Friends was not just another TV Show for me. It was so much more than that. To me, they were my friends in need, a support system, someone I could relate to, and empathize with, someone who I loved spending my time with. They made me laugh, they taught me how to cope with difficulties, to find my own path no matter how much time it takes, to take a leap of faith. No matter how bad my mood was, watching one episode cheered me up and made me feel better. I could just chill and hang out with them and feel relaxed while they shared their day with me through the television. So yes this TV Show had a huge positive impact on my life. I was visiting New York for a commitment and my husband being the gem of a guy he is, decided to surprise me by getting me and my sister tickets for the Friends experience in NYC.
I didn't know what to expect when visiting this place and I didn't read up much about it because I wanted to be surprised. My sister and I headed by subway to East 23rd Street. We reached at the time slot allotted to us and entered the premises. There was this huge Friends experience logo on a white brick wall and a television in the shape of Monica's yellow frame that hangs behind her door. The TV was playing some of the best scenes of friends setting the mood for what was about to come. Another cute element I found there was this sanitizing napkin dispenser which had written on it "Not just clean, Monica Clean since 1994", I found this little touch to be absolutely brilliant. On the other side, there was the gift shop selling all sorts of interesting Friends memorabilia.
My husband had purchased the Premium tickets for us which included along with the general access, 1 exclusive The Friends experience merchandise item, 1 free coat or bag check token and one free digital download of a premium commemorative photo. We checked in our coats and went into the staging area, where there was an even bigger television like the one at the entrance. Once all the people for that particular time slot had entered, the lights dimmed and I heard a very familiar voice introducing us to the experience. It was none other than the voice of Janice! The video that played introduced the friends characters and all the iconic sets to the viewers to refresh their memory.
Then the door slid open to reveal the most famous set of the show, the Orange Sofa in front of the fountain! (as seen in the title song of Friends) while "I'll be there for you" played in the background. That moment was so sublime as it brought back so many fond memories of the show. A crew member invited us into this set and turn by turn gave us a chance to click some photos on the iconic sofa. So they were clicking some professional photos as well (which are chargeable) and they also helped those out who wished to click photos from their phone. I found this quite nice as they did not behave money minded by restricting our personal cameras.
The next area we passed through consisted of the "making of the show" - technical details and behind-the-scenes of developing the sets and costumes for friends. There was a voice-over playing in that area with the costume designer talking about how she designed the looks and style of the various characters depending upon their on-screen personality.
There was a glass display counter which had the scripts of the pilot and the last two episodes. The scripts of the last two episodes were signed by all the cast members. It was a pretty emotional reminder of the fact that even the best of things eventually come to an end. There were also the set designs of the character's houses, the rendering of the designs of the character's looks and even a wall dedicated to pop artist Burton Morris, who did all the artwork for Central Perk. There was also a wall dedicated to all the famous guest stars who appeared in the show. It was really amazing to know the details and work that went behind those iconic sets, some of my favorite ensembles from the show. It reminded me once again how much hard work and technical support goes behind bringing the characters I love to light.
We then headed down a colorful staircase with walls filled with iconic Friends references. That brought us to one of the most important rooms of this experience.
Floor-to-ceiling glass showcases featuring iconic props and costumes of the show. From the famous thanksgiving turkey head to Phoebe's doll house, Joey's VD poster, his 'I can pass for 19' ensemble, the Thanksgiving maternity pants, the something borrowed Caesar's Palace jumper, Ross's 'red sweater" and so much more. Everywhere I looked I went ooh and aah remembering the parts of the episodes connected to those iconic props and costumes! It was so much fun. I just couldn't believe I was getting to see all these precious things firsthand!
The next room we entered had an entire wall dedicated to 'Hugsy' - Joey's bedtime penguin pal. There was a giant-size Hugsy surrounded by a yellow wallpaper with lots of little printed Hugsys.
On the other side was a recreation of the famous 'Pivot' scene. So the group that you were traveling with could go and stand next to the giant sofa stuck upon the staircase to recreate the Pivot scene. In the background Ross's voice from that scene saying "Pivot!" could be heard. Once again there were some professional photographs taken and they helped out with shots on our phones as well.
