visit friends cafe new york

Can You Actually Visit The Coffee Shop From Friends?

Good news "Friends" die-hards: you can officially visit and tour Central Perk , the iconic coffee shop from the '90s sitcom . Amongst all the funny one-liners, love triangles, and sensational outfit sequences, the series showed fans there's nothing a cup of hot coffee and good friends can't fix. And now, you and your closest friends can experience that first hand at Warner Bros. Studio in Los Angeles, CA.

" Friends " enthusiasts interested in enjoying a mug of Central Perk's signature coffee and seeing where Phoebe performed her hit song "Smelly Cat" can purchase a studio tour ticket for $69 (per adult), according to Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood . In total, the tour is about three hours, one of which is guided by a professional WB Studio Tour expert. Keep in mind, this is a Warner Bros. variety studio tour so you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at other sets in addition to "Friends."

Included with each ticket is a detailed tour of stage sets and locations (like the Gellar house and " Friends " fountain, for example). Visitors get to look at soundstages, tour the props department, and check out the Batmobile. On top of all that, they see the set used for "Big Bang Theory," "Harry Potter" memorabilia, and the highlight "Friends" fans came for – Studio 48, where Central Perk is located (via This Darling World ).

What's included in the Friends portion of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour?

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour encompasses a wide showcase of Hollywood offerings that you can't see anywhere else. However, hands down, the biggest attraction is being able to experience Central Perk in the flesh. The three-hour-long tour concludes with a visit to Central Perk's production soundstage (it's only appropriate that they save the best for last) where ticket holders are allowed to explore the set. Guests are even encouraged to grab a coffee mug and snap a photo on the infamous orange couch just like the main cast members did back in the day.

Since Central Perk has been reconstructed into an interactive set, fans also have the opportunity to reenact a scene from the sitcom! An onsite production crew works with visitors to portray specific characters and memorize lines from a short clip from "Friends," per This Darling World. Then, you get to act it out and watch the playback to see what it would look like as a real TV scene.

After the tour, guests are invited to the Central Perk Café and Friends Boutique. At the café, guests can purchase food from the "Friends"-inspired menu, which features coffee, of course, and character favorites such as NYC-style pizza, sandwiches (a Joey favorite), and Rachel's trifle  (via Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood ). Explore and enjoy your meal in their replicated and immersive sets of Monica's and Joey and Chandler's apartment. Then, shop for "Friends"-themed merch on your way out!

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This Cafe Beneath the 'Friends' Apartment Is the Real-Life Central Perk

If Little Owl was a "Friends" episode, it would probably be "The One Where You Walked Right Past the Real-life Central Perk."

When David Schwimmer walked into the beloved neighborhood restaurant at the corner of Bedford Street and Grove Street and sat down in the sidewalk-facing window, he ignored warnings that this may not be the best place for him to dine. Perhaps the absence of Gunther brewing coffee behind the counter or Monica, Phoebe, and Rachel chatting on an orange couch helped the New York City -based actor, who played Ross on Friends for 10 consecutive seasons, forget he was seated at one of the city's most famous intersections.

But when the tourists started pouring in, as they do every single day, selfie sticks and DSLR lenses in tow, to snap pictures of what might be the world's most famous fire escape — the one shown as the Friends theme song plays at the beginning of every episode — the actor who spent a decade portraying America's favorite fictional paleontologist flipped the brim of his hat down and moved to a more discreet table. It was a total Ross move.

While Central Perk exists solely on a Los Angeles soundstage, the space that would house the corner-side café below the building where Monica, Rachel, Chandler, and Joey lived is very much real.

Little Owl opened in May 2006, just two years after one of the most popular television series of all time aired its finale. Chef Joey Campanaro (not Tribbiani) had walked by the corner one night with his ex-wife, who thought the charming spot would be a great place to open a neighborhood restaurant. This was before Google Maps indicated the " Friends Building" stood at the exact same corner.

Oblivious to Central Perk's fictional reign, Campanaro pitched his business plan to investors as a "bohemian social club," not unlike the daily hangout of the Friends characters. The former Universal Studios corporate chef, who had recently broken into the New York City restaurant scene , signed a lease at 90 Bedford St. still not knowing about the fame associated with his future restaurant's location.

Another landmark, one of the oldest wooden houses in Manhattan, directly across the street, truly drew Campanaro to this special space, which is named for the faux owls owners of wood homes would place outside to ward off woodpeckers. Still, even after learning that passersby may expect The Rembrandts' "I'll Be There For You" to blare out of the restaurant's speakers, Campanaro wasn't about to start painting the Central Perk logo on his window.

"The majority [of tourists] are disappointed that this is not Central Perk," Campanaro told me over lunch (pork enchiladas in salsa verde for him, a porgy fillet with lobster paella for me, an order of his grandmother's baked eggplant parm to split — this Joey evidently does share food) at his neighborhood café on a sunny fall afternoon. Outside, a group of tourists had formed a mass on the opposite corner, trying to capture the street signs and Friends fire escape for, probably, social media. "They expect it to have a big orange sofa and big coffee cups and that they can buy a coffee for a dollar. The reality is that that won't pay the bills."

The Friends characters seemed oblivious to the burdens of New York City rent, though Little Owl found a way to appease Central Perk seekers — white mugs printed with an illustration of the building's exterior are sold for $15, with coffee, for customers waxing nostalgic for the fictional café. Unlike the soundstage Central Perk lived on, the functioning Little Owl has no central couch or comfortable lounge area (save for a ladder-accessible elevated seating area aspiring diners without reservations can perch on and wait for a table), but rather a cluster of dark wooden tables and matching chairs. Dark banquettes line the interior walls and the entire space is illuminated by sunlight on a nice day. At some point in the past decade, Little Owl staff used to tell a myth about finding an old Central Perk espresso machine and grounds in the basement but gave up the lore to focus on the spot's actual identity.

Similar to the "real" Central Perk, however, Little Owl is primarily a neighborhood hangout. Many locals eat anywhere from one to four or more meals per week in the minimally decorated space, which has photos of staff members' families on a wall near the bar, adding to the neighborly feel.

"We treat our neighbors like celebrities and celebrities like our neighbors," Campanaro said. "Guests don't come here to drink martinis, it's not a power lunch place, it's an idyllic neighborhood restaurant." Part of Little Owl's brand is not selling out the names of celebrities dining in their restaurant to tabloids, giving famous faces the anonymity they desire. But it's not unlikely diners will spot Friends supporting actors in the one-room restaurant .

At its essence, Little Owl embodies the spirit of Central Perk: Anyone and everyone can visit, scarf down a bowl of seafood chowder or linger over a tender lamb shank, and feel at home.

"Your mom and Michelle Pfeiffer and Steven Spielberg all feel welcome here," Campanaro said. "In the true sense of hospitality, our doors are open. We don't look for trends, we basically create them."

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Exploring Central Perk NYC: A Guide to the Iconic Friends Coffee Shop

Introduction to central perk new york: history, location and theme.

Central Perk is an iconic New York City cafe that gained immense popularity from the classic sitcom Friends. Located in Greenwich Village and open 24/7, Central Perk offers a unique atmosphere and an extensive menu of popular New York City favorites.

Central Perk first opened its doors back in 1999, when the pilot episode of Friends aired on NBC. Although it was fictitious to the audience then, it quickly became recognized as one of the most influential places on television and continues to be held in high regard today. The exterior of Central Perk was actually a real-life café at the time called Flower Street Café in West Village and stood just eight blocks away from where Monica’s fictional apartment was located. From that moment forward, Central Perk has been embracing their new found fame by retaining many attributes seen on-screen such as their green couch (which still remains intact near two standing tables) and employee uniforms which consist of off-white aprons with deep blue stripes around them resembling reality as opposed to being accurate replicas from the show itself.

Located in Greenwich Village at 199 Lafayette Street, this cozy cafe will always find ways to make locals feel welcome through its memorabilia decorations such as plaques representing each character from Friends placed against purple walls or rare framed posters from their iconic episodes up above. While beholding all these nostalgic scenarios customers can enjoy a nice cup; coffee lovers can take advantage of Central with their illustrious espresso bar featuring acclaimed beans straight from Italy or take delight with one of their ‘awards worthy’ cappuccinos faced alongside banana nut muffins or freshly baked scones.

Apart from capturing true 1970’s NYC atmosphere within it’s four walls by incorporating live music along copious amounts of greenery behind its long string lights draped along dark-wood paneled walls; (days like Tuesday feature acoustic guitar sessions while Wednesdays are reserved for spoken words) coupled with ample natural lighting peering through glossy wooden-framed windows; Central revitalizes the spirit by driving a sense of nostalgia that captivates memories not only for families but meeting spaces for various corporations alike indulging customers since day one without fail for 20 years strong!

Step by Step Tour of Central Perk New York

Welcome to Central Perk, the iconic New York City cafe made famous by the hit show Friends. Here we’ll take a tour through this classic spot and explore what makes it so special.

First, let’s start with its location. Central Perk is set in the heart of Greenwich Village right on the corner of Grove Street and Bedford Street. This provides an idyllic setting for a comfy hangout spot where you can relax and catch up with your closest pals.

Upon entering Central Perk, you can’t help but feel like you’re walking into something from another era. The café has the distinct look of an old-fashioned brownstone building both inside and out. From its exposed brick walls to its wooden floors, you really get an authentic rustic vibe as soon as you walk in.

Inside Central Perk, there’s plenty of seating options including several comfy couches for visitors to lounge on! There are also tables scattered around for visitors who want enough space for their coffee and laptop (or whatever else they need). Of course, no New York coffee house would be complete without a variety of delicious beverages and desserts; luckily Central Perk has lots of coffee blend choices plus tasty snack foods like pastries, muffins, and more!

And last but certainly not least is the atmosphere! As any fan already knows, Central Perk is known as much for its friendly staff as it is for its yummy treats. Whether it’s discussing current events or just catching up with friends, visitors can always count on a warm welcome here in timeless location that captures the essence of classic New York café life!

FAQ about Central Perk New York

Q: What is Central Perk New York?

A: Central Perk New York is a recreational establishment in the heart of Manhattan’s bustling West Village. Located just off of 6th Avenue, it serves as a cornerstone for the diverse and vibrant community that calls the area home. The café is decorated with eclectic art and props from popular sitcoms like FRIENDS, giving it a unique flavor of nostalgia. It features an inviting atmosphere for people to lounge, relax and take pleasure in warm conversations over a cup of fresh coffee or tea.

Q: What are the hours at Central Perk New York?

A: Central Perk New York is open six days a week from 8am to 10pm Mondays through Fridays, and 10am to 10pm on weekends. There is also Happy Hour every Wednesday from 4–7 pm where anyone can get half-price drinks!

Q: What kind of food can I find at Central Perk New York?

A: At Central Perk New York we serve up delicious coffees and teas made with Fair Trade ingredients, in addition to specialty pastries, sandwiches, salads/wraps, bagels & more. Most items come in vegan/vegetarian options too! Our menu has something for everyone to satisfy any cravings they may have while socializing or studying at our cozy shop.

Q: Are there any other services offered by Central Perk New York besides food service?

A: Yes! We offer free WiFi for all visitors who choose to hang out in our space without having to purchase anything (just log into our network using your email address!) Additionally, we feature regular events such as movie screenings or live music performances that bring together people from different backgrounds who share similar interests.

What Makes Central Perk New York a Legend?

Central Perk New York is a cultural touchstone that has etched itself into the collective consciousness of any New Yorker who truly loves their city. From the late-night hangout spot for six best friends on television to an actual place in high demand, this legendary living room/café has made a lasting impact on NYC and beyond. Boasting big comfy couches, affable baristas, and Starbucks quality coffee, Central Perk has created an atmosphere of easygoing camaraderie that’s difficult to find in many places in modern life — it’s much more than just a regular café.

But what makes Central Perk New York such an enduring and fondly remembered spot? It all starts with the way it’s been portrayed on television over the last two decades. From Friends to You’ve Got Mail, across genres from romantic comedy to modern day drama, this welcoming coffee shop has gained recognition as a place where relationships can be forged and couches subsistently shared for times when it felt like no one else was listening. This has given Big Apple City natives of every age something we’ve yearned for amidst our hustle and bustle lifestyles; a place that can feel like home at any time of the day or night!

This shared idealism keeps Central Perk going strong today, so much so that fans make pilgrimages from outside NYC just to grab a cup at the legendary establishment –sometimes even more than once! A space so timelessly accurate when compared with its screen depiction can only arise through some kind of movie magic—but believe us when we say there’s plenty more than camera tricks happening here.

