Feature STORY
Where Sally Met Sandwich
(and Other Famous Filming Locations)
Movies and television have turned some regular places into tourist attractions. Now fans flock to restaurants, homes and landmarks they’ve seen on the screen
KATZ’S DELICATESSEN
New York City
As seen in
When Harry Met Sally…
This restaurant opened as Iceland Brothers more than a century ago. But it became famous in 1989, thanks to an iconic scene in the Rob Reiner rom-com in which Meg Ryan fakes sexual pleasure while dining with Billy Crystal. Fans of the movie “come every day,” says Jake Dell, whose grandfather Martin bought into the deli partnership a year before the film premiered. “They re-create the scene, sit and wait for the table, or just take pictures.” Some even film themselves moaning like Ryan. “The crowd will boo if it’s a bad performance,” Dell adds, “but I’ve got no problem with it.” katzsdelicatessen.com
MAGNOLIA BAKERY
New York City
As seen in
Sex and the City
When Magnolia Bakery opened on Bleecker Street in 1996, it was a small, retro spot in the West Village, beloved for its banana pudding. Then Carrie and Miranda ate cupcakes on a bench outside the store in a 2000 episode, and lines began to wrap around the block. The next year, Georgette Blau launched a SATC tour that still includes a stop at Magnolia for mini red velvet cupcakes. Some fans even wear Carrie-inspired tutus on the tour, says Blau, 52, president of On Location Tours. “People are still coming all these years later because they want to see these hip locations,” she says. magnoliabakery.com
TOM’S RESTAURANT
New York City
As seen in
Seinfeld
Although Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer hung out at Monk’s Cafe, such a place does not exist. Exterior shots on the ’90s sitcom are of Tom’s Restaurant (also the subject of a song by Suzanne Vega). “We get tourists from as far as Asia and Australia,” says co-owner Michael Zoulis, 61. The diner is a shrine to yada yada yada, with cast photos on the walls, but the menu has only one tie-in item—Jerry’s Salad.
HOOK & LADDER COMPANY 8
New York City
As seen in
Ghostbusters
The supernatural strike force drove a modified ambulance and established their office in an abandoned firehouse in the 1984 comedy. In real life, the building used for exterior shots, at 14 North Moore Street in Manhattan, remains a working station and attracts visitors, who snap photos. “The firefighters always say they like it when tourists come by,” says Kelly Kopp, 58, who owns New York City Kopp Tours. “The Ghostbusters firehouse brings back happy childhood memories.”
FIELD OF DREAMS
Dyersville, Iowa
As seen in
Field of Dreams
It’s a theme of the movie and a common catchphrase: If you build it, they will come. And so the Field of Dreams remains a tourist attraction long after the 1989 Kevin Costner film, drawing tens of thousands of visitors a year. The original site, with cornstalks beyond the outfield, is intact, but an adjoining diamond has been built. The Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies play there on August 13, and other events are planned. fieldofdreamsmoviesite.com
THE PUDDLE
Woodstock, Illinois
As seen in
Groundhog Day
In the 1993 comedy, Bill Murray’s cynical weatherman relives the same day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. But the movie was primarily shot in Woodstock, Illinois. Markers note numerous filming locations, but one of the most popular may be the curb area that featured a sock-soaking puddle. It’s marked by a plaque with these words: “Bill Murray stepped here.”
