clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Four women pose for a camera. In the background is a city intersection at night. Photo by HBO/Getty Images

20 iconic ‘Sex and the City’ locations in NYC

The series premiered on June 6, 1998

View as Map

It’s been 20 years since Sex and the City debuted on June 6, 1998, inviting viewers into the often drama-filled lives of four New Yorkers: Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis).

And even though the four women were the ostensible stars, New York City played an undeniable role in the show’s success. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic New York-based show, we’ve rounded up 20 iconic locations where memorable scenes unfolded. And if you’re itching for more, there is a Sex and the City hotspot tour that’ll take you to more than 40 locations from the show (yes, that’s still a thing).

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment building

Copy Link

Carrie Bradshaw’s address was supposedly 245 East 73rd Street, but the townhouse that stood in for the home of Carrie’s fictional rent-stabilized apartment—glorious walk-in closet included—is in the West Village. For the first three seasons, apartment scenes were shot at 64 Perry Street before jumping over to 66 Perry next door. The building is a private residence whose owners have taken to great lengths to prevent hordes of Sex and the City fanatics from invading their home, asking tour buses not to stop in front of the residence and even having the image of their home blurred out on Google Maps.

Staten Island Ferry

Copy Link

Season three kicks off with Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda taking a trip on the Staten Island Ferry to enjoy the FDNY’s annual fireman competition. While in Staten Island, the ladies enjoy “Staten Island iced teas” while Carrie compares the borough to “a quaint European country” where “the American music is 20 years behind and you could smoke wherever you wanted.” It’s where Carrie also misses the final ferry of the evening (though these days, the ferry runs all night long).

Magnolia Bakery

Copy Link

All it took was a 30-second clip from season three, in which Carrie and Miranda eat cupcakes outside of this small corner spot, for the Magnolia Bakery to become a phenomenon. In the years since, the bakery has expanded to more than 20 locations worldwide, though the original location at Bleecker Street remains a mainstay for SATC fans and other tourists alike.

A bakery is on the lower level of a red brick apartment building. The bakery has a blue awning and the word Magnolia written on it. People are walking along the sidewalk outside of the bakery. Google Maps.

Yankee Stadium

Copy Link

After ending season one with a dramatic breakup with Mr. Big, Carrie & Co. begin season two by heading to Yankee Stadium in an attempt to get Carrie “back in the game.” Not only does she manage to catch a foul ball, she also manages to score a date with the newest Yankee player.

Louis K. Meisel Gallery

Copy Link

Before she realized her dream of becoming a Park Avenue princess, Charlotte York managed this Soho gallery. In real life, this Prince Street spot, which opened in 1973, specializes in photorealistic paintings.

A post shared by @meiselgallery on

The Loeb Boathouse

Copy Link

Carrie and Mr. Big meet for lunch at Central Park’s boathouse in season three, well after their first break-up. When Big goes in for a kiss, Carrie lurches—and ends up making them both fall in the lake.

A post shared by foodmurderer (@foodmurderer) on

Barneys New York

Copy Link

Carrie shops at a lot of stores throughout the series—the usual chic New York suspects, including Bloomingdales and Bergdorf Goodman, but Barneys is the only one that created a special window display inspired by the series.

The exterior of a store in a large city building. There are multiple windows and on one of the window awnings are the words Barneys New York. Photo by Ben Hider/Getty Images

Manolo Blahnik

Copy Link

Through all of the relationship ups and downs that unfolded throughout the history of the show, it was Manolo Blahnik that remained Carrie’s true love (while also leaving her $40,000 in the hole). She even registered at the store in season six, when she loses a pair of her beloved heels at a married friend’s party.

A post shared by @kseniakanash on

Limelight Building

Copy Link

As we’ve previously noted, the Church of the Holy Communion, which once housed the infamous club Limelight building, has had a long and winding history. Part of that includes a cameo in Sex in the City at the end of season one, where the crew head to celebrate the launch of a new fragrance. In the episode, the scene is just as wild as real-life parties at the church-turned-club have been described.

A church on the corner of a city block surrounded by apartment buildings. The church has a red door. Scott Lynch

New York Public Library

Copy Link

The New York Public Library’s Fifth Avenue building made two small but significant appearances in the life of Sex and the City. First, there was the season six episode that coined the phrase “he’s just not that into you.” Then, in the first SATC movie, Carrie decided that the NYPL was the perfect place for her and Mr. Big (Christopher Noth) to wed. In Carrie’s words, it’s “the classic New York landmark that housed all the great love stories.” Unfortunately, that didn’t work out too well.

Columbus Circle

Copy Link

Carrie and her one-time fiancé, furniture designer Aidan Shaw, called it quits on their engagement after Carrie’s fear of commitment became evident. He makes an unsuccessful attempt to convince her to marry him immediately after they attend a black-and-white affair, providing a heartbreaking coda to season four.

In the foreground is a fountain with multiple streams of water. In the background are various city buildings. It is night. Shutterstock

The Plaza Hotel

Copy Link

At the end of season two, Carrie runs into Mr. Big, who happened to be hosting his engagement party to a woman named Natasha. It is outside of the Plaza where Carrie asks for answers as to why he wouldn’t marry her before quoting a line from the 1970s drama The Way We Were.