Instead,Central Perk New York uses innovative culinary arts mixed with innovation design to keep customers coming back time after time. Whether you order something light like one of their signature Caramel Macchiatos or cool off with Classic Iced Chocolate Coffee Supreme, you’re sure to leave feeling refreshed from your experience! There are vegan menu items too which means everyone is sure to find something delectable no matter their dietary preference or lifestyle choices. Plus free Wi-Fi suggests there’s virtually nothing left out–making this iconic location perfect for meeting up with old friends or spending an afternoon typing away via laptop for business purposes as well as leisure activities!

The biggest part though isn’t about savoring delicious food or soaking up sunlit spaces but rather simply feeling comfortable enough sitting under bright neon signs alongside now-familiar faces you recognize immediately after walking in –achieving a level of familiarity not possible at just any café venue within those four blocks. Different stories fill those surrounding armchairs while new ones are born before them making it the ultimate atmosphere booster combined with joie de vivre –the cultural ingredient that keeps bringing people back together once more forever! By having roots securely placed within local culture while being equally advancing ahead thanks to classic production additions by its ever loyal clientele –it’s no wonder why Central Perk New York will always remain as valuable as a local legend among all United States Cities or Countries alike; We love it year after year` because it expands limits far beyond physical boundaries -proving how far that simple Cup Of Joe remains capable of travelling today!”

How to Enjoy a Day at Central Perk New York Like the Famous Friends Gang?

If you’re a Friends fan, a trip to Central Perk in New York is a must. A replica of the iconic café from the hit sitcom, this tourist attraction offers an immersive experience that will make your inner Chandler Bing squee with delight. To fully enjoy your time at Central Perk, here are some tips that will make sure your day is as close to visiting an episode as one can get!

First and foremost, dress the part. You don’t have to show up wearing 90s fashion (though spandex is always encouraged!) but rocking a special Friends tee or breaking out those classic Rachel Green outfits can help set the stage for your journey back in time.

Make sure to grab some delicious food and beverages during your visit. Central Perk serves up more than just cups of coffee; think soups, sandwiches, salads and snacks too – so there’s something for everyone! And if you really want to channel your inner Joey Tribbiani, order up some pepperoni pizza for extra points!

Spend some quality time talking with other Friends super fans at the café. Whether it’s discussing theories about Ross and Rachel’s on-again-off-again relationship, Ed Sheeran’s stint as Monica’s love interest or what exactly happened between Phoebe and Ursula after she was revealed as her twin – everybody loves engaging in deeper conversations about their favorite show when at Central Perk!

Beat all of your friends by becoming a Friends trivia expert while you’re there. With over 200 fun questions on topics spanning the 10 seasons of Friends plus background insight into the making of famous episodes like “The One Where Everybody Finds Out” – you could soon become the ultimate source of knowledge among all things related to our favorite group of pals!

Finally, take plenty of photos to capture every moment of magic – whether it’s selfies with framed pictures from memorable scenes or spontaneous coffeeshop games with fellow visitors – every picture will be absolutely priceless (as if Rachel was there with you!). So why wait? Rally up yours and start planning for that unforgettable day trip back in history!

Top 5 Facts About Central Perk New York

1. Central Perk is the fictional coffee house from the hit televsion show, Friends. It serves as a meeting place and hangout for the show’s six main characters – Rachel, Ross, Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, and Joey. Since first airing in 1994, Central Perk has become an iconic symbol of modern comedy and pop culture.

2. While there never was a real-life Central Perk coffeeshop in New York City before the show aired, today there are several unofficial establishments inspired by it – including one that opened up upon Friends’ 20th anniversary in 2014! Located near 7th Ave and West Village’s Bleeker Street in Manhattan, fans of all ages have been known to flock here when visiting NYC to snap selfies and enjoy their daily caffeine fix.

3. When it came to representing central perk onscreen, filmmakers could not have made a better choice than 241 Bleecker Street café which served as a shooting location between 1994 and 2004. The exterior features grey painted walls with bright orange chairs outside while inside there is green decor – quite like what viewers see on screen. This very café was selected as one of TimeOut New York’s Top 10 TV Icons listings once upon a time!

4. As we all know from watching the show obsessively over the years (not judging!), Central perk does more than just serve coffee ~ their staff also provide companionship and witty advice for our beloved 6 friends that keep us hooked episode after episode! What you may not realise though is that those famous lines were largely re-written ad hoc amongst the actors during filming – usually based on ideas or quips they chipped in with while playing their respective parts! In other words: hundreds of episodes featuring spontaneous conversations out at Central Perk occurred without any pre-scripted dialogue whatsoever… now THAT’S impressive improvisation!

5. To mark its legacy within popular culture space which spares ribbons stretching well beyond our TV screens (and tiny hearts across them too), fact fans can find nod to ‘Central Perk’ etched among world attractions honoured by TripAdvisor’s 2019 Travellers’ Choice Awards for Landmarks – what an honour for such an unique location; both virtual yet so real to many of us watching worldwide 🙂

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Calling All FRIENDS Fans: Visit the Real Central Perk

Updated: June 17, 2021

I’m a huge Friends fan. It’s just one of those shows that never gets old or stops being funny. I know, I know, the series has been over for well over a decade. I love it, and I know I’m not alone, right?

When Jorge and I got married, he watched the entire series to understand my Friends references better. If that’s not a keeper, I don’t know what is.

We were trying to decide where to go for our 6th wedding anniversary, and Los Angeles was high on the list. The main reason was that I knew the real Central Perk set was still up at the WB Studios and that you could hang out there!

Click here to book your own studio tour of Central Perk

*Please note the Warner Bros. Studio tours reopened on June 26, 2021 . Keep in mind; there may be restrictions or temporary closings due to covid. Thankfully, GetYourGuide offers free cancellations up to 24 hours before the scheduled tour.

About the WB Studio Tour

Your ticket includes a tour of different parts of the WB studio, where you get to see how Hollywood is made. The studio is in Burbank, California, about a 20-minute drive up from downtown LA.

I absolutely loved the tour, and it’s completely worth the money, especially if you’re a Friends fan. Here’s what $69 pp gets you:

• Tour the exterior sets and locations that are used for some of your favorite shows and movies (including Friends locations besides Central Perk)
• Visit various soundstages for shows still being taped
• See the props department for shows and movies
• See the original Batmobile
• Explore Harry Potter and DC comic book stuff (not my thang)
• Experience the Big Bang Theory set
• Then you visit Studio 48, which is an interactive soundstage that lets you see the different phases of film and television
• Last but not least, in Studio 48, you’ll find the Central Perk set , and right after the set, you can grab a cup of real coffee at the working replica of the Central Perk Café 

See the Real Friends Central Perk Set

Of course, my favorite part of the entire tour was seeing the original Central Perk . The production soundstage is mostly as it was on the show, and it’s so cool to experience it and sit on the orange couch. It made a lot of my friends back home jealous, haha!

Not only that, but the entire tour, in general, takes you to different scenes from the show, including the Gellar house. More on that below.

Film Your Own Friends Episode

The best part, though? WB Studio made Central Perk into an interactive set. So now you can film a Friends clip during your tour. We did a scene from “The One with Phoebe’s Birthday Dinner.”

If you get chosen, you can play a character in that scene. Jorge was selected to play Joey, and I was Gunther. I made a damn good barista. They go over the lines with the characters on the couch and do it *almost* like they would on a real show. It was such a fun activity!

I was instructed to serve fake coffee and make fake small talk with those at the counter. They cut the scene to make it look like Phoebe and Monica are really in the shot and are talking to you. I wish they let you buy the clip, but because of legal reasons, they can’t.

More fake coffee in my huge mug, please.

I didn’t want to leave the set.

If you ever want to visit the Friends apartment building that’s located in NYC, you can find that at 90 Bedford St, New York, NY. The downstairs part of that building that’s supposed to be “Central Perk” is a restaurant with some great food!

I suggest you go for photos but stay for dinner or lunch. You can make a reservation on OpenTable ahead of time. If you’re in NYC and looking for more photo spots, check out my post HERE .

More Friends Locations

This is the Gellar’s house from Friends; it’s just one big ol’ fake house! Right down the block, you will find the Gilmore Girls house and also Pretty Little Liars — they point out a lot of locations for all of those shows. This also varies on the current shows, so you may see different sites.

This is inside the Gellar’s house. Remember “The One with the Prom Video,” Where Ross is coming down the stairs ready to ask Rachel to prom, but she leaves with her actual date? This is where it was shot:

This is where Monica and Rachel were hiding from Jean-Claude Van Damme in “The One After the Superbowl” :

You’ll also see the tiny piece of a park used as “central park” in the show. Remember when Phoebe and Rachel went for a run and Rachel hit a horse? That “park” is also used in many other movies and shows.

More Sets: See the Full(er) House

One of the exterior sets you can visit during the tour is the Full(er) House. As you may know, the outside shot of the house was filmed in San Francisco (you can get a picture of that at 1709 Broderick Street), but they still needed a facade on set to do porch scenes.

I watched Full House growing up and now follow Fuller House, so it was cool to see the set (outside and inside). They don’t let you take photos when you go into the soundstage. Boo, I know.

The Big Bang Theory Set 

I was so excited to see The Big Bang Theory soundstage! Unfortunately, I couldn’t take any pictures, but the apartments look a lot smaller in person.

I planned our tour strategically because I knew that usually, you could only visit certain soundstages when they’re not taping. I booked our tickets for Easter Sunday when no tapings were happening, so we had more flexibility on the tour.

You can also get free tickets to a live taping at the studio of either TBBT or Fuller House! If I had known sooner, I would’ve tried to get some before our trip. If you live near the area, it’s worth checking out. Find tickets to shows HERE .

*2021 UPDATE: Since these shows above are finished and no longer taping, you can still follow that link to book tickets to any show being taped at Warner Bros. Studios.

Another awesome update is that the Studio Tour now includes a visit to the Big Bang Theory set as part of the experience!

Moving on, this is Hennesy Street, where many movies and shows are filmed:

After the tour is done, you can stop at the cafe, a replica of Central Perk. You can get coffee, buy Central Perk coffee bags, eat some Friends cupcakes, everything a crazy fan would love!

I had so much fun doing the tour and cannot recommend it enough. If you’re a fan, you won’t be disappointed.  Click here to book your own studio tour of Central Perk.

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26 Comments

Hi, A family friend purchased the “Froends couch” from the production company in 2019 and still own it.

Ive heard wonderful things about this place. My family went for a visit and loved it…, unrelated.. I’ve been streaming the show, back to back episodes and I notice the color orange features predominantly in the show… the couch, for one, of Course. But also a lot of the clothes and decor and accessories…. People don’t generally wear as much orange as the show puts on for a whole decade! Is it some kind of obsession for the cast or producers? Just about every episode for ten years has some orange splash somewhere in it.

Thanks for reading! And what a great observation, I never noticed it and will pay more attention next time I watch. I wonder if orange and purple were just their signature “friends” colors after finding the couch.

Hi there. I too is a HUGE FRIENDS fan and I’m going to see the friends set this fall. I was wondering if you could tell me, how it works with the tipping. I live I Denmark and we don’t tip here and I noticed on the website that it says tip not included in the price. How do we go about that? Ps. Love your writing

Hi Cecilie! With tipping on a tour it normally happens at the end and is given directly to the tour guide. So throughout the tour you’ll be on a little “tour cart” and he/she drives you around the sets etc. Then at the end (when you’re going in to see the friends set) people get off the cart and tip the tour guide cash as they’re exiting. It’s not mandatory, but it can be expected. You can tip anything from a few dollars up to 20% of the tour cost. Many do 10%, 15%. Hope this helps! And thanks so much for reading. 🙂 You’re going to love this tour!

Omg! I wish I could go there one day but I live in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 which is very far away but hopefully one day 🤞🏼

It’s such a fun experience! Hopefully you can make it one day, too 🙂

Does this tour also include Monica a new Joey apartment

Hi there! This is the just the original central perk set in the studio where they used to film Friends. It’s not like the tours that go to different cities and put up a “Friends Experience” so you wouldn’t find Monica or Joey’s apartment here, but trust me this tour is better!

Thanks you guys are the best! I am flying out there just for my birthday cuz my hubby is the bestest. So I want to maximize my experience. You guys helped a ton!!!!

Was all of this included in the standard tour? And, how does the filming a scene thing work? I am a major friends fan! You have to get chosen – or can everyone participate? Thanks for your help!

