Tag: Sex and the City filming locations

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The Standard Hotel

My friend Stephanie, who is even more obsessed with Sex and the City than I am, has a birthday coming up this Friday, so I decided to do a little post today in her honor. In Stephanie’s favorite SATC episodes, entitled “Escape from New York” and “Sex in Another City”, Carrie and the Girls take a little vacay to the West Coast. While there, they stay at the uber-trendy Standard Hotel on the Sunset Strip, and it is that location that I set out to stalk yesterday. So Steffi – this one’s for you! 🙂

The Standard Hotel was featured prominently in both of the L.A. episodes of SATC. The Standard’s rooftop pool shows up in several scenes – most memorably it is the location where Carrie discusses a rather painful bikini wax.

The lobby area – complete with its live performance art – is also shown several times.

But most memorable for me is the scene that takes place at the hotel’s front entrance – when Carrie is reprimanded for smoking.

The Standard Hotel is an ultra-trendy, ultra-modern hot spot, with a huge celebrity following. Originally opened in 1999, with celeb investors such as Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio (sigh!), the hotel was considered a less expensive alternative to the many other pricey West Hollywood hotels. The Standard is a truly unique hotel – it’s sort of like a W Hotel, only amplified to the power of a hundred. The Standard features ghost chairs and floor-to-wall-to-ceiling shag carpeting in the lobby, blue astro-turfed patios, live nude performance art showcased in a glass case behind the front desk, a roof-top pool/dessert bar, DJ’s spinning tunes nightly in the lobby, and, most famous of all, upside-down signage. The whole thing is not really my cup of tea, but if you are into modern decor and the avant-garde, I highly recommend stalking the place. Today there are four hotels in the Standard chain, with branches in Downtown L.A., Miami Beach and New York. The Downtown L.A. Standard was featured repeatedly in the 2005 movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

BIG THANK YOU to Mike, over at MovieShotsLA, for sending me the above screen captures!!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The Standard Hotel is located at 8300 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. You can visit the hotel’s website here. A room there will run you $240 and up per night.

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Making My Job a Little Easier!

For my birthday my boyfriend bought me the new Sex and the City: The Movie book and I was totally floored to open it up and find a whole chapter devoted to filming locations from the movie! Takes a bit of the guesswork out of stalking, but it will make things so much easier on my next trip to New York. 🙂 The book is GREAT! I absolutely LOVE IT! There are tons of pictures, gossip, and trivia inside and I am having so much fun flipping through it. The only location not named in the filming locations chapter in the book is the Mexican restaurant the girls go to during Carrie’s “honeymoon”. It does mention, though, that it is located in Simi Valley, so it looks like I’ll be stalking all Mexican restaurants in the Simi Valley area for the next few months. 🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: You can buy your very own Sex and the City: The Movie book here.

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Miranda and Steve’s Garden Wedding

In keeping with the SATC theme of this week, I thought I’d do a post about a location that my boyfriend actually dragged me to! At the time I had no idea it was a filming location, let alone a SATC filming location, so sadly I didn’t take many pictures while I was there. When I was in New York two years ago, my boyfriend and I happened upon what looked like a huge brick castle in the middle of Greenwich Village and he insisted we go inside to explore. It turns out the building was not a castle at all, but a former New York City courthouse and detention center. A bit of trivia – the detention center once held famous prisoner Mae West! I must admit that while I am usually not into touring museums or historical buildings, this location was a really fun one to stalk. 🙂

Jefferson Market Courthouse functioned as the Third Judicial District Courthouse from 1874 to 1945, at which time it fell into disrepair and was headed for demolition. Thankfully, New Yorkers protested against the demolition and the property was turned into the Jefferson Market Branch, New York Public Library. The building is now a National Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The detention center that was attached to the Courthouse was demolished in 1974 and replaced with a community garden called the Jefferson Market Garden. That garden was the location of Miranda and Steve’s nuptials on Sex and the City. According to a Villager article, thanks to that episode of SATC, the garden has turned into a frequent wedding venue. Besides being used in the SATC, Jefferson Market was also featured in David Duchovny’s movie House of D.

The Library is very cool to stalk, as it is still set up like an ancient courthouse. There are winding staircases, wood paneled rooms and even a dark, creepy dungeon that now houses the computer room. 🙂 When you step inside the library, it feels as if you are stepping back in time.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The Jefferson Market Garden is located next to the Jefferson Market Branch, New York Public Library at 425 6th Avenue in Greenwich Village. The former courthouse is open daily to the public.

