Sex and the City is as synonymous with New York City as any show, with many on-site filming locations that still exist. The original Sex and the City is one of the best HBO shows of all time, following journalist Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her friends in their misadventures in NYC dating life. Despite drastic changes in the dating world, the series still continues to resonate with new audiences, with an ongoing spinoff series called And Just Like That rebooting the saga after years away.
Like many comedy TV series, the apartments of the main Sex and the City cast are primary settings for a significant portion. However, the show isn’t quite as static as sitcoms that take place primarily in one bar. Sex and the City was filmed in dozens of locations around New York City, primarily in Lower Manhattan and the Upper East Side. While many sitcoms like How I Met Your Mother and Friends were filmed mainly in Los Angeles, Sex and the City embraced its location, adding to the show’s enduring sense of candidness.
Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment is allegedly on the Upper East Side of New York City, a typically wealthy neighborhood that likely would’ve outclassed a journalist in their 30s, but that’s the joy of fiction. While her actual apartment was shot in the West Village, much of the TV series was still filmed in the Upper East Side to establish her neighborhood setting. Aside from general locations around Carrie’s neighborhood, Central Park is used as a backdrop for several scenes, including a horse-and-carriage ride in the spinoff And Just Like That.
While the apartments in Sex and the City were primarily soundstages, many restaurants, bars, shops, and more were filmed on-site at actual NYC venues. Landmark locations in the Upper East Side include the Eleven Madison Park restaurant, which is where Big revealed he was getting engaged. Various New York City Upper East Side department stores are seen in the show, including Bloomingdale’s and Barney’s, which once had a special window display inspired by Sex and the City. The latter is now closed.
Lower Manhattan contains a range of different neighborhoods, many of which were depicted in Sex and the City. Carrie and the girls take a trip on the Staten Island Ferry in season 3 just off the land of Lower Manhattan, getting a grand view of the New York City skyline. They visit various locations in Soho, a neighborhood known for its art and luxury shopping. Charlotte works in Soho early in the series at the Louis K. Meisel Gallery, which still exists today.
Another famous location is the historical Limelight building, a massive church turned nightclub that was briefly visited in season 1. Carrie and Miranda also eat traditional NYC slices at Two Boots Pizza Shop in Greenwich Village. While the Upper East Side is known as being more upper class, many neighborhoods in Lower Manhattan are known for having younger crowds, and many of the Sex and the City party and bar locations were shot in locations in the East Village.
Throughout Sex and the City, various NYC landmarks are used in the show as set locations. Carrie and Mr. Big have lunch at the Central Park Lake in the boathouse restaurant, leading to a scene where they both accidentally fall into the water. Carrie and one of her love interests, Aidan Shaw, have their breakup at the famous Columbus Circle. In one episode, Samantha and the girls enjoy the Soho House, an upstanding hotel and club, after Samantha finds someone’s membership card. The Plaza Hotel is another esteemed venue that was filmed at.
One of Carrie’s love interests in season 3 works at St. Mark’s Comics, a location that’s moved to Brooklyn but was originally on the busy St. Mark’s Street in the East Village. Several other locations were shot at on St. Marks. Another beloved NYC business that is actually still open, Magnolia Bakery, isn’t shown in the show, but Carrie and Miranda are seen enjoying some beautiful cupcakes from the location. Lastly, Carrie and the girls attend a Yankees game at Yankee Stadium. Using these iconic settings helped engrain Sex and the City as a quintessentially New York show.