A Movie and TV Walking Route Through Greenwich Village

The Route: Where Do I Start and What’s the Best Order?

Greenwich Village has more screen credits per block than most cities have in total. This route keeps you moving efficiently without doubling back. Start at the northwest end and work your way south and east.

Stop 1: 90 Bedford Street (the Friends building) The exterior of Monica and Rachel’s apartment. The building is residential, so keep it respectful, but the corner of Bedford and Grove is the shot you came for. The coffee shop “Central Perk” was a set, not a real place, but the building is very real and very photographed.

Stop 2: 66 Perry Street (the Sex and the City stoop) Walk one block north to Perry Street. Carrie Bradshaw’s brownstone stoop is here. The homeowners installed a chain across the steps years ago, so snap your photo from the sidewalk.

Stop 3: The corner of Bleecker and West 11th Street Head south on Bleecker. This intersection appears in multiple Woody Allen films, including Annie Hall. The block is quintessential Village.

Stop 4: Magnolia Bakery, 401 Bleecker Street Famous before cupcakes were a trend, then made legendary by its Sex and the City cameo. Grab a banana pudding. The line moves fast.

Stop 5: 121 Christopher Street (Stonewall Inn area) Not a movie set, but the backdrop for countless documentaries and the film Stonewall. Worth a pause.

Stop 6: The Hangover church, 75½ Bedford Street The narrowest house in New York City (9.5 feet wide) is right next door at 75½ Bedford. The Church of St. Luke in the Fields on Hudson Street, a short walk west, appeared in The Hangover.

Stop 7: Washington Square Park Head east. The arch is one of the most filmed landmarks in the city. When Harry Met Sally, I Am Legend, August Rush, Searching for Bobby Fischer. Sit on a bench. Watch the chess hustlers. You’re in the shot now.

Stop 8: 11 St. Marks Place (the tenement from Rent) Continue east into the East Village fringe. This building stood in for the exterior in the film adaptation of Rent.

Stop 9: McSorley’s Old Ale House, 15 East 7th Street Appeared in Rounders and has been referenced in dozens of shows. It’s also the oldest Irish saloon in New York, open since 1854. Two beers at a time. That’s the rule.

That’s your loop. Under two miles, nine stops, and enough screen history to fill a film school syllabus.

Where Can I Find the Famous Apartment Building from Friends?

It’s at 90 Bedford Street, at the corner of Grove Street. The building is a five-story walkup. The ground-floor storefront has changed tenants over the years, but the facade is unmistakable. There is no Central Perk cafe inside or nearby; the coffee shop was a Warner Bros. studio set in Burbank, California. The Village location is purely the exterior.

• Subway: Christopher St-Sheridan Sq station (1 train), then a 3-minute walk east
• Best photo angle: Stand across the street on the south side of Grove

Where Are the Best Thrift Stores and Vintage Shops in Greenwich Village?

You’re already in the right neighborhood. Work these into your route or save them for a second pass.

• Beacon’s Closet (10 W 13th Street): Two floors of curated secondhand clothing. Strong denim and outerwear selection. Prices are fair.
• Stella Dallas Living (218 Thompson Street): Vintage housewares and clothing with a 1960s-70s lean. Small, packed, worth digging through.
• Buffalo Exchange (332 E 11th Street): Buy, sell, trade. Reliable for contemporary brands at steep discounts.
• Village Style (150 E 3rd Street): Leather jackets, band tees, and boots. The East Village aesthetic distilled into one shop.
• Housing Works Thrift Shop (143 W 17th Street): Technically Chelsea, but close enough. All proceeds go to fighting homelessness and AIDS. The book section alone is worth the detour.

Most of these open at 11am or noon. Plan your film walk for the morning, then shop in the afternoon.

Can I Do a Guided Pop Culture Tour Instead?

Yes. Several operators run dedicated TV and movie walking tours through the Village.

• On Location Tours offers a “NYC TV & Movie Tour” that covers Greenwich Village stops along with Midtown locations. Typically runs 3 hours, around $40-$45 per person.
• Free Tours by Foot runs a tip-based Greenwich Village walking tour that hits several filming locations. Reserve online in advance.
• Inside Out Tours focuses on smaller groups and deeper neighborhood context.

Guided tours add behind-the-scenes trivia you won’t get from a map. But the self-guided route above covers the major stops and lets you move at your own pace.

Tips Only a Local Would Tell You

• Morning light matters. Bedford Street faces east. The Friends building photographs best before noon.
• Don’t skip the side streets. Commerce Street (one block south of the Friends building) is one of the most cinematic blocks in the city. It’s appeared in films you’ve forgotten you’ve seen.
• Eat on Cornelia Street. It’s a half-block alley packed with restaurants. The Next Food Network Star and several indie films have shot here. Try Lupa for Italian or Murray’s Cheese Bar for a grilled cheese that justifies its price.
• Weekend crowds at Washington Square Park are thick. If you want the arch without 200 people in your frame, go before 9am on a weekday.
• Combine with a Chelsea Market stop. It’s a 15-minute walk west on 15th Street. Good food, good shopping, and it sits inside the old Nabisco factory where Oreos were invented.