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New York Public Library

Finally saw Sex and the City: The Movie on Sunday! I literally could not sit still in my theatre seat until the movie began I was so excited!! I must say the movie was not as good as I hoped it would be. 🙁 There were parts I absolutely LOVED and times when I felt like I was visiting with my old friends Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha, and I for sure laughed and even cried. But overall I felt the movie missed its mark. It just lacked that SATC magic that was present in the TV show. Especially the ending. I think the Series Finale of the show which aired back in 2004 was a much more satisfying send off for my favorite foursome than the movie was. I need to curl up on my couch and watch the Finale on DVD again to make me feel better. 🙂

Anyway, in the movie Carrie and Big plan to get married (don’t worry I am not giving anything away here) at the New York Public Library, in the same building that “houses the world’s greatest love stories”. The New York Library is an absolutely beautiful building and I highly recommend a stalking visit there. The library was dedicated on May 23, 1911 and has been a popular New York tourist attraction ever since. The lobby of the Library is breathtaking with sweeping white marble staircases and vaulted ceilings. The second floor is covered in dark wood paneling with gorgeous paintings lining the walls and a huge mural covering the ceiling.

The New York Public Library was also featured prominently in the movie The Day After Tomorrow as the location where Jake Gyllenhal and his friends take refuge from the storm. It also showed up in the movies Spiderman, The Thomas Crown Affair, King Kong, and the Jen Aniston movie Picture Perfect, among many others. Update – my good friend Nat was highly dissapointed in me because I forgot to mention Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which filmed at the library! In the movie Holly Golightly and Paul run into the library, right past the Lions, and look up his book in the card catalog.

Out in front of the library are the famous marble Lions named Fortitude and Patience who have guarded the library entrance ever since its opening in 1911. Designed by Edward Clark Potter, the Lions are now the offical mascots for the NY Library and a book has even been written about them called Top Cats: The Life and Times of the New York Public Library Lions. I absolutely love the Lions and make it a point to visit them every time I am in New York.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The New York Public Library is located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. If you are visiting New York in the Summertime, be sure to hit up Bryant Park right behind the Library. Bryant Park is absolutely beautiful in the Spring and Summer and they have a great restaurant called the Bryant Park Grill Outdoor Cafe.

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Getting Carried Away!

Break out the cosmos and the couture because today is the big day – the day Sex and the City: The Movie opens! Let me tell you, I could not be more excited!!! Hopefully I can manage to drag my boyfriend out to see it tonight, but I have yet to even broach the subject with him. Anyway, I thought I’d do a little SATC post today in honor of the big premiere.

My family’s favorite restaurant in NYC is a little place called Lumi on the Upper East Side. My parent’s discovered the place about 4 years ago while out and about in New York and it’s been a favorite ever since. So I was absolutely floored last fall when I saw some paparazzi photos of the SATC movie being filming right in front of Lumi! In December, while we were in Manhattan, we of course ate at Lumi and I asked one of the waiters for some insider SATC info. He told me he was sworn to secrecy about the details, but that SATC did indeed film at the cafe and that Mr. Big and Charlotte were in the scene. Supposedly Charlotte’s water breaks during their meal together and the two rush off to the hospital in a taxi. CANNOT WAIT!

Next time you are in NYC be sure to hit up Lumi. The food is INCREDIBLE, the service is spectacular and nothing tops their bellini’s!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Lumi is located at 963 Lexington Avenue, at 70th and 71st Streets. For more information, you can visit their website.

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Leaping Off Into The Great Unknown

Trapeze Last week, I made a pretty big life changing decision and quit my job. I have decided to pursue acting (and, of course, stalking) full time – no more having a day job and fitting my acting pursuits around it. From now on I am going to pursue acting 100 percent. 🙂 I am extremely excited, but at the same time absolutely terrified! I told a co-worker the other day that I felt like I was jumping off a cliff into the vast unknown. So it was pretty apropos that I spent this weekend doing just that – leaping off a board 30 feet in the air while learning the flying trapeze!

My good friend Nat had a birthday party this past Saturday at the Circus Center in San Francisco and we spent the entire afternoon trapezing and learning various other circus skills. I was extremely excited about the party, because ever since I saw the Sex and the City episode where Carrie learns to trapeze, I was dying to try it myself. In the SATC episode, Carrie repeatedly attempts to try a “catch” move, but she just can’t seem to let go of the bar to reach for her partner.

I really didn’t think I’d be afraid to trapeze, being that I am not afraid of heights. But, let me tell you, when I started climbing up that 30 foot ladder, my knees started shaking and I became completely freaked out!! I so did NOT want to jump. But even though it was completely scary, I took the plunge and sailed through the air – three times! I never got to put my feet up on the bar and hang backwards like Carrie eventually did on SATC, but I was pretty proud of myself nonetheless. And even though I was petrified, I absolutely loved every minute of it! Which gives me a lot of hope for this new chapter in my life.

