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From that scene in Katz’s Deli to every chance encounter, discover all the NYC film locations in When Harry Met Sally, 35 years later!
When Harry Met Sally hit theaters in July 1989 and now, 35 years later, audiences are still in love with the film’s endearing characters, 1980s sweaters, and romantic depiction of New York City. The classic rom-com follows Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) from their Chicago college campus to New York City. We watch as the two characters drift in and out of each other’s lives over the course of ten-plus years, and contend with the central question of the film; can a man and woman be just friends? To mark the milestone anniversary of the film’s release, we revisit all of the Manhattan locations featured on screen, from the iconic Katz’s Deli scene to the tearjerking finale!
The film starts at the University of Chicago where Harry and Sally meet up before their drive to New York. This first encounter happens at the real University of Chicago campus in Harper Quad. When the pair finally arrives in New York City, Sally drops Harry off in Washington Square Park where we see the Twin Towers framed by the Washington Square Arch. This location reappears at the end of the film during Harry’s climactic New Year’s Eve run.
The next time Harry and Sally meet is at the airport, 5 years later. The establishing shot for the airport scene shows the United Airlines terminal at JFK Airport in Queens. Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) designed the crescent-shaped building for what was then called Idlewild Airport (it was renamed after John F. Kennedy in 1963). The United Airlines terminal opened in 1959 and was considered the first of JFK’s Jet Age Terminals. While cutting edge at the time, the terminal eventually became obsolete and was demolished in 2008. In 2022, United Airlines stopped all flights in and out of JFK and now operates out of Newark International Airport.
Another five years pass and we meet Sally and her friends, Marie (Carrie Fisher) and Alice (Lisa Jane Pesrky), for lunch at the Central Park Boathouse. The popularity of boating on the Lake as a leisure activity during the 1860s created the need for a place to facilitate boat rentals. Calvert Vaux designed the original boathouse, an ornate wood structure erected in the 1870s. It was replaced by the current building in the 1950s. After multiple closures and openings over the years, a new restaurant reopened in the boathouse in early 2024 so you can now lunch lakeside like Sally.
The next time we see Harry he is telling his friend Jess (Bruno Kirby) about his pending divorce while sitting in a packed crowd at Giants Stadium. Both the Jets and Giants used the stadium as their home field. Giants Stadium was constructed in 1976 and in use until 2010 when it was demolished to make way for a new stadium, MetLife Stadium.
Our destined duo have their next chance encounter among the stacks at the original Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore on Broadway and 81st Street on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. This location had a short run; it opened in 1983 and closed in 1996 amid competition from a nearby Barnes & Noble. Sounds like another Meg Ryan movie... While you won’t be able to hide behind the exact same shelves Sally did at Shakespeare & Co., you might still have your own literary meet-cute at one of Shakespeare & Co.’s other locations. A new Upper West Side shop opened in early 2024 at 2736 Broadway. There is a shop in Lincoln Center at 2020 Broadway and the oldest location can be found at 939 Lexington Ave on the Upper East Side.
Harry and Sally’s apartments reveal different aspects of their personalities. While Sally’s home is filled with soft and cozy things, Harry’s post-divorce pad is large, mostly empty, and somewhat uninviting. But those windows! Those giant arched windows can be found on the top floor of 57 E 11th Street, an early 20th-century building in Greenwich Village. WeWork previously rented out the entire building as a coworking space.
As Harry and Sally’s friendship grows we see them taking walks along foliage-covered streets and enjoying iconic Manhattan sights like the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This ancient Egyptian temple was gifted to the United States government in 1965. Over the course of a decade, it was meticulously deconstructed and shipped across the ocean in 661 crates then reconstructed inside the met. The exhibit didn’t open to the public until 1978.
Harry and his friend Jess hit a few balls at batting cages on Coney Island while analyzing Harry’s relationship with Sally. These cages were torn down in the early 200os. Rides and attractions for Luna Park stand at the site today.
The most famous scene in the movie, the “I’ll have what she’s having” scene, takes place at Katz’s Delicatessen on the Lower East Side. The woman who delivers this iconic line after Sally’s performance is Estelle Reiner, director Rob Reiner’s mother. You can sit at the same table, marked with a sign that reads, “Where Harry Met Sally…Hope You Have What She Had.”
Harry and Sally’s disastrous double date with Jess and Marie takes place at Cafe Luxembourg, an Upper West Side eatery that opened in 1983. Inside, the restaurant has remained largely the same as when this scene was shot. If you visit today you’ll see the same checkered floor, white tiled walls, red booths, and rattan chairs.
The hunt for a housewarming gift for Jess and Marie (who hit it off on the double date) takes Harry and Sally to the Sharper Image store off Fifth Avenue. While the electronics store closed all of its brick-and-mortar locations in 2008, you can still purchase a karaoke machine from the retailer online. Today, the Manhattan storefront from the film is occupied by an Ermenegildo Zegna clothing store.
With a house plant instead of a karaoke machine, Harry and Sally head to Jess and Marie’s Upper West Side apartment at 32 West 89th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Ave. We see inside their enviably sun-soaked living room, complete with a fireplace and French doors out to the backyard, then head to the ornate front steps when Harry and Sally argue and eventually makeup. The brownstone is part of the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District and was constructed in the late 19th century.
Harry and Jess discuss Harry and Sally’s unexpected hook-up while power-walking through Central Park. The park makes an appearance multiple times throughout the film and here we see one of its most iconic features, Bethesda Terrace. This area and the fountain at its center were enhanced with ornamentation by Jacob Wrey Mould, a lesser-known architect of the park. After Calvert Vaux designed the terrace, Mould created the ornate carvings that adorn it and the base of the Angel of the Waters fountain. As you can tell from the movie, it’s one of the best spots to see fall foliage.
The Puck Building serves as the setting for two very important scenes, Jess and Marie’s wedding and the final New Year’s Eve scene. This historic structure was once the headquarters of Puck Magazine, a 19th-century humor magazine created by Austrian immigrant Joseph Keppler. The wedding scene was filmed in the seventh-floor Skylight Ballroom and the New Year’s Eve party was reportedly filmed in the Grand Ballroom. Both venues used to be available for event rentals but now serve other purposes. Today the building houses New York University‘s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, the Puck Penthouses, and an REI store.
You might notice that the door Harry burst into to catch Sally at the New Year’s Eve party looks nothing like the entrance to the Puck Building. Well, that’s because it’s not. It’s actually the entrance to the Park Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. You can even catch the building number, 607, right before Harry enters the lobby.
Next, check out more NYC film locations from your favorite television shows and movies!
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