Yes, all of this was included in the standard tour! Pretty amazing. For the filming scene, once you get to the central perk set, there’ll be a small group of you. The people who film it introduce the set and ask for volunteers to do the scene as the main characters. Raise your hand if you’re not shy! Then they grab a few more from the group to play “extras”. I think only a few were left who didn’t take part (probably by choice) because there’s plenty of room to play an extra. After the scene, you can line up (short line because normally groups are kept very small) for photos on the orange couch or along the counter (as you saw in our photos). We lined up twice to get photos in each spot haha! Hope this helps 🙂

Here’s one good advice. Have your phone or camera ready. They play the recording on the TV’s right after you finish the scene. Then it gets automatically deleted. You can’t copy it as a file. There shouldn’t be a problem staying for another recording with a following group though.

Jakub, great tip and reminder! I did also record the tv to have the taping on my phone for my own personal use. They had no issues with that whatsoever! And that’s so true that you can probably stay to do the scene with the next group in case you didn’t get to do it during your turn. Thanks for the comment!

Wait, whaaaaat?! I didn’t get to do the “filming a scene” thing?! That sounds so cool. I wish I’d taken more photos haha, yours are amazing! That’s AWESOME that you got to see Big Bang Theory sets too, although a shame you can’t take photos. I guess you might be able to once it’s finished…? I love that you strategically booked it, too! Haha.

Oh man you must go back to do the scene! Haha it was so fun! I loved the whole tour. And thanks for the kind words 🙂 I loved being able to see other sets, but yeah I wish they let us take photos.

I’m gonna do the WB Studio tour next week. As a huge F*R*I*E*N*D*S fan, I’ve noticed one thing. The couch is just a replica 🙁 This is not the one they used in the show. The wooden supports on the sides are different. The original was probably sold couple of years ago. I don’t understand why 🙁

That’s so unfortunate and confusing! When you try to read up on it they mention the show having more than one couch on there. Like one from season 1-3 and one from season 4-10? Who really knows though. And I saw that they changed the wording on the studio tour! When I did it back in 2016 it said “original” and now it says replica. Why they would sell it is beyond me! Either way, the tour is tons of fun!!

This is so cool!!! I’ve been to LA a ton but never to anything like this! I love that you are in the photos too 🙂 Is Fuller House good?! I haven’t watched it. I do love Friends, though!

Thanks so much, Christie!!! I’m trying to work my way into photos more often. And the first few episodes of Fuller House are cheesy, actually there’s still some cheese throughout the seasons (it’s full house c’mon) but the story line gets better and funnier as it goes on.

[…] Book a WB Studio tour to see how Hollywood is made, especially if you’re a Friends fan. I raved about it in my last post, you can read about that HERE. […]

That sounds like such a fun and unique experience! I know you’re going to be horrified but I only ever watched like 2 episodes of Friends. Crazy right? I did, however, watch Gilmore Girls in college (mainly because my roomie was obsessed with the show haha!).

Grace, you must watch the whole series!! 🙂

I have never been to the studio lol but I’m a huge fan of Friends! I few months ago I binge watched the series again! Too bad you couldn’t take pics of TBBT set. I love that show!

I know I was so disappointed that we couldn’t take pictures inside! But it was cool either way, I saw Howard and Bernadette’s minivan set up with the green screen on my way out lol.

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Central Perk, The Iconic 'Friends' Coffee Shop, Opened in SoHo September 19 2014

Lafayette Street in SoHo -  On Wednesday morning the legendary “Central Perk” café opened its doors to the public. In honor of the popular TV Show 'Friends'  which for the next month will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show’s first airing.

Now, for a month you can indulge the sitcom atmosphere, sip free coffee and lounge on the original orange couch.

The caffe will be open to the public on weekdays from 8am to 8pm and from 10am to 8pm on weekends. Decoration will include, besides the couch, other authentic pieces from the set such as the gold coffee machine and the oriental rug. Only few tables are offered for seating but visitors are welcome to stay as long as they wish and complimentary professional photos can be taken on the red couch. Episodes will be playing on large screens and local bends will perform on Friday nights.

The pop-up closes on Oct. 18 until then you'll find it at 199 Lafayette Steet .

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The FRIENDS™ Experience: The One in New York City

⭐ Step inside the world of FRIENDS™ ! With two floors of immersive experiences, it’s the ultimate experience for FRIENDS™ fans. You can pose on the iconic orange couch, sit at Monica & Rachel’s kitchen table, kick back and relax in Joey and Chandler’s comfy chairs, and so much more. Reserve your spot and save money by purchasing tickets in advance.

Tickets for The FRIENDS™ Experience: The One in NYC 🎫 Standard Tickets - includes entry into The FRIENDS™ Experience and one free digital download of the Central Perk commemorative photo

• Group Ticket (6 guests) - enjoy ticket bundles at a special price

🎫 Premium Tickets - includes general access to the experience plus:

• 1 Exclusive The Friends™ Experience merchandise item
• 1 Free coat or bag check token
• One free digital download of the Central Perk commemorative photo  

🎫 Guided Group Tour - includes entry into The FRIENDS™ Experience first thing in the morning before we open to the general public and allows you to choose the group you attend with. Groups will be checked in and allowed entry into the experience five minutes apart to allow for your group to have a personalized experience through the space.

• Groups of up to 6, 8 or 10 guests  

🎫 Flexible Entry Ticket - includes full access to the experience at any time on your selected date

• This option is available in the calendar on this page in the first time slot
• Final entry time is one hour before closing  

🎫 Digital Photo Package Add-On - save $5 by purchasing your photo package now! Receive digital photos of yourself in front of the fountain, reenacting the Pivot! scene, and on the orange couch in Central Perk (only 1 needed per group)

Highlights ⛲ Dance in front of the fountain 🛋️ Hang out in Monica and Rachel’s apartment 😊 Kick your feet up at Joey & Chandler’s ☕ Order coffee from Central Perk ✨ Explore dozens of props and costumes, including Phoebe's wedding dress 🤩 Ride Pat the Dog and so much more!

General Info 📅 Dates: July to December, 2023 🕒 Opening hours(time slots available every 15 minutes): - Wednesday to Sunday: 10 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (last entry) - Guided Group tickets start at 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays 📍 Location: 130 E 23rd St, New York City, NY (Located on the corner of Lexington Ave. and 23rd St.) 👤 Age requirement: all ages are welcome. Guests 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 18 years old. Children 3 and younger don’t need a ticket when accompanied by a parent or guardian ♿ Accessibility: the experience is ADA compliant and fully accessible for guests with many different disabilities and neurodiversities ❓ Please consult the FAQs of this experience here Description Our flagship location has two floors of interactive experiences where you can step inside the world of FRIENDS™. Pose on the iconic orange couch, explore newly added original props and costumes from the show like Chandler's bunny suit and Rachel's famous cow jacket, or hang out in Monica and Rachel's living room. I KNOW! Buy your tickets now for The FRIENDS™ Experience: The One in New York City! FRIENDS and all related characters and elements © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

User reviews

• Maryann D. Jun 2022 What's not to love!? Seriously all the reviews I read online were accurate! The STAFF WAS INCREDIBLE! The exhibits and the props from the set were AMAZING!!!! I didn't want to leave and I want to go back!!! Could I BE anymore excited...I THINK NOT!
• Adriana L. Jun 2022 It was so much fun and the staff was so friendly and helpful! I wish I could remember names of the few we spoke to more than a few words but they were extremely nice and super friendly and added to our experience in a great way
• David S. Jun 2022 This was a fun and exciting experience. A must do for anyone
• Lisa T. Jun 2022 Awesome! Loved all the props and costumes. So nice to have pics taken for us and emailed. Such a fun experience!
• David S. May 2022 Very cool experience and everyone in my family loved it! Pictures were great and so was the whole staff!
• Teresa K. May 2022 This is one of the coolest opportunities- to sit in Monica and Rachel’s apartment as well as Joey and Chandler’s AND Central Perk! So much fun!
• Carla P. May 2022 It was great. And the fact that professional pictures, taken by their crew, were included, made it extra special.
• Lisa N. May 2022 The exhibition was nice and the pictures were great. I liked how the bathrooms were painted in Friends purpule, but I wish the rooms and house felt more friends and not just friends things put into the room
• Damien B. May 2022 OH MY GOD !! It was amazing ! I wanna rest all the day inside !!! Don’t think just go if you are a true Friends fan 😍
• Kayla G. May 2022 I had the absolute best time ever on mothers day weekend with my mom!!! will be back!! The staff was friendly , its was clean!
• Solana F. May 2022 We are obsessed with Friends as a Family! We Came to New York as a Family & my daughter had to come to this!! How could we say No! We all Had a Blast! My daughter is their Biggest Fan & loved every minute of it! Staff was so please tell! Thank you!
• Pedro Henrique P. May 2022 For those who are fans of Friends I have nothing to say other than the perfection of this experience. Best choice to miss the show and feel a little part of the world of Friends.
• Saba K. May 2022 Loved the experience. It felt like we were living in the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. world. Staff was amazing. Photo spots were amazing. I felt like the experience ended early probably because I didn't want it to end :P but it would be nice to have 1 or 2 more sets. And a slightly more affordable gift shop. But I loveed it.
• Valérie G. May 2022 Fun fun fun… i like it… congratulations…. Thank you for this amazing expérience of Friends… kiss from belgium
• Leslie P. May 2022 The staff were all so nice and helpful. They hit on every pivotal moment of the show and recreated it. Had a blast!

Getting there

The FRIENDS™ Experience, NYC

130 E 23rd St, New York, NY (Located on the corner of Lexington Ave. and 23rd St.), 10010

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Real ‘Friends’ Central Perk coffee shop to open in NYC

A virtual mockup of the brand new Central Perk. (Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.)

Finally you can hang out on the orange couch just like Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Monica, Joey and Chandler.

Fans of the hit sitcom "Friends" will get a chance to enjoy a coffee in America’s most beloved fictional coffee shop, Central Perk.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the TV show that catapulted Jennifer Aniston into international fame, Warner Bros. Entertainment and Eight O'Clock Coffee have partnered to create a replica pop-up café in New York City’s bustling SoHo neighborhood.

Central Perk will be serving up free cups of coffee, and, according to a press release , guests will be able to enjoy in store performances (who wouldn’t want to see a rousing rendition of “Smelly Cat?”), DVD giveaways and the opportunity to take a “sofa-selfie” on the original orange couch from the show.

While none of the six ‘Friends’ are schedule to make an appearance, James Michael Tyler—better known as the perennially annoyed barista Gunther—will be making “select special appearances.”

Eight O’Clock Coffee has created a limited edition “Central Perk Roast,” a medium bodied blend with citrus and floral notes, which is available for purchase online if you can’t make it to New York City.

The Central Perk pop-up opens Sept. 17 and closes on Oct. 18.

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THE FRIENDS EXPERIENCE NEW YORK (New York City) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

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The first permanent Central Perk coffee shop from ‘Friends’: Location, features, opening date, and more

If you’ve ever wanted to set foot inside the world of  Friends   and visit the iconic Central Perk coffee shop with your own group of friends, now is your chance. The legendary TV series, which ran from 1994 to 2004, will soon be there for you forever, in the form of a new, real-life coffee shop based around the most-loved aspects of the global phenomenon.

Made in collaboration with Warner Bros., the official production company of  Friends , the permanent coffee shop, officially named Central Perk Coffeehouse, will delight show fans with fun references to the sitcom through its food, drink, and furnishings. In addition to being a must-see spot for any  Friends  fans, the coffee house is meant to serve as an eatery that visitors will enjoy visiting whenever they get the chance, much like they would with a Starbucks or their favorite café.

Central Perk Coffeehouse gave  People Magazine  an exclusive first look inside the new location, including photos showing its interior. With interviews from the designers and concept artists, we can see the TV-inspired tourist spot behind the scenes.

Where is the permanent Central Perk located?

Central Perk Coffeehouse is not in the show’s New York City setting. However, there have been various pop-up versions of the coffee shop in the character’s home city, most recently for a month in 2014 to celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary.

The permanent Central Perk is located in Boston, Massachusetts. The new site will be on Newbury Street in the center of the city, one of the busiest streets in the area, thanks to its various shops and restaurants. Be warned. However, this location means the coffee shop will be packed, especially for the first days after opening.

When does Central Perk Coffeehouse open?

Early reports about the new hotspot indicate that Central Perk Coffeehouse was initially meant to open in late October this year. However, out of respect to Matthew Perry and his family and friends, opening day was pushed back to Nov. 14th.

As shown in the preview images, Central Perk Coffeehouse is not meant to be a replica of the coffee shop on Friends. Rather, it’s “a modern interpretation of what a coffee shop or Central Perk would look like in 2024,” design Glen Coben told  People .  The coffee house is “not a novelty in any way, shape, or form,” but “a real-life, real-world café” that is meant to entice visitors to return with high-quality food and drink frequently.

The design utilizes nods to various elements of Central Perk, such as the iconic orange couch. The feature wall showcases an image of the iconic fountain from the opening theme (the real-life fountain from the Warner Bros. lot Friends was filmed on), as well as a bathroom based on the iconic purple walls of Monica’s apartment.

