was the ice cream stand where Miranda tells ex-boyfriend Steve Brady (David Eigenberg) that she’s pregnant with his baby in season four, while a more stand-out location was the New York Public Library – which is where Mr. Big jilted a heartbroken Carrie on their wedding day in the first SATC movie.
Viewers will remember that Carrie begs her friends, ‘get me out of here!’ and as they drive off in their limo before Mr. Big is seen having a change of heart and ordering his driver to ‘turn around,’ despite them being on a one-way street.
In the season two finale, Carrie talks to Mr. Big outside The Plaza after his engagement party
The four women filmed a scene at The Bergdorf Goodman department store on Fifth Avenue for the second movie in 2009
Turns out, it’s actually a two-way street in real-life but for the dramatics of the scene, it made sense for the two limos to pass one another – and when Carrie steps out of the car and hits her lover using her bouquet of flowers, many real New Yorkers are seen crowded on the street watching the drama unfold.
Our first proper stop on the Sex and the City tour was another unforgettable location from the first film – an Asian restaurant called Buddakan, which is situated at 75 9th Avenue.
The lavish eatery is where the cast and crew filmed Carrie and Big’s pre-wedding dinner, which took place the night before he jilted her and was also the night that Miranda told him he was ‘crazy’ to get married.
Once we had a good look at the huge dining table in the basement of the restaurant and reminisced about Miranda’s big mistake, it was back onto the bus as we drove through the Meatpacking District.
This is the trendy Manhattan area that Samantha moved to in season three where she lived in a lavish loft-style apartment and ended up clashing with her transgender neighbors late at night.
There are several restaurants in the area, and in nearby Chelsea, that were used for filming including the hilarious first date Carrie goes on with a man named Willie Applegate (Wallace Langham) who gets rather angry when a pigeon lands on his head and causes him – and the table – to fall over.
So, take a trip with me down memory lane and read on for more of the juicy behind-the-scenes secrets I learned whilst on the Sex and the City tour.
In the first Sex and the City movie, Carrie was jilted on her wedding day at the New York Public Library
Carrie and Big’s pre-wedding dinner was filmed at an Asian restaurant called Buddakan
Sarah Jessica Parker was on set filming season five when she decided to take a real-life pregnancy test
It’s no secret that Sarah was pregnant with her son during the filming of season five, but fans might not know that she actually found out she was expecting whilst at work.
The actress, who has been married to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off star Matthew Broderick since 1997, was filming the opening scene for the very first episode of season five in early 2002 at The Paris Theater on 58th street when she allegedly started to feel unwell.
According to our tour guide, Sarah asked her assistant to pop to a local Duane Reade to purchase a pregnancy test for her – and it turned out to be positive.
As filming for season five continued, the wardrobe department and camera crew were tasked with cleverly concealing Sarah’s growing bump – and it’s also the reason why the fifth instalment was cut short and only consists of eight episodes.
The Hocus Pocus star gave birth to son James on October 28, 2002, and in May 2003, Sarah returned to set to start filming the sixth and final season of Sex and the City. She is also mom to twin daughters, Tabitha and Marion, who were born via surrogate in June 2009.
Another memorable pregnancy scene pointed out to us mid-tour was the one that was filmed outdoors on 23rd and Madison where Miranda tells Carrie she is expecting Steve’s child.
When Carrie arrives and apologizes for being late, Miranda replies: ‘Well, I’m three weeks late,’ before referring to their filming location and saying: ‘Which is why I called you to meet me way down here on the corner of 23rd and I’m in hell!’
Sarah was filming the first episode of season five when she allegedly felt unwell and asked her assistant to buy her a pregnancy test
Miranda told Carrie to meet her ‘on the corner of 23rd and I’m in hell’ when she broke news of her pregnancy to her on 23rd and Madison
Sarah filming a scene for the sixth episode of season five in Manhattan whilst pregnant with son James in 2002
The real reason why Charlotte quit her job at the gallery – and it had nothing to do with trying for a baby
In the seventh episode of season four, Charlotte announces to the girls at brunch that she has decided to quit her job at the gallery after husband Trey MacDougal (Kyle MacLachlan) suggested she do so.
Things get a little bit awkward at the table as Miranda fails to keep her opinions to herself and Carrie questions whether or not Charlotte’s just having a ‘bad work week.’
However, the Park Avenue princess insists she wants to quit in order to focus on decorating her apartment, getting pregnant, and volunteering at Trey’s hospital – but it turns out, this little plot twist came about for an entirely different reason altogether.
In fact, the huge change to the season four storyline came about because the real-life owner of the SoHo gallery, Louis K. Meisel, demanded a bit too much money in exchange for filming permission.
When HBO first approached Meisel, they offered him $10,000 to film at the gallery, but he told them that he wouldn’t take any less than $18,000 – and the network agreed.
When they approached him for season two, they offered him the $18,000, but Meisel informed HBO that he wouldn’t take less than $28,000 – and again they agreed.
However, when they approached Meisel the following year and suggested $28,000, the businessman had upped his fee to $37,000 – but this time HBO drew the line, and forced them to change Charlotte’s storyline.
