New York City Tours - 7 Ways to Visit Famous NYC Film Locations

New York City and the movies - they go together like romantic and comedy, like Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, like been there and done that. There are so many attractions in New York City - the beautiful, the busy, the rare, the grandiose. Here is a list of 7 ways to design your New York City tour around the films we all know and love.1. There are several ready-made entertainment-based tours in New York City. One of the newest is the Sex and the City tour. This is a tour for the girlfriends. We're talking cupcakes, shopping, and girls-night-out. The tour is designed by On Location Tours and takes you and your friends to the places made famous by Carrie, Samantha, Charolotte, and Miranda. The tour now includes locations from the movie as well.2. On Location Tours also designs our next two choices. Central Park is so crowded with film locations, you'll think you've been there before. A Central Park Movie Walking Tour breaks it down for you and guides you through the famous Trump-Wollman rink featured in several films, the Boathouse Cafe and the Bethesda Fountain from films like When Harry Met Sally and One Fine Day, and Tavern on the Green not just featured in films but frequented by real life celebrities. The tour lasts about 2 hours, and remember - it's a walking tour, so change out of those Sex and the City heels before you begin.3. If you wax more nostalgic over the Cosby Show and those six famous friends than you do over full-length films, then try On Location's New York TV and Movie Sites tour. Their website tells you to come ready to sing t.v. theme songs as they show you the apartment building famous as Monica and Chandler's, the diner way-too-often frequented by Seinfeld and his friends, and yes, you can sit on the steps of Cosby's townhouse. Wear an extra-large brightly-colored sweater if you'd like and sort out the meaning of parenthood and curfews. Television nostalgia is what this tour is all about.4. Don't let the pros do it all for you. Central Park and the entire NBC line-up for the 80s and 90s could be a bit overwhelming on your own and better managed with a tour guide, but you could self-design your own movie tour and enjoy the sites of New York City your way. Personally, I think someone should design a Nora Ephron movie tour. Ephron is synonymous with New York City films and romantic comedies. Try two of the You've Got Mail locations for a quieter view of New York City. The 91st Street Garden is a privately maintained section of Riverside Garden along the Hudson and the scene for the beautiful finale between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in the movie. After the garden - and I do recommend this site in the late spring or summer months, go to 201 W. 83rd and have coffee and a croissant at Cafe Lalo where the characters had intended to meet as internet soul mates. "The only thing pleasant about her was the way her hair fell across her forehead," Joe Fox said, but you'll find all kinds of pleasant things at Cafe Lalo with the classical and jazz music and specialty drinks and snacks.5. How about some romance? Just try to watch Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's without getting a dreamy perspective on the famous jewelry store's window displays and little blue boxes. "Nothing bad could happen to you there," she believes. To actually eat breakfast there, you'll have to do it as she did: Order from somewhere else and eat it on the street outside. My favorite view of this store, however, comes from a movie with a different state in the name when in Sweet Home Alabama Patrick Dempsey's character ushers Reese Witherspoon through the back door, points to the many display cases and urges, "Pick one." Now that's a romantic trip to Tiffany's. After window shopping - if that's all you can manage - at Tiffany's, meet your romantic-other on the top of the Empire State Building, a romantic gesture made famous by An Affair To Remember and repeated several times in other films, including Nora Ephron's Sleepless in Seattle. I really think this pair of locations should end up in somebody's home video collection labeled, "The night we got engaged."6. If you're not ready for the engagement, though, I have the perfect date idea based on another New York City romantic comedy, Serendipity with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. First you do a little shopping at Bloomingdale's located at 1000 3rd Avenue. This is where our couple first meets in the film while shopping for . . . gloves apparently. The store is located between 59th and 60th on which street you will find your next location, Serendipity 3, the ice cream shop-slash-novelty store where the couple visits next. The line at Serendipity's can be a bit daunting, so maybe this date should be an early morning shopping venture with a late brunch to beat the crowds.7. If you're not looking for romance at all, I have the perfect duo for just plain New York city fun. There is a hot dog you absolutely must try if you visit New York City to celebrate films. The characters in You've Got Mail eat them, but the Gray's Papaya hot dog was immortalized I believe in the Matthew Perry/Salma Hayek film, Fools Rush In. Part restaurant, part street vendor, and dripping with New York City charm, the Gray's Papaya hot dog will set the perfect tone for fun and movie adventure in New York City. After that, it's quite a jog to the next location (which could be beneficial after that hot dog) but how about the giant toy store, F.A.O. Schwartz? You know you want to dance on that giant floor piano made famous by Tom Hanks in the movie, Big. Two stories of toys and the knowledge that you've played Chopsticks with your toes just like Tom. That's what these movie tours are all about.Guaranteed - Hollywood will never stop filming in this amazingly versatile city. Consider writers and directors your personal tour guides for New York - without the corny jokes and accompanied by your favorite stars and stories.