A group of large city buildings. There is a street in front of the buildings with yellow taxi cabs. Shutterstock

Trapeze School New York

Copy Link

The season six episode “The Catch” was filmed, in part, at the Trapeze School’s Pier 40 outpost, which still exists to this day. The episode’s main drama is around Harry and Charlotte’s wedding, but Carrie attends sessions at this trapeze school—and learns something important about herself in the process. (That happened a lot on the show.)

Soho House New York

Copy Link

Throughout the course of the show, PR maven Samantha Jones never has trouble getting into the city’s hottest, most exclusive clubs—except for Soho House. The überexclusive hotspot opened in 2002 in the Meatpacking District (before it became, well, the Meatpacking District) and it appeared on the show not long after, with Samantha and the gals crashing the pool—and getting kicked out.

A post shared by Soho House (@sohohouse) on

Pete's Tavern

Copy Link

One of New York’s oldest and most storied bars—it opened in the 19th century, and O. Henry was a regular—appeared on SATC in season six, albeit briefly. Miranda and Steve agree to get married there over mugs of beer, possibly its famed house ale.

A post shared by Julie Brannan (@juliebrannan) on

Jefferson Market Garden

Copy Link

Miranda and Steve said “I do” at this lovely West Village garden, located next to the landmark Jefferson Market Library. They chose the spot by accident; while running errands, Miranda’s Duane Reade bag breaks and Steve steps in a wad of gum right in front of the pretty public space. The marrieds-to-be call it a “pretty, but not corny” location for their low-key wedding.

Onieal's Restaurant & Bar

Copy Link

This Lower East Side bar stood in for Scout, the watering hole that Steve and Aidan opened in season four of the series. The bar proudly proclaims that it’s “well known” for being the stand-in for that “casually hip” bar.

St. Mark's Comics

Copy Link

This East Village mainstay doesn’t seem like the most SATC-friendly location, but it appears in the third season as the workplace of one of Carrie’s potential love interests—who just so happened to live with his parents. Bummer.

St. Marks Church-In-The-Bowery

Copy Link

This storied East Village church—the site for which has held some kind of house of worship for more than 200 years—appeared in the final season of SATC as the site of Lexi Featherston’s funeral. The former party girl’s untimely death—which was unusual enough in the SATC pantheon to get a whole Vulture oral history—was followed by a funeral at the church; Carrie and Miranda later have an argument about the former’s move to Paris.

A post shared by Judson Kniffen (@judsonkniffen) on

The Paris Theatre

Copy Link

“One of the most amazing things about living in a city like New York, is that any night of the week you can go to Paris.” So says Carrie Bradshaw in season five of SATC, when extolling the virtues of the Paris Theatre, located across from the Plaza Hotel. The theater only shows one film, typically an indie flick, at a time, and it’s one of the most beautiful places to catch a movie in the city.

A post shared by Irwin (@cinelikeimages) on

Loading comments...

Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment building

Carrie Bradshaw’s address was supposedly 245 East 73rd Street, but the townhouse that stood in for the home of Carrie’s fictional rent-stabilized apartment—glorious walk-in closet included—is in the West Village. For the first three seasons, apartment scenes were shot at 64 Perry Street before jumping over to 66 Perry next door. The building is a private residence whose owners have taken to great lengths to prevent hordes of Sex and the City fanatics from invading their home, asking tour buses not to stop in front of the residence and even having the image of their home blurred out on Google Maps.

Staten Island Ferry

Season three kicks off with Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda taking a trip on the Staten Island Ferry to enjoy the FDNY’s annual fireman competition. While in Staten Island, the ladies enjoy “Staten Island iced teas” while Carrie compares the borough to “a quaint European country” where “the American music is 20 years behind and you could smoke wherever you wanted.” It’s where Carrie also misses the final ferry of the evening (though these days, the ferry runs all night long).

Magnolia Bakery

All it took was a 30-second clip from season three, in which Carrie and Miranda eat cupcakes outside of this small corner spot, for the Magnolia Bakery to become a phenomenon. In the years since, the bakery has expanded to more than 20 locations worldwide, though the original location at Bleecker Street remains a mainstay for SATC fans and other tourists alike.

A bakery is on the lower level of a red brick apartment building. The bakery has a blue awning and the word Magnolia written on it. People are walking along the sidewalk outside of the bakery. Google Maps.

Yankee Stadium

After ending season one with a dramatic breakup with Mr. Big, Carrie & Co. begin season two by heading to Yankee Stadium in an attempt to get Carrie “back in the game.” Not only does she manage to catch a foul ball, she also manages to score a date with the newest Yankee player.

Louis K. Meisel Gallery

Before she realized her dream of becoming a Park Avenue princess, Charlotte York managed this Soho gallery. In real life, this Prince Street spot, which opened in 1973, specializes in photorealistic paintings.

A post shared by @meiselgallery on

The Loeb Boathouse

Carrie and Mr. Big meet for lunch at Central Park’s boathouse in season three, well after their first break-up. When Big goes in for a kiss, Carrie lurches—and ends up making them both fall in the lake.

