What is the formula for the ideal New York City movie? For starters, the movie should be filmed in New York City. That sounds obvious, but you would be surprised to learn how many movies use other cities as a stand-in for NYC. Not every scene has to be filmed in New York City, considering many interior scenes are shot on a sound stage. At the very least, there should be some action captured in the busy streets of the Big Apple.
You could spend all day naming iconic movies that were filmed in New York City. We spotlighted three films that featured iconic areas in the five boroughs. These locations include a fully functioning firehouse, a treasured hotel, and a neighborhood home of the famous superhero.
Who ya gonna call? The phrase we all know and love stems from the theme to Ghostbusters. In Ivan Reitman’s iconic sci-fi comedy, a group of paranormal professors—Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis)—hit the streets of New York City looking to catch ghosts. Armed with proton packs and the Ectomobile, the Ghostbusters became the most popular group in town, so much so that they recruited Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) to join their group.
As Ivan Reitman told Vanity Fair, “I wanted the film to be … my New York movie.” Reitman took advantage of the New York City setting, filming in some of the Concrete Jungle’s most iconic locations—Columbia University, the New York Public Library Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Tavern on the Green, and 55 Central Park West.
By far, the most memorable location in Ghostbusters is Hook & Ladder Company 8, a firehouse located at 14 North Moore Street in Tribeca, Manhattan. Fans will quickly recognize the exterior of the firehouse as the Ghostbusters’ headquarters. Established in 1903, Hook & Ladder Company 8 nearly closed in 2011, but thanks to a fundraising campaign, the city saved the firehouse. Nowadays, you might see a certain Marshmallow Man hanging outside the firehouse around Halloween.
In the Home Alone movies, Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) and family vacations do not mix. In this classic Christmas movie, eight-year-old Kevin is mistakenly left behind in his home outside of Chicago while his family flies to Paris. Two years later, Kevin makes it to the airport and plans to spend Christmas in Miami with his family. After a chaotic dash through the airport, Kevin mistakenly gets on the wrong plane and ends up in New York City.
As soon as Kevin crosses the Queensboro Bridge in one of the city’s signature yellow cabs, Home Alone 2 transforms into a New York highlight reel. Kevin wastes no time exploring the city, making stops at Radio City, the Empire Diner, Central Park, and the South Tower’s observation deck at the World Trade Center. Unfortunately, New York does not have a Duncan’s Toy Chest, although it was heavily inspired by FAO Schwarz.
Since it’s his first time in New York City, Kevin seeks shelter in the luxurious Plaza Hotel, located at 768 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York. If you go to the Plaza, you can see the iconic lobby and walk by the legendary Palm Court for afternoon tea. I doubt you’ll run into Donald Trump on your way to the front desk. Fans can now purchase a Home Alone experience at the Plaza and ride around in a limousine just like Kevin did. Of course, you’ll be provided with your very own cheese pizza.
After spending decades in development hell, a live-action Spider-Man finally premiered in theaters in 2002. Directed by Sam Raimi, Spider-Man starred Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, a nerdy high school student who develops spider-like senses after being bitten by a genetically engineered spider. After honing his skills, Peter chooses to fight crime as Spider-Man and protect the citizens of New York City from several enemies, including Green Goblin, who happens to be Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), a scientist and father to Peter’s best friend, Harry (James Franco).
Because Spider-Man guards the Empire City, Raimi made sure to highlight some of the best locations NYC has to offer. When Peter moves into Manhattan, he takes a photography job at the Daily Bugle, with offices located in the Flatiron Building. During the climactic battle, Spider-Man battles Green Goblin on the Roosevelt Island Tramway alongside the Queensboro Bridge. Other notable locations include the New York Public Library at Bryant Park, the Low Memorial Library, and the Rockefeller Center Roof Gardens.
It wouldn’t be a Spider-Man movie unless it included Peter’s house in Queens. Through most of his childhood and teenage years, Peter lived with Aunt May and Uncle Ben at 20 Ingram St. in Forest Hills, Queens. The actual house filmed in the movie is located at 8839 69th Road in Forest Hills, Queens. 20 Ingram St. does exist, and many fans began writing letters to that address. What was the actual surname of the family that lived there? Parker.
All three locations are still standing in New York City. Many fans of these movies embark on quests to snap a selfie at each place. As mentioned earlier, there are thousands of New York City movies, so be on the lookout for more of our coverage.
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As a Nassau County NY resident, from age 14 onwards I enjoyed hanging out in NYC. STAR TREK Conventions, Museums, bookstores, even just going into the city to explore and walk around I always found something new.
And yes, Times Square was very naughty indeed! But fun.
It’s heartbreaking to see the World Trade Center, Howard Johnson’s, Nedicks, Tad’s Steak’s, the Commodore Hotel, King Carol Records, Book Row, (just to name a few landmarks) in adult and mainstream movies.
Sometimes I’ll watch a movie and say “I was there.”
Those were interesting times.
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