THE CHRISTMAS STORY HOUSE
Cleveland
As seen in
A Christmas Story
Each year thousands of fans stop by Ralphie Parker’s home, restored to look as it did in the 1983 movie. (Though partially shot in Cleveland, the film is set in northwestern Indiana in the 1940s.) Take a tour and pose with a leg lamp, or hide under the kitchen sink. “Fans can even spend $10 to rent a bunny suit so they can be just like Ralphie,” says tour guide Eriks Zarins. housefromachristmasstory.com
MARTHA’S VINEYARD
Massachusetts
As seen in
Jaws
Sure, this community has always been a summer tourist locale, but for the past half-century it has boasted a special designation as the home of the greatest shark tale ever told (although it was renamed “Amity Island” for the 1975 Steven Spielberg blockbuster). From the ferry terminal and rustic fishermen’s shacks to Edgartown Town Hall, where the movie’s islanders met and Quint hatched a plan to hunt down the shark, many of the locations still stand. Souvenir shops peddle Jaws T-shirts, and an extended 50th-anniversary exhibit continues at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, showcasing locals who helped build sets or appeared in the film. Jeff Voorhees, 63, who played a shark victim as a child, now holds autograph signings. “I used to hide from it,” he says. “But it makes some people so happy.” mvy.com
JIMMY’S EAST-SIDE DINER
Miami
As seen in
Moonlight
Near the end of the acclaimed drama Moonlight, which won the Academy Award for best picture in 2017, two boyhood friends are reunited at a diner, where they listen to the Barbara Lewis ballad “Hello Stranger” on the jukebox. The location in real life is this old-school eatery, which has been part of Miami’s Upper Eastside since 1968. Two or three times a week, people come to the diner and ask to sit in the same red vinyl booth as the movie’s characters, says Peter Saliamonas, director of operations at the company that owns the restaurant. You can’t press play on “Hello Stranger,” though, because there’s no jukebox in the place. “That was put in for the movie,” Saliamonas explains. jimmyseastside.com
CYPRESS GARDENS
Moncks Corner, South Carolina
As seen in
The Notebook
You can re-create the romantic boat scene from this 2004 film, where Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling) reconnect at this nature preserve. Paddle your own flat-bottom boat (included with the $10 general admission) or pay an extra $5 for a guided boat tour through swamp waters lined with cypress and tupelo trees. “A lot of people come out to propose,” says Heather McDowell, 49, parks and recreation director with Berkeley County Government. “We’ve also had people come dressed as Noah and Allie.” cypressgardens.berkeleycountysc.gov
TWEDE’S CAFE
North Bend, Washington
As seen in
Twin Peaks
For a “damn fine cup of coffee” and a slice of cherry pie, look no further than this 1940s eatery, which doubled as Agent Cooper’s favorite haunt, the Double R Diner, in David Lynch’s twisted TV series. “When you see someone walk into the diner and they start crying, you know,” says Scott Ryan, 56, a fan from Sarasota, Florida, who has worked at Twede’s Cafe during the Real Twin Peaks, an annual event. While in the area, visitors can also check out the locations that were used for the Sheriff’s Department, the Great Northern Hotel and the Roadhouse. twedescafe.com
THE GOONIES HOUSE
Astoria, Oregon
As seen in
The Goonies
This is where a group of kids found a map in the attic and set off searching for One-Eyed Willy’s treasure in the 1985 movie. Today the quest is to see the house itself. It isn’t open to the public, but owner Behman Zakeri allows fans to walk up the driveway, do a Truffle Shuffle dance and snap pics. “The neighbors just ask that fans park a couple of blocks away,” he says. goonieshome.com
Statues of Fictional Characters
Rocky Balboa
Philadelphia
The Rocky statue, arms raised high as if it’s gonna fly now, is perched at the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s famous 72 steps (perfect for training).
Mary Richards
Minneapolis
The spunky character from The Mary Tyler Moore Show is honored in downtown Minneapolis, throwing her hat into the air as she did in the opening credits.
Forrest Gump
Savannah, Georgia
Tom Hanks’ Gump rests on a bus bench at the Georgia Visitor Information Center, on I-95 southbound at milepost 111. Visitors can sit with him.
Walter White and Jesse Pinkman
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Unveiled in 2022, statues of these Breaking Bad guys are located in the Albuquerque Convention Center.
The Girl
Palm Springs, California
At 26 feet tall, Marilyn Monroe’s unnamed character from The Seven Year Itch stands in her iconic subway grate pose. —Claire Leibowitz