The Central Perk of television fame is pretty small compared to a real coffee shop, and this is meant to seat a large number of fans keen to pay a visit. Unlike most coffee shops, however, the establishment will be open day and night, offering daytime and nighttime menus for every meal of the day.

The refreshments have names based on famous lines from the show, including the We Were on a Coffee Break dark roast, the Moo Point decaf, The Moist Maker sandwich Ross threw a fit over, and as Joey once attempted to say in an alluring way, Grandma’s Chicken Salad. Fans can also purchase merchandise from the coffee house on their visit, including apparel and homeware.

Central Perk Coffeehouse’s Tribute to Matthew Perry

The new coffee shop couldn’t open without acknowledging  the recent death of Matthew Perry late last month , as well as his countless contributions to the show as Chandler Bing, from shaping the show’s sense of humor to  saving the beloved Monica and Chandler from potential ruin  in the eyes of viewers.

Central Perk Coffeehouse will pay tribute with a sleeve on all its signature coffees for its opening day, displaying Chandler’s “Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?” line. This is a nod to an iconic quote that perhaps best summarizes Chandler and his unique wit that has been mimicked by fans worldwide.

• Living in NYC

Everything about the immersive Friends Experience in NYC

The FRIENDS™ Experience has finally opened its first flagship location in New York City. After so many years of the series launching and some pop-up experiences, I think we can all agree that the city should host something like this – and permanently! Yes, The Friends Experience is here to stay – Created by Warner Bros. and Superfly X, it’s designed to immerse fans in the universe of iconic TV series like never before. I must say: I’m not a Friends fan – I’ve only watched the first season, but I know that the series has a huge fan community. And although it wasn’t originally shot in NYC, the plot is set here, so, I think is very symbolic having a place like this in the city.

I had the opportunity to visit the place before the official opening and now I’m gonna show you all the details and everything you need to know!

The Friends Experience is an interactive celebration of the iconic TV show. With set recreations, original props and costumes, photo ops, a retail store, and Central Perk, it’s the biggest celebration of FRIENDS™ yet. Before the experience, you watch an intro video and when it is over, a door opens revealing the iconic opening credits with the fountain and the coach. Like I said: I’m not a fan, but even for me it was really cool, so I can only imagine how the fans will freak out with this first room!

I know that the set recreations are very exciting but there is more than iconic scenarios and photo opportunities at Friends Experience. You can explore exciting details of the behind the scenes process, from Central Perk artwork to the characters fashion sketches plus original costumes and much more. The experience is not only visual but also involves sounds: through the rooms, you will listen to iconic dialogues and quotes ( oh my gawd! Pivot! ).

You will have so many photo opportunities, like the famous purple door, the turkey head and Joey’s layers of Chandler’s clothes.

Besides that, the experience offers quizzes to check your knowledge about the series and a lot of fun facts. I absolutely love how they feature the dating scene using the “NYC subway map”. So creative!

Ok, now the best part: the set recreations! You can visit Monica’s apartment – it is so huge for NYC standards, lol – and even try the poking device to poke the ugly naked guy who lives across the street to check whether he is alive or not. The details impressed me: so many objects in the kitchen! You can also see the exterior of the apartment – the doors and the stairs and it looks so real. Chandler and Joey apartment is also really nice – and guess what: you will hear the baby chick and duck that have fallen into the foosball table, lol. Las Vegas wedding chapel where Ross & Rachel tied the knot is also included in the experience.

Last but not least: Central Perk, of course! Probably the most popular set recreation, the space is the last room you will visit – just in time to treat yourself with a coffee and character-inspired treats.

More information:

• The Friends Experience features a total of 18 rooms – prepare to spend at least 80 minutes there!
• The Friends Experience remains “Monica Clean” and is taking measures throughout the space to ensure a safe environment for its staff and guests. Safety protocols and procedures at the Experience include but are not limited to social distancing, requiring masks, non-invasive temperature checks, and thorough cleaning and sanitization measures;
• If you buy a ticket for the experience, you will get a QR code at the time you arrive. You will use this QR code to have your photo taken (for free!) and you will receive the pictures in your e-mail;
• Central Perk is open daily starting at 7 AM – 1 PM to the public, stop by to grab your coffee and character-inspired treats – that means you can visit the coffee shop without a ticket;
• There is a souvenir and licensed products store too – you can stop by wherever you want to shop Friends stuff;
• Check operating hours for the experience here ;
• Grab your tickets online – they start at $45.

The Friends Experience – 130 East 23rd Street, at the corner of Lexington Avenue, in the Gramercy neighborhood of Manhattan.

Did you like this post? Are you excited to visit The Friends Experience?

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Content creator and journalist in New York City. Here, I share lifestyle, beauty, NYC tips, thoughts, and the struggles about living in the most amazing city in the world! I’m not gonna pretend to be another person: I’m a Brazilian immigrant and I think this is my soul, it is part of who I am. I hope you enjoy my content! Follow me on Instagram!

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You can now buy 'Friends' Central Perk coffee with a real café coming soon

FILE - A view of the coffeehouse Central Perk on display at the opening of the Flagship FRIENDS Experience on March 15, 2021, in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

Nearly 20 years since going off the air, "Friends" remains close to the hearts of fans around the world — and in their coffee cups. 

The beloved NBC sitcom, which ran for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004, featured the popular hangout spot "Central Perk" — which served as the gathering place for characters Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross.

A modern-day version of Central Perk coffeehouse is now set to open in 2023, according to the developers, which include Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment and CenPer Holdings, LCC. 

The first location and opening date "will be announced soon," developers said Wednesday. 

"Working closely with the CenPer Holdings team in creating this fresh, yet familiar environment, we’re looking forward to giving fans a Central Perk of their own — coffeehouses that captures the heart of the show while delivering a first-class coffee experience," Peter van Roden, senior vice president of Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment, said in a statement. 

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In the meantime, fans can also get their coffee fix now with the launch of Central Perk Coffee . The "artisanal quality coffees" are made with the Arabica beans and are available in three "Friends" themed varieties: "How You Doin’?" (medium roast), "Pivot Blend" (medium/dark roast), and "We Were on a Coffee Break" (dark roast).

The coffee blends are available in whole bean, ground, or compostable single-serve coffee pods compatible with Keurig K-Cup brewers. 

Central Perk Coffee, a line made with Arabica beans available in three select "Friends"-themed blends. (Photo: Provided/Warner Bros.

Fans can get all three for $40.78, saving 20% off with free shipping for a "limited time" (regularly $50.97), or purchase the various roasts individually. There is also a customizable coffee subscription service.

The new Central Perk brand was developed by "industry experts" from the coffee, food and beverage, hospitality, and entertainment worlds, including Top Chef and James Beard Foundation Award winner Tom Colicchio, according to a press release. Colicchio co-founded Gramercy Tavern, a popular New York City restaurant offering New American cuisine.

"With Central Perk, we can’t wait to offer friends old and new a really enjoyable premium cup of coffee and hope they settle in with us for the next chapter of this beloved story," Colicchio said in a statement.

FILE - Cast members of "Friends" winner for Best Comedy Series at the 54th Annual Emmy Awards in 2002. L-R: David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox Arquette, Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc. (Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)

"Friends," which starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, followed the lives of six friends living in New York City. It received critical acclaim and awards throughout its run and went on to become one of the most popular television shows of all time. 

The series has remained a go-to show in syndication and on streaming platforms, where it continues to entertain fans — new and old. 

This story was reported from Cincinnati.

Central Perk Is Real! You Can Hang Out at Friends ' Iconic Coffee Shop in NYC

Too bad you can't also spend time with monica, rachel, phoebe, ross, chandler and joey. but hey, this is the next best thing.

It's no secret that Friends is one of the best shows that has ever graced our TV sets...ever. And if you don't agree, you can leave now, kthanksbye.

It's one of our wildest dreams to get to live in the Friends version of New York City, drink coffee in Central Perk and hang out on the orange couch with six of our closest friends: Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler and Joey.

And now, our dream is finally becoming our reality!

Well, almost. We can't actually hang out with Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler and Joey since they're fictional characters. (Don't you hate it when that happens?) But we can go to Central Perk!

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Warner Bros. TV is teaming up with coffee brand Eight O'Clock Coffee to grant our ultimate wish of living in the Friends universe by opening up a Central Perk pop-up shop to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Friends premiere. (Yeah, it's been 20 years...let that sink in for a moment!)

The event, perfectly titled "The One With the Free Coffee," features a pop-up replica of the neighborhood coffee shop we all know and love from 10 seasons of the hit comedy, which will be serving free cups of Eight O' Clock Coffee—including their limited-edition Central Perk Roast, specially created for the occasion.

Any lucky Friends fans who live in NYC can stop by the fully functioning pop-up Central Perk coffee shop at 199 Lafayette Street at the corner of Broome Street in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood. Doors open to the public on Wednesday, Sept. 17, following a special media preview Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 15-16, and will remain open through Saturday, Oct. 18. Central Perk will be open Mondays-Fridays, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., and Saturdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

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Plus, the pop-up shop features more than just free coffee (which is already a huge win in our book). Fans can also check out signature props from the show in the decorated storefront, relax on the iconic orange couch, listen to life performances à la "Smelly Cat," win prizes through in-store promotions and contests and even hang out with Friends star James Michael Tyler , aka Gunther! Come on, Central Perk wouldn't be Central Perk without its iconic barista. (But before you ask, no, he won't be serving the coffee, just enjoying it.)

If you're a Friends fan who doesn't live in New York, time to book your flights and get yourself to Central Perk ASAP! This is seriously a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But there's also a cheaper option to enjoy the Friends anniversary, as fans all over the country can buy bags of the limited edition coffee at grocery and mass merchandise stores nationwide and online .

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The ultimate 'Friends' guide to NYC

May 24, 2021 • 6 min read

Central Park's Cherry Hill Fountain is not the one from the credits, but it looks pretty similar © espiegle/ iStock / Getty Images Plus

Seventeen years after the last episode was broadcast, the cast of the popular show is back on our screens this week for Friends: The Reunion special looking back on the hit '90s sitcom. But what about the iconic locations of the show? 

Any Friends fan worth their salt knows the series was filmed in Los Angeles, but some of its most memorable exteriors were shot on site in New York. Here are 13 of our favorites, from legendary landmarks to lesser-known locales – yes, including  that apartment. 

1. The opening credits

The famous fountain memorialized in the show’s opening credits can be found on a Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, California – and a Boston-inspired one , at that. But that minor detail hasn’t stopped fans from seeking out watery doppelgängers around town. Central Park ’s Cherry Hill Fountain is often mistaken for its onscreen counterpart, while Pulitzer Fountain at Manhattan’s Grand Army Plaza is regularly cited as the inspiration for the one in those iconic scenes. 

2. The apartment

The West Village building that served as the exterior of Monica, Rachel, Chandler, and Joey’s pre-war walk-up needs little introduction – it has its own tag on Google Maps, after all. Located at 90 Bedford Street, on the corner of Grove, the so-called Friends Apartment looks much the same as it did in the show’s heyday, fire escape and all, though you won’t find Central Perk on the ground floor. Instead, there’s a classy neighborhood joint called Little Owl, which slings its signature meatball sliders in lieu of macchiatos at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week. 

3. Ross’s homes

Ross cycled through three apartments during the course of the show, only two of which made it to the screen. Until he married Emily and moved out in season five, he lived at Washington Square Village, described by Village Preservation as a “modernist superblock of apartments built by Robert Moses in the late 1950s just south of Washington Square Park .” After their divorce, he floated around a bit before landing at Ugly Naked Guy’s apartment. On the show, it’s across the courtyard from Monica and Rachel; in reality, it’s across the street at 17 Grove. 

4. Phoebe’s place  

In the season seven episode “The One With Joey’s New Brain,” Phoebe found a cell phone at Central Perk, and when its owner called to retrieve it, she gave him her address: 5 Morton Street, a brick building on a quiet, tree-lined block, just a few minutes’ walk from the rest of the gang on Bedford. 

5. Rachel’s first fashion job

After a disastrous stint as a waitress at the coffee shop and before she landed a plum position at Ralph Lauren, Rachel scored a job at Bloomingdale’s as an assistant buyer – until her department closed down and she was demoted to personal shopper. While the sales team at the department store’s Third Avenue flagship won’t let you walk in her shoes, they’ll let you buy a few pairs…along with all the designer clothes, bags, jewelry, and perfume you can carry in those trademark brown bags. 