After that, there was a room designed to reminisce about the favorite wedding moments of Friends. There was a photo booth at the entrance of the Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas where Ross and Rachel got married while drunk. At the entrance of this room on the wall it read "Well hello Mrs. Ross", "Well hello Mr. Rachel", one of my all-time favorite dialogues!
On another corner of the room were glass displays with Phoebe's gorgeous wedding dress and Rachel's quirky bridesmaid dress during Mindy's wedding. On one wall hung the framed wedding announcement in the newspaper of Monica and Chandler where she had to replace Joey in the picture as Chandler couldn't smile. Everywhere I looked I was so overwhelmed as there was so much detail put into all the spaces to help us reminisce about the series.
On another corner of that room were more floor-to-ceiling displays of Friend's memorabilia. Phoebe's superwoman costume, Joey's Dr. Drake Ramoray coat, Ross's holiday armadillo costume, the "to my best bud" bracelet that Joey gifted Chandler and so much more!
Thereafter there was another set of stairs going up to lead us to some of the main recreated sets. The attention to detail was absolutely amazing as even this staircase was covered with the series' best quotes and sayings. Each stair had the theme song lyrics proceeding upwards! Just simply wonderful!
It is then that we entered the most iconic set of Friends - Monica's Apartment. This set was recreated so beautifully. The noteworthy purple paint on the walls, the kitchen space, the famous door to the apartment with the yellow frame. I was simply speechless.
I went and sat down on Monica's sofa and it felt weirdly nostalgic. I was so overwhelmed. On Monica's TV screen were playing some memorable scenes shot on the set. It's like they thought of everything while creating this experience! The picture frames even had photos of the characters.
You could also head to the balcony and see a projected recreation of the ugly naked guy. Do not worry, only his stomach is visible as he slept and you could do what the cast did when they thought he is dead. They made a long stick and poked him awake. So you get to do that here with a digitally recreated version.
Monica's kitchen was so beautifully arranged and one of the main attractions was a set piece of Rachel's thanksgiving English trifle! There was also a professional photo here which you could take standing next to the famous purple main door of the apartment with the yellow frame.
After that, there was the hallway between Joey's and Monica's apartments. Once again made me remember some memorable scenes that were shot here. Everything was recreated with so much thought.
Then there were some iconic scenes recreated like when Monica tries to cheer up Chandler with the Turkey head. The whole look was done accurately as seen in the episode. There were also interactive sets like you could stand and take a picture with your head and Joey's body wearing all of Chandler's clothes and another set of the victorious entry of Chandler and Joey as they came into their newly won apartment riding on the huge white dog. There was even a space dedicated to the various drawings of Magna doodles on Joey's apartment door.
The next set was Joey and Chandler's apartment. It had the foosball table, the big white dog, the wrongly sized entertainment unit that Joey built, and it even had the room door that was sawed into two. But most special of all was the comfortable Barcaloungers which were so important to Joey and Chandler. My sister and I sat on them and well, just gazed around at that beautifully created set trying to take it all in.
We then headed to an area where there was a colorful display of Friends facts and about how it became a Global phenomenon.
After that was an area dedicated to Phoebe. It had her yellow taxi on one side, and also her 3-D paintings of Gladys and Glynnis on the opposite wall. This was so much fun to see!
We then finally entered Central Perk. There was the all-important central sofa where there were central perk mugs. Here we got some of the best photos of all, amazingly clicked by the staff. The great thing about this set was that it was fully functional. You could actually sit down on one of the tables and order a coffee or order some memorable coffee shop eats as seen on Friends.
We had a latte with the cup having the logo of Central Perk and Joey's I am not even sorry chocolate cake. I've got to say it tasted pretty good. I roamed around this set, once again just taking it all in, it was so wonderfully done up.
When I had had my fill of Central Perk we finally headed to the gift shop. Some of my favorite items there were the Hugsy plushies and the "Crap Bag" bags ( #iykyk). Here we were also able to purchase the photos that were professionally shot and also collect our free gift which came with our premium ticket. It was a water bottle with the timeline of all the Friend's characters and whom they dated.
I was extremely happy to have had this experience, being the die-hard Friends fan that I am. I also objectively felt that they had put a lot of effort into each and every corner of this setup. I had an absolutely amazing time just admiring all the details as it made me remember so many great moments from the show. In my opinion, it is truly a worthwhile visit if you are a fan of the show.
Thank you for reading ❤️
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