Friends: A Photo-Centric New York Experience

Mar 13, 2025 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Two Sues on the Aisle, Susie Rosenbluth and Sue Weston

Friends, a classic television sitcom created by David Cane and Marta Kauffman, ran for ten seasons (1994 until 2004).  Now, thanks to OGX (Original X) Productions, aficionados of the show can visit the city—Manhattan, where the series was set—and immerse themselves in The Friend Experience: The One in New York City, a wellspring of trivia and nostalgia at 130 East 23^rd Street (corner of 23^rd and Lexington).

The 17,000-square-foot exhibit is loaded with monitors sharing clips from the show, and the space is staged with iconic props and sets designed and positioned expressly for visitors’ photo-ops.  Staff are more than happy to do the honors with cameras—theirs and yours—posing visitors to make the most of the opportunity. The ones they snap professionally are available for purchase at the end of the Experience.

Fittingly, the exhibit begins dramatically with the show’s familiar sofa, posed in front of the fountain, just waiting for visitors to plant themselves for a photo. Later, guests can “lug” a sofa up some stairs, grimacing when someone shouts, “Pivot;” sit in Monica’s kitchen and pose in the Las Vegas wedding chapel. One room is devoted to Joey’s penguin, Hugsy—which makes for a fun photo-op.

If this kind of immersive event appeals to you— be aware, that the price is steep, with timed entry tickets starting at $45.50. Tickets can be purchased online. Group tickets are available for groups of 6 or more. Not surprisingly, The Experience is available for private parties and events.

Spoke to a Generation

The original show followed six 20-something singles living in the same apartment complex in NYC, who become friends, sharing their hopes, fears, and dreams as they transition from students into the working world. A pop cultural sensation, Friends spoke to members of the original generation who grew up watching it on TV and now their children who have seen it in syndication.

As befits any show about New Yorkers, Friends’ siblings, Ross and Monica Geller, provided viewers—and now guests at The Experience—with snippets of their Jewish heritage. For example, Ross rapped at Monica’s bat mitzvah and arranged for the show’s iconic Chanukah Armadillo to visit his son, Ben. Monica is featured from the very beginning of the series, presenting as a sous-chef illegally subletting her grandmother’s apartment.

Another character, Rachel Green, speaks about her bubbe, and while her ethnicity is never explicitly disclosed, she is presented as a stereotypical ’80s “Jewish Princess from Long Island.”

Cultural Impact

While neither of the Sue’s was intimately familiar with the show, Friends made such a cultural impact on audiences worldwide it would be impossible to be unaware of at least some of its tropes, aphorisms, and memorable lines: “How YOU doing?”, “You guys”, “We were on a break!” and “OH. MY. GAWWWWWWWWWWD.”

Like the show, The Friends Exhibition provides a reference point for navigating the adult world, and the reinforcing “I’ll be there for you” continues to resonate, reminding anyone who hears the tune not to lose sight of what’s important even when things don’t go according to plan. The show, which was built around the kind of situations young people experience routinely—crushes, romances, and misunderstandings—all summed up in the theme song:

 So no one told you life was gonna be this way
Your job’s a joke, you’re broke
Your love life’s DOA
It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear
When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month
Or even your year, but
I’ll be there for you when the rain starts to pour
I’ll be there for you like I’ve been there before
I’ll be there for you ‘cause you there for me, too

Friends insist on the proposition that friendship can always triumph, the support it offers is worth the complications. With enough support, the hard times can be borne. Small wonder, the show’s theme works across cultures, religions, and regions. The Experience has shown in London, Paris, Madrid, Sao Paulo, and Sidney.

Even those not super fans of the show can have as much fun as we did just posing for pictures, stopping for a cup of coffee in the recreated Central Perk (which is open to the public), and browsing in the gift shop.

If you’re walking around Manhattan— The Friends Exhibit makes a perfect stop.