6. Ross’s workplaces

The ‘50s-themed diner where Monica had to don a blonde wig and take orders on rollerskates was a SoHo fixture for decades. Sadly, it’s no longer there, but her brother’s employers are still around, especially if you squint a bit. During the show’s early years, Ross served as a paleontologist at the oxymoronically named Museum of Prehistoric History – a thinly veiled stand-in for the Upper West Side’s American Museum of Natural History , where you’ll see a 94-foot model of a blue whale and yes, a whole lot of dinosaur fossils. 

Following that, he got a gig as a professor at New York University , despite the fact that the real NYU doesn’t actually have a paleontology department. The downtown area around the school is still worth a visit, though, particularly Washington Square Park, a gathering place in the heart of the village. Just watch out for the chess hustlers if you want to leave with your savings intact. 

7. Chandler’s office

No one knew exactly what Chandler did for a living, but they all knew where he worked: the Solow Building, a distinctive black-and-white skyscraper looming 49 stories above 57th Street, with a gently sloping facade reminiscent of a ski jump. Completed in 1974, it covers 1.4 million square feet and reaches heights of 672 feet, making for one impressive photo op. 

8. Joey’s favorite theater

Joey racked up an impressive amount of acting credits over the years, from films and plays to soaps and indies. (He even appeared in print ads warning of the dangers of venereal disease – but more on that later.) Some of his most notable performances, including the musical  Freud! , were staged at the Lucille Lortel Theatre , an Off-Broadway venue on Christopher Street known for its buzzy productions and star-studded history. See a play, catch a reading, or simply swing by and take a look at the Playwrights’ Sidewalk, a permanent monument to the city’s Off-Broadway theater writers. 

9. Phoebe’s busking spot

She and her guitar may have been regulars at Central Perk, but in the show’s first episode, Phoebe tried to pick up some extra cash in a much less cozy locale: the Bleecker Street subway station . Just north of Houston, the 6 train stop is also where Joey’s potential date bailed when she saw his modeling effort – as the face of sexually transmitted infection in giant, poster-size form.

10. Madison Square Garden

For athletes and rockstars alike, few arenas hold the cachet of Madison Square Garden , the legendary home of both the New York Rangers and the New York Knicks. The latter may be a perpetual disappointment, but that didn’t matter much to the titular sixsome, who went to games, relied on spare seats to finagle dates, and dangled the promise of season tickets during that infamous apartment bet. The Rangers weren’t left out either: early in the first season, the guys went to a hockey game – and Ross caught a puck in the face. 

11. The Pierre

When Monica and Chandler were planning their wedding, they didn’t pull any punches. Their venue was The Pierre, a luxurious landmark property on Fifth Avenue dating to the 1920s, and the couple went all out, inviting a ton of people, organizing a mouthwatering feast, and booking a swing band for the reception. You’re not likely to catch a similar event if you stop by, but the art deco bar in the hotel lobby is open to the public for afternoon tea or evening cocktails, as long as you dress the part. (Smart-casual, that is – no Friends cosplay necessary.)

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This article was first published March 2020 and updated May 2021

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7 FRIENDS FILMING LOCATIONS IN NEW YORK

A tour of New York is a unique opportunity to visit the places where Friends, one of the most iconic and memorable series on television, was recorded. So, if you want to embark on an unforgettable trip, we recommend you visit the places we shared you down here, 7 places where Friends was filmed in New York .

Let’s get started!

Friends Apartment

The Friends apartment is one of the most important stages of this famous series, the Friends apartment is the place where the best moments of the series were lived, a Friends fan will never forget this place.

Friends Apartment – Source secretldn.com

Visiting the Friends apartment in New York is a worthwhile experience, although the apartment is a fictitious setting, the building that was used as a facade can be found at the corner of Bedford Street and Grove Street in the West Village, so if you want to take a picture of the Friends apartment you already know where to go.

If you want to continue visiting Phoebe’s apartment you can go to Morton St with Bleecker St. There you will see the place where one of Friends’ most beloved characters lived.

Bloomingdale’s

One of the New York Friends scenarios you can visit is the famous Bloomingdale’s Big Apple’s giant warehouse and place where Rachel worked as a fashion assistant after leaving behind the famous Central Perk .

This Big Apple store can be found at 59th Street 3rd Avenue. One of the most important memories of the Friends series occurs in Bloomingdale’s , it is in this store where Rachel meets Joshua.

You can take advantage of your visit to Bloomingdale’s to shop in one of New York’s luxury stores, an experience you must live in the Big Apple.

The Fountain of Friends

Pulitzer Fountain – Source iStock

The Friends fountain is another of the emblems of the series, where the protagonists sing and dance while the song “I’ll be there for you” plays. This Friends location doesn’t really exist in New York , this is a big disappointment that many Friends fans have to face, but, coincidentally, there are many theories that say that the creators of the series were inspired by the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park and the Pulitzer Fountain in the Grand Army Plaza , places that you can visit on your tour of New York.

Saks Fifth Avenue

Bloomingdale’s is not the only store in New York that appears in the Friends series, in many episodes of the series also appeared Saks Fifth Avenue, it was there where Joey worked as a model of a perfume for men and where the mythical scene of Joey having a duel with another model dressed as a cowboy occurred.

On the other hand, Saks Fifth Avenue is another perfect store for shopping in New York , a giant store where you will find thousands of products at great prices. Saks Fifth Avenue is located on 5th Ave between 49th street and 50th street.

Natural History Museum

One of the most spectacular Friends locations in New York you can visit is the Natural History Museum , where Ross Geller worked as a paleontologist throughout the series. This place is sensational, although the museum was never used to film the Friends series, we remember it because through the Ross series he always mentioned that he worked there.

Natural History Museum – Source www.inexhibit.com

Another of the most spectacular plans you can make is to visit New York’s museums , absolutely all of the Big Apple’s museums are wonderful, but there is no doubt that the New York Natural History Museum is one of the most amazing places you can find in New York .

A fact that no Friends fan will forget is that Ross and Rachel had their first romantic date at the Natural History Museum . The museum is located on 8th Ave and 79th street very close to Central Park on the Upper West Side. A full tour of the museum takes approximately 4 hours.

Washington Square Park

Washington Square Park is another of the locations where Friends was filmed in New York , this famous Big Apple square appeared several times in the series. It is in Greenwich Village, one of New York’s most vibrant neighborhoods.

Thousands of times the great Arch of Washington and the fountain of Washington Park appeared in between the scenes, and let’s not forget that this square is in the same neighborhood where Rachel and Monica lived. If you are touring New Yor k you should visit this historic place in the Big Apple , where you can enjoy the street artists and the good atmosphere of the square.

Very close to Washington Square Park there are many famous restaurants and bars such as Café Wah.

Although it’s not a Friends stage, the NBC Store is another place worth visiting in New York , since there you can buy something that reminds you of one of the most famous TV series.

NBC Store – Source www.bons-plans-voyage-new-york.com

NBC Store is in the Rockefeller Center , in addition to the Friends series in the store you will see cups, t-shirts, handbags and all kinds of accessories from other famous series and talk shows.

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What you need to know about The Friends Experience

Mis à jour le 26/03/2021. 2 commentaires

To celebrate the 25h anniversary of the Friends premiere, a pop-up exposition opened in New York City. In 2021, it’s a new attraction every Friends enthusiast must do in NYC! I’ll tell you more about it in this article.

What is The Friends Experience?

I have not been able to go yet, as it opened in March 2021. However, the exhibition installed in 2019 reproduced Rachel and Monica’s apartment with their neighbors Joey and Chandler.

The Friends Experience proposes the same, a universe dedicated to the series on two floors (accessible). The experience is intended to be immersive to allow fans of the series to live the cult moments of some episodes.

Thus, it is possible to visit the apartments of the protagonists. Besides, you can see the costumes of the actors, even poke the Ugly Naked Guy .

If you don’t count on visiting the expo, they opened a replica of the Central Perk café. It is open every day from 7:00 am. You can check the opening hours here because it changes every day.

You can’t miss the official store either. The store is online too .

How much does it cost?

They propose several rates, from 3 years old and up: – $45 on weekdays (non-holiday days) before 5pm, – $52 on weekends, holidays, and weekdays (non-holidays) from 5pm.

If you want a private experience, visits are before opening time, on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am to 9:40 am: – $375 for a group of 6 people max, – $600 for a group of 10 people max.

Get your tickets now

They announce that they don’t have many spots available if you don’t book in advance. It also costs more, $65 per person.

Will you be able to meet the actors?

No. Jennifer Anniston (Rachel) , Courteney Cox (Monica) , Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe) , Matthew Perry (Chandler) , Matt LeBlanc (Joey)y  David Schwimmer (Ross) don’t plan to show up during this month. But, if they are in NYC at this time, I don’t see why not! They may want to see how it looks.

Where is The Friends Experience?

There are two Friends Experience in the USA: – New York: 130 East 23rd St (corner of East 23rd St & Lexington Ave) – Chicago: 540 N Michigan Ave (corner of N Michigan Ave y E Ohio St) If you want to continue the experience, you can go see the Friends building at 90 Bedford St. in New York City.

I think The Friends Experience will be a must-do activity when visiting New York City . If you happen to stop by, please send me a photo so I can post it here. They have implemented strict sanitary measures , they even say it’s “ Monica clean “!

My fist trip to New York was in 2007 when I was working for an airline company. I was born in the US, I lived in Mexico, in Europe in between Belgium, Spain and France… Well, let’s say I know about travelling! I bring my experience of NYC to the blog, to provide the best travel tips you could imagine!

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Central Perk New York: the iconic café from the Friends series!

Central perk: flagship location of the series, recreated for a month in new york, what did central perk offer, central perk new york: address and opening hours, discover new york in the footsteps of the friends series, stroll through greenwich village, visit the natural history museum, getting to madison square garden, shopping at bloomingdale's, photographing yourself in front of the pulitzer fountain.

For those unfamiliar with the Friends series, Central Perk is the bar where the bunch of friends used to hang out and hang out. Located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood , it is near the apartment of Monica, one of the main characters of the series.

Unfortunately, the Central Perk n'existe pas . But in 2014, a Central Perk cafe opened for a month in New York City. Indeed, the Eight O'Clock Coffee chain and the Warner company have decided to unite to celebrate the 20 years of the series. Together, they therefore recreated the Central Perk cafe in New York's SoHo neighborhood. During this month, fans of the series (and others) were able to dive into the world of their favorite characters and discover this emblematic place "in real".

During this opening month, visitors could order coffee, tea, chocolate or something to eat.

Delivery charges photo shoots were also organized on the set of the reconstituted show. Not to mention the famous orange sofa in which it was possible to sit.

Central Perk also offered contest to win prizes like series DVDs. Souvenirs from the series were also on sale.

The Central Perk was also punctuated by music . The famous song "Smelly Cat" by Phoebe was notably passed. And every week, artists were invited to sing Phoebe's style on the show.

This New York Central Perk was located in the SoHo district at: 199 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012.

It was open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 20 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 20 p.m.

Today, therefore, you can no longer go to the famous Central Perk. On the other hand, it is possible to follow in the footsteps of your favorite characters during your stay in New York.

During your stay, take a stroll through Greenwich Village, a residential and cultural area where you can spot the building where Joey, Rachel, Chandler and Monica live in the series. The building you see on the screen is at Crossing of Bedford and Grove Street .

In the series, Ross is supposed to work at the Museum of Natural History. The place made him fire all fires with its impressive collection of dinosaurs.

This museum is a fun and amazing place where you can see more than 30 million specimens ! Here, adults and children can only be amazed at the many collections on offer.

You will surely remember it: Madison Square Garden is where Joey used to go to see hockey games. If you also want to participate in a sports meeting , do not hesitate to inquire about the upcoming matches. Madison Square Garden is also the place where many artists perform and where many artistic and cultural events stand.

And if you just want to visit it, take part in a guided visit : history, anecdotes, significant events… will be told to you.

Fashion addicts will appreciate to plan a shopping session at Bloomingdale's , where Rachel was a personal shopper.

Finally, sing and dance the famous song I'll be there for you around the fontaine Pulitzer which served as a model for the one appearing in the credits of the series. The Pulitzer fountain is located southeast of Central Park on the Grand Army Plaza . Go ahead and re-enact the famous scene of Rachel, Ross, Phoebe, Chandler, Monica and Joey dancing all around.

And here. The Central Perk cafe was therefore only open for a month in New York. But to discover the city in the footsteps of your favorite characters, plan a visit to the places above while waiting for the opening of a real Central Perk in New York ...

And if you're a fan of Sex and the City, head to Magnolia Bakery for a delicious cupcake. The store appeared in the series!

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Friends’ Central Perk coffee shop is getting a real physical location

The location for the first central perk coffeehouse has been announced.

by Christian Saclao September 8, 2023, 12:05 am

Central Perk, the coffeehouse that served as one of the main settings of the iconic sitcom  Friends , is getting an actual physical location.

