Places on this Skoot
Elaine's
Dakota
Bloomingdales
FAO Schwarz
United Nations Plaza
Times Square
Katz's Deli
Prospect Park
Tiffany & Co
727 5th Ave, New York, NY
by TravelSkoot 
New York City has been the home to many movies filmed on location.
"Manhattan" (1979) Scene: Isaac Davis (Woody Allen) and his friends dine at Elaine's after a montage of famous New York sites.
With Woody Allen as director and the neighborhood's name as its title, the native New Yorker's follow-up to 1977's hit Annie Hall is a black and white ode to the city, set to a lush Gershwin score. Starring Allen as a 42-year old comedy writer with a 17-year old girlfriend (Mariel Hemingway), the film opens with a montage of snapshots of the city, which flow in to a dinner conversation at Upper East Side hotspot Elaine's, named for its colorful proprietor Elaine Kaufman. Allen also lovingly shoots the Dalton School, the Guggenheim, John's Pizzera, and more of his local haunts."
Rosemary's Baby (1968) Scene: Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes move into a cursed apartment on the Upper West Side. In Roman Polanski's first American film, the Polish director opens his chilling adaptation of Ira Levin's devilish best-seller by panning across Central Park into The Dakota building on the Upper West Side, all to the eerie singing of star Mia Farrow. Re-named the Bramford for the film, the complex is home to Apartment 7E, which would serve as the den for Farrow's first-time mother to unwillingly give birth to the anti-Christ. The most New York-ish aspect of the first scene? Poaching a new apartment immediately upon an elderly person's passing.
Serendipity (2001) Scene: John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale meet cute at Bloomingdales and walk to nearby Serendipity III for desert. Meeting cute is a prerequisite for the leads of any romantic comedy, and Serendipity is no exception. Star-crossed lovers John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale find themselves reaching for the same pair of gloves in Bloomingdales, and decide to feed their attraction by moving their conversation to Serendipity 3 on the next block over. Bonding over the restaurant's famous frozen hot chocolate, the duo also venture into Manhattan's Wollman Rink and Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
From the 1988 movie, Big. Scene: Tom Hanks plays Chopsticks on a giant keyboard in F.A.O. Schwartz Time Code: 38 mins. A (literal) 13-year-old boy at heart, the physically 30-year-old data processor Josh Baskin (Tom Hanks) finds his three years of piano lessons handy when he encounters a giant keyboard on the floor of famed toy store F.A.O. Schwartz. Beginning to slip, slide, and thump out "Heart and Soul" on the plastic, light-up keys with his Nike sneakers, he is soon joined by the head honcho of a toy company (Robert Loggia) and after the two extend their repertoire to "Chopsticks," Josh finds himself a new pal and a promotion to VP of Product Development.
The most famous jewelry store in New York, and maybe the world, deserves all the kudos. This wonderful multilevel store offers a breathtaking selection of jewelry, signature watches, tableware and stemware, and a handful of surprisingly affordable gift items. The store is so full that it's easy to browse without having any intention of buying. Pleasant and accommodating, the sales staff serves customers with respect, whether they're buying a $40 glass vase or a $40,000 diamond bracelet. If you do indulge, anything you buy, comes wrapped in that unmistakable blue box with a white ribbon tied just so.
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From the 1961 movie, Breakfast at Tiffiany's, during the opening credits Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) window-shops at the 5th Avenue institution. Perfectly coiffed in her long black dress, elbow-length gloves, and hefty strands of pearls, Audrey Hepburn is a vision of sophistication as she strolls down Fifth Avenue in the opening of director Blake Edwards' classic adaptation of Truman Capote's short story. Set against Henry Mancini's haunting melody "Moon River," Hepburn's Holly neatly nibbles at a croissant and sips at some to-go coffee as she gazes into the glitzy storefronts of one of the city's most famed jewelers. Her eyes hidden by oversized black shades, perhaps she's contemplating her madcap playgirl's life, which is about to be disrupted by George Peppard's earnest, if "sponsored" writer. Tiffany's can also been seen as Jon Voight trolls the streets in Midnight Cowboy (1969) and is literally shut down as Patrick Dempsey proposes to Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama.
The 2005 film, The Interpreter was actually filmed in the U.N. Although many film scenes have recreated the U.N.'s hallowed halls, -- most famously, Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 espionage thriller North By Northwest, starring Cary Grant was denied permission – director Sydney Pollack's tale of an English-language translator (Kidman's Silvia Broome) who accidentally overhears a plot to assassinate the head of state of the fictional African country of Matobo was the first to actually gain access inside the building, including the Security Council, and the majestic General Assembly, which is seen in the film's opening credits. Filled with 1,2000 extras, the international building was practically a character unto itself.