Louis K. Meisel kept increasing the price for filming and therefore the storyline saw Charlotte quit her job in season four
The building is located at 141 Prince Street and HBO paid a lot of money to film there
Scenes featuring Charlotte at work were filmed at the Louis K. Meisel gallery in Soho
Carrie’s fabulous apartment isn’t really on the Upper East Side – and the entryway is actually in Queens
Carrie’s rent-controlled Upper East Side apartment, with its impressive walk-in closet and two bathroom doors, is probably one of the most recognized homes on television.
Our second proper stop on the tour was 66 Perry Street in Greenwich Village, which is where fans flock to every single day to have their picture taken in front of Carrie’s famous stoop.
However, this was simply where the exterior shots were filmed for the show – and Carrie shared many a kiss on those steps – including her very first one with Aidan Shaw (John Corbett) – who complained because he could ‘taste that cigarette,’ she’d just smoked.
Interior scenes were shot on a set somewhere completely different and it turns out, the never-before-seen entry way of Carrie’s apartment is actually backwards.
The real apartment at Perry Street – the first-floor apartment – is on the right of the doorway, not the left.
However, the show re-created Carrie’s entryway on a set in Astoria, Queens, which is nicknamed ‘Actoria’ as it is an affordable housing area for actors to live.
Another fun fact we learned is that before the Sex and the City spin-off And Just Like That aired in December 2021, fans had never seen the entryway of Carrie’s apartment or the interior of her hallway.
Sarah filming a scene whilst sitting on the famous stoop at Carrie’s apartment on Perry Street
The building on Perry Street was only used to film exterior shots of Carrie’s beloved home
Steve Brady and Aidan Shaw’s bar Scout wasn’t really on Mulberry Street – but it was in lower Manhattan
Perhaps my favorite stop on the Sex and the City tour was the one that involved sipping on a tasty Cosmopolitan, which is Carrie’s cocktail of choice.
Amanda decided to take us to Onieals Grand Street, which is a bar in lower Manhattan which was used as the filming location for Steve and Aidan’s bar Scout.
Fans will remember that in season four, Carrie and Miranda learn that their ex-boyfriends have decided to go into business together and open the bar on Mulberry Street.
The relevance of Mulberry Street is made when Carrie decides to pay the bar a visit to give the guys a Mulberry bush as a gift – and an apology – for not being able to attend the opening.
However, the crew went as far as to position a temporary street sign outside the building to make viewers think it was on Mulberry Street, when it’s actually situated at 174 Grand Street.
Fans of SATC should definitely treat themselves to a $19 Cosmo here as they’ll immediately recognize the mahogany bar where Carrie and Steve have a brief conversation and he informs her that he was the one who invited her – not Aidan.
Once we’d finished up our cocktails, we exited the bar via the side door – which is the exact place where Carrie had a conversation with Aidan on Scout’s opening night – which ended with him feeding her a slice of cake.
In the season four episode entitled Ghost Town, Carrie visits Steve and Aidan’s bar Scout to gift them a Mulberry bush
Fans can enjoy a $19 Cosmopolitan cocktail at Onieals Grand Street, which is where scenes for Scout were filmed
Onieals Grand Street was the filming location for Scout scenes and is not on Mulberry Street
A stand-out episode of SATC was almost filmed at the Intrepid Museum – but it wasn’t meant to be
Fans of Sex and the City will always remember the Fleet Week episode of the show, which is the opening instalment of season five – the one where SJP decided to take her pregnancy test.
It’s a rather memorable episode, because not only does it feature plenty of handsome sailors, but viewers also get an eyeful – as Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte flash their breasts in separate scenes.
The episode revolves around Fleet Week, which is when active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week.
HBO were keen to film a party scene, where Carrie, Charlotte and Samantha enjoy a night out surrounded by sailors at The Intrepid Museum – the historic aircraft carrier at 42nd Street and on the Hudson River.
However, it was one of the only places that ever turned down the opportunity, claiming that they thought it might hurt their reputation.
The scene in question ended up being filmed in Times Square with a bunch of actors posing as sailors, and ends with Carrie feeling rather unimpressed when a sailor named Louis has something bad to say about New York City.
As Carrie heads home from a deserted Time Square late at night, she gives another subtle nod of appreciation to the city and says: ‘If Louis was right and you only get one great love, New York may just be mine, and I can’t have nobody talking sh*t about my boyfriend.’
The first episode of season five, Anchors Away, saw Carrie, Samantha and Charlotte party with sailors during Fleet Week
HBO wanted to film the sailor party scene at The Intrepid Museum, but their request was turned down
The Sex and the City Hotspots tour is as popular as ever and tickets cost $66 per person
Of course, there are plenty of filming locations that feature in the series that sadly do not exist anymore due to restaurants and bars closing down, but many are still standing and are definitely worth the visit.
Tickets for the Sex and the City Hotspots tour cost $66 per person and include a tasty red velvet cupcake from the actual Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street, which is the exact location where Carrie told Miranda about her new ‘crush’ Aidan in season three.
You’ll also get the chance to step into Carrie’s heels, literally, as the tour stops off at SJP’s shoe store – which is also on Bleecker Street – and offers tour-goers a discount on any items purchased there and at Boyar Gifts across the street – which just so happens to sell SATC merch.
Carrie once said: ‘Year after year, twenty-something women come to New York in search of the two Ls: Labels & Love,’ but the only thing any SATC fun should be looking for when they visit the Big Apple is the On Locations Hotspots Tour – you won’t regret it!