Is Central Perk a real place?

Friends’ Central Perk is a fictional coffeehouse known as the ultimate hang-out space for Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Monica (Courteney Cox), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Chandler (Matthew Perry), and Ross (David Schwimmer) in the hit NBC series. But because of the show’s massive popularity, the fictional setting has inspired a number of real-life coffee shops around the world.

What is Central Perk Coffeehouse?

The fictional cafe is the inspiration for the soon-to-open, real-life Central Perk Coffeehouse from Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment, Central Perk Coffee Co., and CenPer Holdings, LLC. First announced in August 2022, the establishment is a modern-day coffee shop imbued with the same heart and soul as the iconic setting from the sitcom.

“Central Perk is more than just a coffeehouse, it was a home away from home for our six favorite FRIENDS,” said Peter van Roden, SVP, Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment at the time. “Working closely with the CenPer Holdings LLC team in creating this fresh, yet familiar environment, we’re looking forward to giving fans a Central Perk of their own — coffeehouses that capture the heart of the show while delivering a first-class coffee experience.”

Where is the first Central Perk Coffeehouse located?

In September 2023, it was announced that the first-ever Central Perk Coffeehouse is set to open in October 2023, in the historic Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusettes. Nestled within a Newbury Street brownstone, this remarkable coffeehouse channels the unforgettable camaraderie of Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), and Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) from the Friends  TV series.

Poised to become a landmark destination where cherished memories, extraordinary coffee, and food converge, the inaugural Central Perk Coffeehouse is a fully functioning coffeehouse and a contemporary haven that has been brought to life by a team of food, beverage, and design experts including Top Chef and James Beard Award Winner Tom Colicchio and award-winning New York architects, Glen & Co.

The Central Perk Coffeehouse in Boston features two alluring outdoor patios and a charming streetside parklet that invite patrons to savor their moments alfresco. Inside, the cozy Orange Sofa room, inspired by the iconic Central Perk couch, and surrounding area are available to celebrate special moments and gatherings.

Central Perk Coffeehouse menu

With culinary advice from Top Chef Tom Colicchio, Central Perk Coffeehouse offers a unique Friends- themed menu comprised of beverages and dishes that pay homage to the beloved characters and moments from the show.

Aside from a wide selection of beer, wine, and cordials, the coffeehouse’s drink lineup includes exclusive sips like Princess Consuela’s Banana Mocha blend and Chandler’s Chocolate Milk Cold Foam. Accompanying these one-of-a-kind drinks , are snacks like Master Baker Melissa Weller’s Signature CP Bagel, Joey’s Meatball Sandwich, Rachel’s Side Salad, Grandma’s Chicken Salad, Weekend at Caesars Salad, Mama’s Little Bakery Cheesecake, and a lot more.

Central Perk Coffee

While waiting for the grand opening of Central Perk Coffeehouse in Boston,  Friends fans can get their coffee fix with the new  Central Perk Coffee , a line of artisanal quality coffees made with the highest quality premium Arabica bean. Sustainably sourced, produced, and packaged using responsible environmental practices, the new coffee brand is co-created by Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment and CenPer Holdings, and is available in six varieties: “How You Doin’?” (medium roast coffee), “Pivot Blend” (medium/dark roast coffee), “We Were on a Coffee Break” (dark roast blend), “Gunther! Espresso” (espresso, dark roast), “Moo Point (decaf, medium roast)”, and “Oh. My. Gawd. (cold brew, medium roast).”

Going solo on a coffee break? Single-pack coffee products are also available.

The Central Perk Coffee can be ordered by visiting  www.centralperk.com . The first 6,000 new subscribers will receive a complimentary, individually numbered limited-edition collectible can of “How You Doin’?” coffee.

The coffee brand’s best-selling single-serve Central Perk Variety Pack is also available for purchase on Amazon .

All Central Perk Coffee products will be on sale at the soon-to-open Central Perk Coffeehouse in Boston.

Central Perk Coffeehouse merchandise

In celebration of the upcoming opening of the first Central Perk Coffeehouse location, the coffee shop released a line of officially licensed merchandise based on  Friends . The merch collection is divided into three categories: Drinkware (mugs, cups, and tumblers), Apparel and Hats (t-shirts, hoodies, and caps), and Other Gifts (bags, journals, and key chains). They are available for purchase on CentralPerk.com and will also be on sale at the Central Perk Coffeehouse in Boston.

Where is Central Perk located?

In the TV series, the Central Perk coffee shop is located in Greenwich Village in New York City, in the same apartment block as Monica’s apartment. There are 97 steps away from Chandler and Joey’s apartment as Joey counts in season 1, episode 4, The One with George Stephanopoulos .

In 2006, Iranian businessman Mojtaba Asadian started a Central Perk coffee shop franchise in real life, registering the name in 32 countries, including Dubai. James Michael Tyler, who portrayed the Central Perk manager in the series, Gunther, attended the grand opening of the Dubai cafe, where he worked as a waiter.

From September 24th to October 7th, 2009, a Central Perk replica at Broadwick Street, Soho in London sold real coffee to customers and featured a display of Friends memorabilia and props. There were also three Central Perks in Liverpool, United Kingdom but all shut down in 2016.

Business owner Du Xin also opened a great coffee shop based on the sitcom’s fictional setting in March 2010 in Beijing, China.

Can you visit Central Perk in New York?

Yes, Friends fans can visit a replica of Central Perk at The Friends Experience: The One In New York City .

Located at 130 E 23rd St, New York City, NY on the corner of Lexington Ave. and 23rd St., the immersive experience lets you step into the world of Friends . You can dance in front of the fountain featured in the title sequence of the sitcom; hang out in Monica and Rachel’s apartment; kick your feet up at Joey and Chandler’s; explore dozens of props and costumes, including Phoebe’s wedding dress, and order coffee from Central Perk.

How much does The Friends Experience in New York cost?

There are different types of tickets for the immersive experience:

• Standard Ticket costs $49.50 and includes entry into The Friends Experience and 1 free digital download of the Central Perk commemorative photo.
• Premium Ticket costs $64.50 and it includes general access to the immersive experience plus: 1 exclusive The Friends Experience merchandise item, 1 free coat or bag check token, and 1 free digital download of the Central Perk commemorative photo.
• Group Ticket is basically a discounted standard ticket. It only costs $41.25 each but is only available in sets of six.

There’s also a Flexible Entry Ticket , which includes full access to the experience at any time on your selected date, and a Guided Group Tour ticket for groups of up to 6, 8, or 10 guests, which includes entry into the experience first thing in the morning before it opens to the general public, and allows you to choose the group you attend with to have a personalized experience through the space.

Is the Friends Experience in NYC permanent?

It’s unclear whether The Friends Experience in NYC is permanent, but FeverUp.com allows you to book tickets to the experience until October 2023.

If you’re far from New York, the experience also has locations in Seattle, Philadelphia, and Paris France.

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Join the  Young Friends of the Museum  for an evening of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and breathtaking views of the New York Harbor.

Connect — Meet like-minded supporters of the museum in their 20s and 30s and bond over a shared cause

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Trump says 'we're behind Poland' as he meets with President Duda

Polish President Andrzej Duda discussed Ukraine and the Middle East with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a meeting in New York on Wednesday at which the former U.S. president said he was “behind Poland all the way.”

Duda, whose term in office expires in 2025, was one of Trump’s preferred international partners during his 2017-2021 presidency and they have described themselves as friends.

In contrast, many other European leaders have long been nervous that a second Trump presidency would mean decreased U.S. support for Poland’s eastern neighbor Ukraine and for the NATO military alliance.

“The people of Poland love him (Duda)... and that’s not an easy thing to accomplish, but he’s done a fantastic job and he’s my friend,” Trump told reporters as Duda arrived at Trump Tower.

“We’re behind Poland all the way,” he added.

The Trump campaign said in a readout of the meeting that they had discussed a proposal from Duda that NATO members spend at least 3% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense. The current minimum target is 2%.

“They also discussed the war between Russia and Ukraine, the conflict with Israel in the Middle East, and many other topics having to do with getting to world peace,” the campaign said.

After their dinner Duda said it was “a friendly meeting in a very nice atmosphere.”

Trump, who is on  trial  in New York over accusations that he covered up a “hush money” payment to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels, is likely to face a tight race against President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the November presidential election.

Duda is in New York to attend the United Nations, and will travel on to Canada on Friday.

Polish president meets privately with Trump in New York

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President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told NATO members on Friday that Ukraine needed a minimum of seven Patriot or other high-end air defence systems to counter Russian air strikes, exhorting them to step up their military assistance for Kyiv.

Venezuela's major opposition coalition will back Edmundo Gonzalez for president in July's election, its leadership said on Friday, after intense internal negotiations to determine who could take on President Nicolas Maduro.

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The Opening Days of Trump’s First Criminal Trial

Here’s what has happened so far in the unprecedented proceedings against a former u.s. president..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

It’s the first day of the Trump trial and just walking out the door in my house. It’s a beautiful day, 6:11 AM. The thing that keeps running through my head is it’s kind of amazing that hundreds of jurors are going to show up at the Manhattan courthouse. And some of them are going to know what they’re there for — probably talking to their friends, their relatives about it.

Some of them are going to learn this morning talking to other jurors in line, asking what all the fuss is about. But I really do imagine that there’s going to be at least one potential juror who, headphones on, getting into court. Here they’re going to be there for the first criminal trial of Donald J. Trump. And just, I mean, how would you react?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

From “The New York Times,” I’m Michael Barbaro. This is “The Daily.” Today, what it’s been like inside the lower Manhattan courtroom, where political and legal history are being made? My colleague, Jonah Bromwich, on the opening days of the first criminal trial of a US President. It’s Thursday, April 18.

Is that his mic? Hi, there.

Hello. How are you?

I’m doing good.

OK. Thank you for coming in, Jonah —

Thank you for having me.

— in the middle of a trial. Can you just explain why you’re able to even be here?

Sure. So we happen to be off on Wednesdays during trial, so.

We being not “The New York Times,” but the courts.

That’s right.

Which is why we’re taping with you. And because we now have two full court days of this history-making trial now under our belts. And the thing about this trial that’s so interesting is that there are no cameras in the courtroom for the wider world.

There’s no audio recordings. So all we really have is and your eyes and your notebook, maybe your laptop. And so we’re hoping you can reconstruct for us the scene of the first two days of this trial and really the highlights.

Yeah, I’d be happy to. So on Monday morning, I left the subway. It’s before 7:00 AM. The sun is just rising over these grandiose court buildings in lower Manhattan.

I’m about to turn left onto Center Street. I’m right in front of the big municipal building.

And I turn onto Center Street. That’s where the courthouses are.

I’m crossing.

And I expected to see a big crowd. And it was even bigger than I had anticipated.

Here we go. Here we go. Here we go. Now, I finally see the crowd.

You have camera banks. You have reporters. You have the beginnings of what will eventually become a protest. And you have this most New York thing, which is just a big crowd of people.

[CHUCKLES]: Who just know something is going on.

That’s right. And what they know is going on is, of course, the first trial of an American president.

All right, I’m passing the camera, folks. Camera, camera, camera, camera. Here we go.

Let’s start with Sharon Crowley live outside the courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

I want to get right to ABC’S Aaron Katersky who’s outside of the courthouse.

Robert Costa is following it outside the courthouse in Lower Manhattan. Bob, I saw the satellite trucks lined up all in a row. Good morning.

Talk to us how we got here exactly.

So this is the case that was brought by the Manhattan district attorney. So prosecutors have accused Donald Trump of covering up the actions of his former fixer, Michael Cohen, after Cohen paid hush money to Stormy Daniels. Stormy Daniels had a story about having had sex with Donald Trump, which Trump has always denied.

Cohen paid her money, and then Trump reimbursed Cohen. And prosecutors say that Trump essentially defrauded the American people because he hid this information that could have been very important for the election from those people when he reimbursed Cohen.

Right. And as I remember it, he also misrepresented what that reimbursement was. Claimed it was a legal fee when, in fact, it was just reimbursing Michael Cohen for a hush money payment.

Exactly, yeah. He definitely didn’t say reimbursement for hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. It’s a cover up case. It’s a case about hiding information you don’t want people to see.

Right. And of course, the context of all this is that it is in the middle of a presidential election. It’s 2016. Trump wants to keep this secret, prosecutors allege, so that the American public doesn’t know about it and potentially hold it against him.

Right. And prosecutors are telling a story about election interference. They’re saying that Trump interfered with an election. And Trump himself is also using the phrase “election interference.” But he’s painting the trial itself as election interference as he now runs again in 2024.