Midnight Cowboy (1969) Scene: Jon Voight's gigolo wannabe walks the streets of Times Square. Whether it's be a concert pianist or a professional gigolo, countless starry-eyed individuals make their way to Manhattan, only to be disappointed by harsh reality and broken dreams. Jon Voight's naïve Joe Buck quickly realizes his won't be making his fortune in the city, and winds up walking the streets of Times Square just to eke out a living in director John Schlesinger's 1969 Best Picture winner, co-starring Dustin Hoffman. A pre-Giuliani Times Square is also on display in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, whereas a more sanitized Square appears in a dream sequence in 2001's Vanilla Sky, starring Tom Cruise.
1984's Ghostbusters Opening scene: The would-be ghostbusters are introduced. Before focusing on sadder, more poignant humor, Bill Murray was a sarcastic smart aleck, and nowhere is that more on display than director Ivan Reitman's Ghostbusters. With scenes shot at the Columbus Circle fountain, the restaurant Tavern on the Green, and the Hook & Ladder 8 (which served as the GB's HQ), the quintessentially New York film begins with a bang – zooming past the lions and South Hall Reading room of the New York Public Library, the audience is introduced to its first of many specters: a ghost who just wants to be left along with her books.
As a four-story sign on the side of the building trumpets, this is MACY'S, THE WORLD'S LARGEST STORE. And they do sell everything. Massive renovation over the past few years has redesigned many departments into manageable "ministores" -- there's a Metropolitan Museum Gift Shop, a Swatch boutique, and cafes and makeup counters on several floors. Sales run constantly, holiday or no, so bargains are guaranteed. If you feel adrift in this retail sea, the store provides personal shoppers at no charge. Santa arrives at the end of the Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the store is open until midnight for Christmas.
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Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Scene: Natalie Wood watches the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade after her mother (Maureen O'Hara) hires a new Santa. An inspirational holiday tale about the existence of Santa Claus, writer and director George Seaton's story kicks off when Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara) hires Edmund Gwenn's Kris Kringle (in an Oscar-winning role) to replace her delinquent first Santa in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. With his infectious good cheer, he even eventually melts the hearts of both divorce Doris and her doubting daughter Susan (Natalie Wood). The film was shot with the cooperation of Macy's Department Store; unfortunately, their successors weren't so lucky; Macy's refused to lend its name to the 1994 reamake starring Richard Attenborough and Elizabeth Perkins.
New York's famous Empire State Building, an unequaled symbol of American ingenuity and Art Deco architecture, soars more than a quarter of a mile above the heart of Manhattan. Located on the 86th floor, 1,050 feet above the city's bustling streets, you can tour the Observatory 365 days a year, day and night, rain or shine for breathtaking views of Manhattan and beyond. Indoors, there is "King Kong" memorabilia and the New York SKYRIDE, a simulated helicopter ride and virtual-reality movie theater. Experience the spirit of New York City.
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Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Scene: Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) and Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) finally meet atop the Empire State Building. After spending the entire length of director Nora Ephron's 1993 romantic comedy on separate coasts, recent widower Sam (Hanks) and newly de-fianced journalist Annie (Ryan) finally rendezvous – on Valentine's Day, no less -- atop the Empire State Building just as the observation deck is closing. Entranced by Sam's story about losing his wife on a radio show, Annie bucks up the courage to write him a letter, proposing they meet in the same fashion as her cinematic idols, Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in 1957's classic weepie An Affair to Remember, but to much happier results ----
Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) journeys into Manhattan for the first time. Time Code: 19 mins Determined to find his real father, Ferrell's uber-naïve and elf-raised manchild journeys from the North Pole to Manhattan by iceberg and by crossing the Lincoln Tunnel – on foot. He eventually finds the office his "bad list" publisher dad (James Caan) in the Empire State Building, but not before he's had his shoes shined at Grand Central Station, eaten gum of the bottom of a subway stop railing, and been warned by Santa (Ed Asner) against believing that every Ray's Pizza is actually the world's best – sounds lessons for any newcomers to the city.
When Harry Met Sally (1989) Scene: Meg Ryan proves to Billy Crystal that women fake"The Big O" at Katz's Deli. In perhaps the most famous scene from director Rob Reiner's 1989 relationship comedy, Ryan's befuddled Sally proves to her cocky male pal Harry (Crystal) over Pastrami sandwiches that women have been known to fake "it." To emphasize her point, she works herself into a fake sexual frenzy amidst the clatter of silverware and bemused onlookers ("I'll have what she's having") at Katz's Deli in the Lower East Side. The booth was there scene was filmed now bears a plaque that reads, "Congratulations! You're silling where Harry met Sally."
Al Pacino's 1975 Dog Day Afternoon, Based on the real-life story of John Wojtowicz, who attempted to rob a Flatbush Chase Manhattan branch on August 22, 1972, screenwriter Frank Pierson's take recasts Al Pacino as the lead thief attempting to steal enough cash to pay for his lover's sex change operation. Shot on location on Prospect Park West between 17th and 18th street in Brooklyn, the Sidney Lumet-directed film begins with a montage of standard Manhattan skylines before focusing in on the drab halls of the bank and its surroundings for the duration of the film.
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