A post shared by foodmurderer (@foodmurderer) on

Barneys New York

Carrie shops at a lot of stores throughout the series—the usual chic New York suspects, including Bloomingdales and Bergdorf Goodman, but Barneys is the only one that created a special window display inspired by the series.

The exterior of a store in a large city building. There are multiple windows and on one of the window awnings are the words Barneys New York. Photo by Ben Hider/Getty Images

Manolo Blahnik

Through all of the relationship ups and downs that unfolded throughout the history of the show, it was Manolo Blahnik that remained Carrie’s true love (while also leaving her $40,000 in the hole). She even registered at the store in season six, when she loses a pair of her beloved heels at a married friend’s party.

A post shared by @kseniakanash on

Limelight Building

As we’ve previously noted, the Church of the Holy Communion, which once housed the infamous club Limelight building, has had a long and winding history. Part of that includes a cameo in Sex in the City at the end of season one, where the crew head to celebrate the launch of a new fragrance. In the episode, the scene is just as wild as real-life parties at the church-turned-club have been described.

A church on the corner of a city block surrounded by apartment buildings. The church has a red door. Scott Lynch

New York Public Library

The New York Public Library’s Fifth Avenue building made two small but significant appearances in the life of Sex and the City. First, there was the season six episode that coined the phrase “he’s just not that into you.” Then, in the first SATC movie, Carrie decided that the NYPL was the perfect place for her and Mr. Big (Christopher Noth) to wed. In Carrie’s words, it’s “the classic New York landmark that housed all the great love stories.” Unfortunately, that didn’t work out too well.

Columbus Circle

Carrie and her one-time fiancé, furniture designer Aidan Shaw, called it quits on their engagement after Carrie’s fear of commitment became evident. He makes an unsuccessful attempt to convince her to marry him immediately after they attend a black-and-white affair, providing a heartbreaking coda to season four.

In the foreground is a fountain with multiple streams of water. In the background are various city buildings. It is night. Shutterstock

The Plaza Hotel

At the end of season two, Carrie runs into Mr. Big, who happened to be hosting his engagement party to a woman named Natasha. It is outside of the Plaza where Carrie asks for answers as to why he wouldn’t marry her before quoting a line from the 1970s drama The Way We Were.

A group of large city buildings. There is a street in front of the buildings with yellow taxi cabs. Shutterstock

Trapeze School New York

The season six episode “The Catch” was filmed, in part, at the Trapeze School’s Pier 40 outpost, which still exists to this day. The episode’s main drama is around Harry and Charlotte’s wedding, but Carrie attends sessions at this trapeze school—and learns something important about herself in the process. (That happened a lot on the show.)

Soho House New York

Throughout the course of the show, PR maven Samantha Jones never has trouble getting into the city’s hottest, most exclusive clubs—except for Soho House. The überexclusive hotspot opened in 2002 in the Meatpacking District (before it became, well, the Meatpacking District) and it appeared on the show not long after, with Samantha and the gals crashing the pool—and getting kicked out.

A post shared by Soho House (@sohohouse) on

Pete's Tavern

One of New York’s oldest and most storied bars—it opened in the 19th century, and O. Henry was a regular—appeared on SATC in season six, albeit briefly. Miranda and Steve agree to get married there over mugs of beer, possibly its famed house ale.

A post shared by Julie Brannan (@juliebrannan) on

Jefferson Market Garden

Miranda and Steve said “I do” at this lovely West Village garden, located next to the landmark Jefferson Market Library. They chose the spot by accident; while running errands, Miranda’s Duane Reade bag breaks and Steve steps in a wad of gum right in front of the pretty public space. The marrieds-to-be call it a “pretty, but not corny” location for their low-key wedding.

Onieal's Restaurant & Bar

This Lower East Side bar stood in for Scout, the watering hole that Steve and Aidan opened in season four of the series. The bar proudly proclaims that it’s “well known” for being the stand-in for that “casually hip” bar.

St. Mark's Comics

This East Village mainstay doesn’t seem like the most SATC-friendly location, but it appears in the third season as the workplace of one of Carrie’s potential love interests—who just so happened to live with his parents. Bummer.

St. Marks Church-In-The-Bowery

This storied East Village church—the site for which has held some kind of house of worship for more than 200 years—appeared in the final season of SATC as the site of Lexi Featherston’s funeral. The former party girl’s untimely death—which was unusual enough in the SATC pantheon to get a whole Vulture oral history—was followed by a funeral at the church; Carrie and Miranda later have an argument about the former’s move to Paris.

A post shared by Judson Kniffen (@judsonkniffen) on

The Paris Theatre

“One of the most amazing things about living in a city like New York, is that any night of the week you can go to Paris.” So says Carrie Bradshaw in season five of SATC, when extolling the virtues of the Paris Theatre, located across from the Plaza Hotel. The theater only shows one film, typically an indie flick, at a time, and it’s one of the most beautiful places to catch a movie in the city.

A post shared by Irwin (@cinelikeimages) on