Fascinating.

And because we’re in Manhattan, and because the jury pool is going to be largely Democratic, and the judge is a Democrat, and the district attorney is a Democrat, Trump keeps claiming he cannot get a fair shake. This is democrat central. And in democrat central, Trump doesn’t have a chance.

OK. So, what happens once you actually enter the courthouse?

Outside, there’s all this fanfare. But inside, it’s a little bit business as usual. So I go up to the 15th floor, and I walk into the courtroom, and I sit down, and it’s the same old courtroom. And we’re sitting and waiting for the former president.

Around 9:30, Trump walks in. He looks thin. He looks a little tired, kind of slumping forward, as if to say with his body like let’s get this over with. Here we go.

The judge walks in a little bit after that. And we think we’re all set for the trial to start, but that’s not what happens here. And in fact, there are a series of legal arguments about what the trial is going to look like and what evidence is going to be allowed in.

So, for example, prosecutors ask that they be allowed to admit into evidence headlines from “The National Enquirer” that were attacks on Trump’s 2016 opponents — on Ted Cruz, on Marco Rubio, on Ben Carson.

Because prosecutors are in some sense putting Trump’s 2016 campaign on trial. These headlines are a big part of that because what prosecutors say they show is that Trump had this ongoing deal with “The National Enquirer.” And the publisher would promote him, and it would publish damaging stories about his opponents. And then crucially, it would protect Trump from negative stories. And that’s exactly what prosecutors say happened with Stormy Daniels. That “The National Enquirer” tipped Cohen off about Stormy Daniels trying to sell her story of having had sex with Donald Trump, which he denies. And that led to the hush money payment to her. So what prosecutors are doing overall with these headlines is establishing a pattern of conduct. And that conduct, they say, was an attempt to influence the election in Trump’s favor.

And the judge agrees. He’s going to admit this evidence. And this is a pretty big win for the prosecution. But even though they win that one, they’re not winning everything.

They lose some important arguments here. One of them was that after the Access Hollywood tape came out, there were allegations of sexual assault against Donald Trump. And you know this, Michael, because you reported two of them — two of the three in question at this very trial.

Prosecutors had hoped to talk about those during trial in front of the jury to show the jurors that the Trump campaign was really, really focused on pushing back against bad press in the wake of the Access Hollywood tape in which Trump seemed to describe sexual assault. That was a big problem for the campaign. Campaign did everything it could to push back, including against these allegations that surfaced in the wake of the tape.

But the judge, saying that the allegations are hearsay — that they’re based on the women’s stories — says absolutely not. That is incredibly prejudicial to the defendant.

Interesting.

And that Donald Trump would actually not get a fair trial were those allegations to be mentioned. And so he will not let those in. The jurors will not hear about them.

So this is a setback, of course, for the prosecution, a victory for Trump’s legal team.

It’s a setback. And it also just shows you how these pre-trial motions shape the context of the trial. Think of the trial as a venue like a theater or an athletic contest of some sort. And these pre-trial motions are about what gets led into the arena and what stays out. The sexual assault allegations — out. “The National Enquirer” headlines — in.

OK. And how is Trump sitting there at the defense table reacting to these pre-trial motion rulings from the judge?

Well, as I’ve just said, this is very important stuff for his trial.

Right. Hugely important.

But it’s all happening in legal language, and I’m decoding it for you. But if you were sitting there listening to it, you might get a little lost, and you might get a little bored. And Trump, who is not involved in these arguments, seems to fall asleep.

Seems to fall asleep — you’re seeing this with your own eyes.

What we’re seeing, overall, including our colleague, Maggie Haberman, who’s in the overflow room and has a direct view of Trump’s face — I’m sitting behind him in the courtroom, so I can’t see his face that well.

You guys are double teaming this.

That’s right. I’m sitting behind him, but Maggie is sitting in front of him. And what she sees is not only that his eyes are closed. That wouldn’t get you to he is asleep.

And we have to be really careful about reporting that he’s asleep, even if it seems like a frivolous thing. But what happens is that his head is dropping down to his chest, and then it’s snapping back up. So you’ve seen that, when a student —

I’ve done that.

(CHUCKLES) Yeah. We all kind of know that feeling of snapping awake suddenly. And we see the head motion, and it happens several times.

Lawyers kind of bothering him, not quite shaking him, but certainly trying to get his attention. And that head snapping motion, we felt confident enough to report that Trump fell asleep.

During his own criminal trial’s opening day.

Does someone eventually wake him up?

He wakes up. He wakes up. And in fact, in the afternoon, he’s much more animated. It’s almost as if he wants to be seen being very much awake.

Right. So once these pre-trial motions are ruled on and Trump is snapped back to attention, what happens?

Well, what happens in the courtroom is that the trial begins. The first trial of an American president is now in session. And what marks that beginning is jurors walking into the room one by one — many of them kind of craning their necks over at Donald Trump, giggling, raising their eyebrows at each other, filing into the room, and being sworn in by the judge. And that swearing in marks the official beginning of the trial.

The beginning is jury selection, and it’s often overlooked. It’s not dramatized in our kind of courtroom dramas in the same way. But it’s so important. It’s one of the most important parts of the case. Because whoever sits on the jury, these are the 12 people who are going to decide whether Trump is guilty or whether Trump is innocent.

So how does jury selection actually look and feel and go?

So, jury selection is a winnowing process. And in order to do that, you have to have these people go through a bunch of different hurdles. So the first hurdle is, after the judge describes the case, he asks the group — and there are just short of 100 of them — whether they can be fair and impartial. And says that if they can’t, they should leave. And more than half the group is instantly gone.

So after we do this big mass excusal, we’re left with the smaller group. And so now, jurors are getting called in smaller groups to the jury box. And what they’re going to do there is they’re going to answer this questionnaire.

And this part of the process is really conducted by the judge. The lawyers are involved. They’re listening, but they’re not yet asking questions of the jurors themselves.

And what’s on the questionnaire?

Well, it’s 42 questions. And the questions include, their education, their professional histories, their hobbies, what they like to do whether you’re a member of QAnon or Antifa.

Whether you’re far left or far right.

That’s right. Whether you’ve read “The Art of the Deal,” Trump’s book, which some prospective jurors had.

Right. It was a bestseller in its time.

That’s right. And some of it can be answered in yes/no questions, but some of it can be answered more at length. So some of the prospective jurors are going very, very fast. Yes, no, no, no, yes.

Right. Because this is an oral questionnaire.

That’s right. But some of them are taking their time. They’re expanding on their hobbies. So the potential juror in seat 3, for example, is talking about her hobbies. And she says some running, hiking. And then she said, I like to go to the club, and it got a huge laugh. And you get that kind of thing in jury selection, which is one of the reasons it’s so fun. It’s the height of normality in this situation that is anything but normal.

Right. The most banal answer possible delivered in front of the former president And current Republican nominee for president.

Well, that’s one of the fascinating parts about all this, right? is that they’re answering in front of Trump. And they’re answering questions about Trump in front of Trump. He doesn’t react all that much. But whenever someone says they’ve read “The Art of the Deal —” and there are a few of those — he kind of nods appreciatively, smiles. He likes that. It’s very clear. But because there are so many questions, this is taking forever, especially when people are choosing to answer and elaborate and digress.

This is when you fall asleep.

This Is. When I would have fallen asleep if I were a normal person.

And by the end of the day. Where does jury selection stand?

Well, the questionnaire is another device for shrinking that jury pool. And so the questionnaire has almost these little obstacles or roadblocks, including, in fact, a question that jurors have seen before — whether they would have any problem being fair and impartial?

Hmm. And they ask it again.

They’re asked it again. And they’re asked in this more individualized way. The judge is questioning them. They’re responding.

So, remember that woman who said she liked to go to the club got a big laugh. She reaches question 34. And question 34 reads, “Do you have any strong opinions or firmly-held beliefs about former President Donald Trump or the fact that he is a current candidate for president that would interfere with your ability to be a fair and impartial juror?” She said, yes, she does have an opinion that would prevent her from being fair and impartial. And she, too, is excused.

So that’s how it works. People answer the questionnaire, and they get excused in that way, or they have a scheduling conflict once they reach the jury box. And so to answer your question, Michael. At the end of day one, given all these problems with the questionnaire and the length of time it’s taken to respond to and people getting dismissed based on their answers, there is not a single juror seated for this trial.

And it’s starting to look like this is going to be a really hard case for which to find an impartial jury.

That’s the feeling in the room, yeah.

We’ll be right back.

So Jonah, let’s turn to day 2. What does jury selection look like on Tuesday?

So when the day begins, it looks almost exactly like it looked when the day ended on Monday. We’re still with the questionnaire, getting some interesting answers. But even though it feels like we’re going slow, we are going.

And so we’ve gone from about 100 people to now there’s about 24 the room there’s 18 the jury box. And by the time we hit lunch, all those people have answered all those questions, and we are ready for the next step in the process.

Voir dire. And what it is the heart of jury selection. This is the point where the lawyers themselves finally get to interview the jurors. And we get so much information from this moment because the lawyers ask questions based on what they want out of the jurors.

So the prosecution is asking all these different kinds of questions. The first round of wajir is done by a guy named Joshua Steinglass, a very experienced trial lawyer with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. And he’s providing all these hypotheticals. I’ll give you one example because I found this one really, really interesting. He provides a hypothetical about a man who wants his wife killed and essentially hires a hitman to do it. And what he asked the jurors is, if that case were before you, would you be able to see that the man who hired the hitman was a part of this crime?

And of course, what he’s really getting at is, can you accept that even though Michael Cohen, Trump’s fixer, made this payment, Trump is the guy who hired him to do it?

That’s right. If there are other people involved, will jurors still be able to see Donald Trump’s hands behind it all?

Fascinating. And what were some of the responses?

People mostly said, yes, we accept that. So that’s how the prosecution did it.

But the defense had a totally different method of voir dire. They were very focused on their client and people’s opinions about their client.

So what kind of questions do we get from them?

So the lawyer, Todd Blanche, is asking people, what do you make of President Trump? What do you think of President Trump?

And what are some of the responses to that?

Well, there’s this incredible exchange with one of the jurors who absolutely refuses to give his opinion of Donald Trump. They go back and forth and back and forth. And the juror keeps insisting you don’t need to know my opinion of him. All you need to know is that I’m going to be fair and impartial, like I said. And Blanch pushes, and the guy pushes back. And the only way the guy budges is he finally kind of confesses almost at the end that, yes, I am a Democrat, and that’s all we get.

And what ends up happening to this potential juror?

Believe it or not, he got dismissed.

[LAUGHS]: I can believe it. And of course, it’s worth saying that this guy and everybody else is being asked that question just feet from Trump himself.

That’s right. And you might think you were going to get a really kind of spicy, like, popcorn emoji-type exchange from that. But because these are now jurors who have said they can be fair and impartial, who, to some extent, want to be on this jury or at least wouldn’t mind being on this jury, they’re being very restrained.

Mostly, what they are emphasizing — much like that guy just described dis — is that they can be fair. They can be impartial. There’s one woman who gives this really remarkable answer.

She says, I thought about this last night. I stayed up all night. I couldn’t sleep, thinking about whether I could be fair. It’s really important to me, and I can.

What ends up happening to that particular juror?

She’s also dismissed. And she’s dismissed without any reason at all. The defense decides it doesn’t like her. It doesn’t want her on the jury. And they have a certain number of chances to just get rid of jurors — no questions asked.

Other jurors are getting dismissed for cause — I’m doing air quotes with my hands — which means that the lawyers have argued they actually revealed themselves through their answers or through old social media posts, which are brought up in the courtroom, to be either non-credible, meaning they’ve said they can be fair and they can’t, or somehow too biased to be on the jury.

Wait, can I just dial into that for a second? Are lawyers researching the jurors in real time going online and saying — I’m making this up — but Jonah Bromwich is a potential juror, and I’m going to go off into my little corner of the courtroom and Google everything you’ve ever said? Is that what’s happening in the room?

Yeah, there’s a whole profession dedicated to that. It’s called jury consultant, and they’re very good at finding information on people in a hurry. And it certainly looked as if they were in play.

Did a social media post end up getting anybody kicked off this jury?

Yes, there were posts from 2016 era internet. You’ll remember that time as a very heated one on the internet, Facebook memes are a big thing. And so there’s all kinds of lock him up type memes and rhetoric. And some of the potential jurors here have used those. And those jurors are dismissed for a reason.

So we have these two types of dismissals, right? We have these peremptory dismissals — no reason at all given. And we have for cause dismissals.

And the process is called jury selection. But you don’t actually get selected for a jury. The thing is to make it through all these obstacles.

You’re left over.