At the end of the SATC episode, when Carrie finally tries the “catch”, she misses and falls, but realizes that she has a great safety net – her friends – who will always be there to catch her. I, too, have a great safety net – my friends and family – which makes this huge leap into the unknown just a little less scary. 🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: TSNY (Trapeze School New York), where Carrie learned to trapeze, is located in the Lower West Side of Manhattan, in the Hudson River Park, on West Street at Houston Street, on top of Pier 40. You can visit their website here. Circus Center San Francisco is located at 755 Frederick Street. While not a filming location, if you are in the area, I HIGHLY recommend going! The staff could not have been nicer or more patient with all of us amateurs. Circus Center is an awesome place for a party! You can visit their website here.

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The Central Park Boathouse – Where Carrie and Big Went Swimming

home1-test.jpg One of my very favorite episodes of Sex and the City (oh, who am I kidding – every episode is my favorite episode!) was the Season Three Finale when Carrie decides, after much deliberation and a big fight with Miranda, to meet Mr. Big for lunch. Just before the lunch, Carrie promises Miranda that no matter what happens she will NOT kiss Mr. Big.

img_03222.jpg Of course, that is easier said than done! When Big sees Carrie standing on the small dock outside the restaurant, he leans in to kiss her and as she tries to back away from him, they both fall into the pond and start cracking up hysterically. God, I love Sex and the City!

This scene was shot at The Boathouse Restaurant, which I happened to spot on my very first trip to New York as we were walking through Central Park. It is an adorable little restaurant that sits right on the lake. According to my Sex and the City: Kiss and Tell book, SJP cut her foot when she fell in the water shooting this scene and had to be given a tetanus shot right after.

The Boathouse is a great place to eat lunch during the spring and summer months. You can eat lunch and watch the pedal-boaters float by. After lunch you can stop by the boat rental dock and take a nice afternoon boatride across the lake.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: The Boathouse Restaurant is located in the middle of Central Park at E. 72nd Street and Park Drive North. The restaurant is only open during the months of April through November. You can visit their website here – The Boathouse. Carrie and Big fell off the boat rental dock to the left of the restaurant’s entrance. Sex and the City: Kiss and Tell is a great resource for SATC fans – it contains a map with locations of many SATC filming locations and a lot of behind the scenes info.

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New York, New York!

Well, today I am heading to my other favorite coast – New York City – for a short vacation! Since I won’t be blogging for the rest of the week, I am leaving you with a few of my favorite NYC stalking locations!  It’s actually quite possible I have found more filming locations in Manhattan than I have in LA.

Carrie’s Brownstone

On my first visit to New York three years ago, the one absolutely-I-would-not-get-on-the-plane-home-until-I-found-it stalking location was Carrie’s brownstone from Sex and the City.  I ended up locating the street the home is on through an extensive Google search that took me about 4 hours – not that I was obsessed or anything!

going inside!

Our first day in New York, my dad had a consultation with a heart surgeon (the entire purpose of our trip, actually) and I remember asking the doctor if we could speed the tests along as I had to get over to Greenwich Village to find Carrie’s house!  🙂  Once his tests were finally over, I headed to Perry Street in the Village and walked up the short, absolutely adorable, street, until I found the house.  I recognized #66 immediately from its ornate front doors.

SJP’s house

Just a few blocks away is Sarah Jessica Parker’s house, which I did not locate until the following year.  This location was a lucky find!  I had happened upon John’s Star Maps: New York Cityon Amazon.com one day and immediately ordered two copies, hoping it would be a good stalking resource.  I was completely floored to find SJP’s address listed as 57 Charles Street.  (That is my best friend and I in the picture.)

Magnolia Bakery!

Just a few blocks away from both locations is Magnolia Bakery, which was used in an early episode of SATC.  You may remember Carrie and Miranda sitting on a bench out front eating cupcakes.  Well, in real life, there is no bench – but there are cupcakes!  The BEST cupcakes in the entire world, actually!  When the gourmet cupcake craze hit LA early this year, I sampled each and every bakery in the hopes that one would be as good as Magnolia.  How sad was I that none even came close!  So, unfortunately, I can only get my fix once a year when I visit NYC.  And let me tell you – absence does make the heart grow fonder!

Anyway, I am off to NYC!  Maybe I will happen upon SATC: The Movie being filmed!!!!!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Carrie’s brownstone is located at 66 Perry Street in the West Village, just off Bleeker.  Perry Street is one of my favorite streets in all of New York – it is the quintessential New York Street – probably why they used it for SATC.  SJP’s brownstone can be found just one block south at 57 Charles Street.  Remember these are private homes – do not trespass or disturb the residents!  Magnolia Bakery is located just a few short blocks away at 401 Bleeker Street – don’t be deterred by the long line, it moves fast.  John’s Star Maps: New York City can be purchased at www.johnsstarmaps.com – I highly recommend buying one if you are planning a trip to NYC.