Right. And so when certain jurors are not dismissed, and they’ve made it through all these stages, by the end of the day, we have gone from zero juror seated to seven jurors who will be participating in Donald Trump’s trial.

Got it. And without going through all seven, just give us a little bit of a sketch of who so far is on this jury. What stands out?

Well, not that much stands out. So we’ve got four men. We’ve got three women. One lives on the Upper East Side. One lives in Chelsea. Obviously, they’re from all over Manhattan.

They have these kind of very normal hobbies like spending time with family and friends. They have somewhat anonymous jobs. We’ve got two lawyers. We’ve got someone who’s worked in sales.

So there’s not that much identifying information. And that’s not an accident . One of the things that often happens with jury selection, whether it be for Donald Trump or for anyone else, is the most interesting jurors — the jurors that kind of catch your attention during the process — they get picked off because they are being so interesting that they interest one or the other side in a negative way. And soon they’re excused. So most of the jurors who are actually seated —

Are not memorable.

Are not that memorable, save one particular juror.

OK. All right, I’ll bite. What do I need to know about that one particular juror?

So let me tell you about a prospective juror who we knew as 374, who will now be juror number five. She’s a middle school teacher from Harlem. And she said that she has friends who have really strong opinions about Trump, but she herself does not. And she insisted several times, I am not a political person.

And then she said this thing that made me quite surprised that the prosecution was fine with having her on the jury. She said, quote, “President Trump speaks his mind, and I’d rather that than someone who’s in office who you don’t know what they’re thinking.”

Hmm. So she expressed approval of President Trump.

Yeah, it was mild approval. But the thing is, especially for the defense in this trial, all you need is one juror. One juror can tie up deliberations in knots, and you can end with a hung jury. And this is actually something that I saw firsthand. In 2019, I was the foreperson on a jury.

How you like that?

Yeah. And the trial was really complicated, but I had thought while we were doing the trial, oh, this is going to be a really easy decision. I thought the defendant in that case was guilty. So we get into deliberations, but there’s this one juror who keeps gumming up the works every time we seem to be making progress, getting a conversation started.

This juror proverbially throws up his hands and says, I am not convicting. This man is innocent. And we talked and we talked. And as the foreperson, I was trying to use all my skills to mediate.

But any time we made any progress, this guy would blow it up. And long story short, hung jury — big victory for the defense lawyer. And we come out of the room. And she points at this juror. The guy —

The defense lawyer.

The defense lawyer points at this juror who blew everything up. And she said, I knew it. I knew I had my guy.

OK. I don’t want to read too much into what you said about that one juror. But should I read between the lines to think that if there’s a hung jury, you wonder if it might be that juror?

That’s what everyone in the courtroom is wondering not just about this juror, but about every single person who was selected. Is this the person who swings the case for me? Is this the person who swings the case against me?

These juries are so complex. It’s 12 people who don’t know each other at the start of the trial and, by the end of the trial, have seen each other every morning and are experiencing the same things, but are not allowed to have talked about the case until deliberations start. In that moment when deliberations start —

You’re going to learn a whole lot about each other.

That’s right. There’s this alchemical moment where suddenly, it all matters. Every personality selected matters. And that’s why jury selection is so important. And that’s why these last two days are actually one of the most important parts of this trial.

OK. So by my math, this trial will require five more jurors to get to 12. I know also they’re going to need to be alternates. But from what you’re saying what looked like a really uphill battle to get an impartial jury or a jury that said it could be impartial — and Trump was very doubtful one could be found — has turned out to not be so hard to find.

That’s right. And in fact, we went from thinking, oh, boy, this is going awfully slowly, to the judge himself saying we could be doing opening arguments as soon as Monday morning. And I think that highlights something that’s really fascinating both about this trial and about the jury selection process overall.

One of the things that lawyers have been arguing about is whether or not it’s important to figure out what jurors’ opinions about Donald Trump are. And the prosecution and, I think, the judge have really said, no, that’s not the key issue here. The key issue is not whether or not people have opinions about Donald Trump.

Right. Who doesn’t have an opinion about Donald Trump?

Exactly. They’re going to. Automatically, they’re going to. The question is whether or not they can be fair and impartial. And the seven people we already have seated, and presumably the five people that we’re going to get over the next few days and however many alternates — we expect six — are all going to have answered that question, not I hate Trump; I love Trump, but I can weigh in on the former president’s innocence or guilt, and I can do it as fairly as humanly possible.

Now, Trump is not happy about this. He said after court yesterday, quote, We have a highly conflicted judge, and he’s rushing this trial.” And I think that he is going to see these beats of the system the criminal justice system as it works on him as he is experiencing it as unfair. That is typically how he talks about it and how he views it.

But what he’s getting is what defendants get. This is the system in New York, in the United States. This is its answer to how do you pick a fair jury? Well, you ask people can you be fair? And you put them through this process, and the outcome is 12 people.

And so I think we’re going to see this over and over again in this trial. We’re going to see Trump experience the criminal justice system.

And its routines.

Yeah, openings, witnesses, evidence, closings. He’s going to go through all of it. And I think, at every turn, it makes sense to expect him to say, well, this is not fair. Well, the judge is doing something wrong. Well, the prosecutors are doing something wrong. Well, the jury is doing something wrong.

But at the end of the day, he’s going to be a defendant, and he’s going to sit, mostly silently if his lawyers can make him do that, and watch this process play itself out. So the system is going to try and treat him like any other defendant, even though, of course —

— he’s not. And he is going to fight back like no other defendant would, like no other defendant could. And that tension, him pushing against the criminal justice system as it strives to treat him, as it would anyone else, is going to be a defining quality of this trial.

Well, Jonah, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

Of course. Thanks so much for having me. [MUSIC PLAYING]

PS, have you ever fallen asleep in a trial?

I have not.

[CHUCKLES]:

Here’s what else you need to know today.

It’s clear the Israelis are making a decision to act. We hope they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible and in a way that, as I said —

During a visit to Jerusalem on Wednesday, Britain’s foreign Secretary left little doubt that Israel would retaliate against Iran for last weekend’s aerial attack, despite pressure from the United States and Britain to stand down. The question now is what form that retaliation will take? “The Times” reports that Israel is weighing several options, including a direct strike on Iran, a cyber attack, or targeted assassinations. And —

Look, history judges us for what we do. This is a critical time right now, critical time on the world stage.

In a plan that could threaten his job, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson will put a series of foreign aid bills up for a vote this weekend. The bills, especially for aid to Ukraine, are strongly opposed by far-right House Republicans, at least two of whom have threatened to try to oust Johnson over the plan.

I can make a selfish decision and do something that’s different, but I’m doing here what I believe to be the right thing. I think providing lethal aid to Ukraine right now is critically important. I really do. I really — [MUSIC PLAYING]

Today’s episode was produced by Rikki Novetsky, Will Reid, Lynsea Garrison, and Rob Zubko. It was edited by Paige Cowett, contains original music by Marion Lozano, Elisheba Ittoop, and Dan Powell, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly Lake.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Michael Barbaro. See you tomorrow.

• April 19, 2024   •   30:42 The Supreme Court Takes Up Homelessness
• April 18, 2024   •   30:07 The Opening Days of Trump’s First Criminal Trial
• April 17, 2024   •   24:52 Are ‘Forever Chemicals’ a Forever Problem?
• April 16, 2024   •   29:29 A.I.’s Original Sin
• April 15, 2024   •   24:07 Iran’s Unprecedented Attack on Israel
• April 14, 2024   •   46:17 The Sunday Read: ‘What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise’
• April 12, 2024   •   34:23 How One Family Lost $900,000 in a Timeshare Scam
• April 11, 2024   •   28:39 The Staggering Success of Trump’s Trial Delay Tactics
• April 10, 2024   •   22:49 Trump’s Abortion Dilemma
• April 9, 2024   •   30:48 How Tesla Planted the Seeds for Its Own Potential Downfall
• April 8, 2024   •   30:28 The Eclipse Chaser
• April 7, 2024 The Sunday Read: ‘What Deathbed Visions Teach Us About Living’

Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Featuring Jonah E. Bromwich

Produced by Rikki Novetsky ,  Will Reid ,  Lynsea Garrison and Rob Szypko

Edited by Paige Cowett

Original music by Dan Powell ,  Marion Lozano and Elisheba Ittoop

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

Political and legal history are being made in a Lower Manhattan courtroom as Donald J. Trump becomes the first former U.S. president to undergo a criminal trial.

Jonah Bromwich, who covers criminal justice in New York, explains what happened during the opening days of the trial, which is tied to Mr. Trump’s role in a hush-money payment to a porn star.

On today’s episode

Jonah E. Bromwich , who covers criminal justice in New York for The New York Times.

Background reading

Here’s a recap of the courtroom proceedings so far.

Mr. Trump’s trial enters its third day with seven jurors chosen.

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

Jonah E. Bromwich covers criminal justice in New York, with a focus on the Manhattan district attorney’s office and state criminal courts in Manhattan. More about Jonah E. Bromwich

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ODU Students, Faculty & Friends: Singing at Carnegie Hall was Unforgettable

By Sam McDonald

An Old Dominion University choral group recently accomplished something that most people only do in dreams — singing at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York City.

More than 60 members of the ODU Concert Choir traveled by bus to New York where they performed in the famous concert hall on March 17.  They sang as part of an event billed as the New England Symphonic Ensemble with participating choruses.

“It’s something you hear about all your life, but being on stage there is incredible,” said Oliver Sealey, a music education major in his senior year at ODU. “The hall is beautiful, gorgeous.”

 He said the choir rose to the occasion and performed better than ever.

“I was super proud of the students and everyone who pulled together to make this happen,” said Cristina Loyola, an adjunct faculty member who made many of the arrangements for the trip and sang with the choir. She was surprised by the historic venue’s acoustics. “It was clear as a bell,” she said. “That’s crazy to me.”

Nancy Klein, director of ODU’s F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music, conducted the ensemble’s Carnegie performance of “Gloria” by composer Francis Poulenc. It was her fourth time conducting at the hall.

ODU’s singers were joined on stage by choirs from Regent University in Virginia Beach and University of Texas at El Paso as well as a full orchestra.

“It’s a miraculous thing,” Klein said. “We had 70 instrumentalists, 142 choristers. There were over 200 musicians on that stage. Everyone was doing something individual, with it all coming together to create this incredible piece of music.

“How does it happen?” she wondered aloud. “It’s just phenomenal.”

The composer of the music deserves credit, she said. “But part of it was due to the power, energy and excitement that the students feel when they perform it.”

After Klein conducted “Gloria,” Elisa Fraser Wilson from UTEP stepped to the front to conduct the whole ensemble for Morten Lauridsen’s “Lux Aeterna.”

Despite the challenges any hybrid ensemble faces, Klein heard few musical problems during the performance. The massed musicians created what she described as a powerful, sumptuous sound.

“And it was a receptive audience,” said Emily Ondracek-Peterson, executive director of the Diehn School. “They seemed to enjoy all the pieces. Our vocalists sounded amazing. It was great that they got to work with other choirs and other conductors and a professional orchestra.”

Thanks to her extensive experience as performer in New York and beyond, Ondracek-Peterson was invited to play violin with the orchestra at the concert.

While the concert itself was a success, the group faced some struggles leading up to curtain time.

An 8:30 a.m. pre-concert rehearsal was rough, Klein said, with the ODU singers sounding unfocused. At another run-through that afternoon, the vocalists had trouble hearing themselves and struggled to finetune their tones.

“But in the concert, boy, they sounded fabulous,” Klein said. “This was a really important experience for them.” By adjusting to a new conductor and singing with unfamiliar orchestra musicians, students got valuable, real-world experiences.

“They had to adapt to the differences and did that very well,” Klein said. “They were energized. They were learning not just the music, but so many musicianship skills … It was huge encouragement for them.”

New York’s bounty of extracurricular activities made the multi-day trip memorable, too.

“Students had all kinds of fun,” Klein said. “They went to the opera, or to see [the musical] ‘Moulin Rouge!’ and you could be entertained just by walking around,” she said.

The ODU group stayed in a midtown hotel near frenetic Times Square.

After the concert, the group took a celebratory river cruise.

“I think my favorite memory [of the trip] was the Spirit of New York cruise on the Hudson River and seeing the Statue of Liberty near sunset,” said choir member and ODU police officer Scott Evans. “I had never seen the Statue of Liberty, and it was something that I will never forget.”

Participants said they’ll treasure memories from their intense, immersive New York adventure.

“It was really cool,” said Sealey, who sings bass with the choir.

His parents traveled to New York to witness their son’s big moment on stage at Carnegie Hall.

“I saw them after the performance,” Sealey said. “I think my mom had been crying.

“It was really cute.”

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