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Sunday, January 17, 2021

Virtual Friends Tour with On Location Tours


Are we all not happy to welcome 2021 ? I know I am, however, travel is probably not going to be happening until maybe the Fall months. Many companies are offering great virtual tours to keep us safe at home but able to enjoy some fun activities. One of the blog's favorite tour companies, On Location Tours, has available a Friends Virtual Tour Package. For fans of the show, this is a great way to see where they filmed in the city and have some fun. It's a great activity to gather family, friends or co-workers you have not seen in a while! The video is 40 minutes long but you can break it up if you wish if watching solo. I really enjoyed this tour. 

My friend, Bénédicte, from France, took the tour and here are some of her thoughts:  
It's the kind of show that you would love watching with friends with a lot of popcorn during a Friends binge home night laughing all together. This virtual tour makes me want to do the in-person Friends tour! 

These tours are great to do and then go back and see all the places on our own. I have been taking On Location Tours for quite a few years and have always enjoyed every one. I have even found folks who live in NYC on these tours as sometimes they learn things as well! 

Tour Highlights

  • The tour is approximately 40 minutes long and features 18 locations from the acclaimed series. The purchase of a ticket also includes a Friends box shipped to your US home address (don’t worry, a smelly cat isn’t included in the box). The box contains a Central Perk mug along with four other surprise items, which are all essential for the virtual tour (and great keepsakes for after the tour as well).
  • In addition to seeing the notorious Friends NYC apartment building, which sits on the sixth floor above the local coffee shop Central Perk, you’ll pass by Chandler’s work building, and the Museum of Natural History, where Ross works as a paleontologist. Note to self: When working with Ross, never eat his sandwich!
  • You will also swing by Bloomingdale’s where Rachel is hired as an assistant buyer, as well as Saks 5th Avenue where Joey’s new day job forces him to compete with another cologne spritzer, “The Hombre Man.” I think at this point, we all knew that Joey should have just stuck with his acting career.
  • The purchase of a ticket also includes a Friends box shipped to your US home address (don’t worry, a smelly cat isn’t included in the box). The box contains a Central Perk mug along with four other surprise items, which are all essential for the virtual tour (and great keepsakes for after the tour as well).
  • And last but not least, purchasing a ticket will grant you admission to the virtual Friends trivia night, where you will go up against other Friends super fans (don’t worry, you’ll do a great job). So pour yourself a “quarantini,” order the Joey Special, bake some Nestlé toll house cookies and sit back and enjoy!



Friends Virtual Tour + Package
Includes free access to Friends Trivia and a Friends box shipped to your US home address (don’t worry, a smelly cat isn’t included in the box).  $68
Friends Virtual Tour (no package) 
Includes free access to Friends Trivia  $29

If you are really getting bored by now, I know I sure am, give some thought to doing a Friends Virtual Tour as it's a fun escape from this world right now. I think we all need that just a little bit!! I hope if you do take the tour, that you enjoy it and feel free to leave comments after you have. 

Disclosure: I was provided (2) tickets for the Virtual Friends Tour from On Location Tours for this review. There has been no monetary compensation for this post. I only recommend products that I feel will be of interest to my readers, and that I am truly impressed by. All opinions are my own. Thank you!! 


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Sunday, January 5, 2020

A Marvelous Mrs. Maisel NYC Tour

B Altman building 5th Avenue and 34th Street 

I was very thrilled to hear from On Location Tours that they were going to be starting a Marvelous Mrs. Maisel tour of New York City. This show has just taken off like crazy, for good reason, the writing, the fashion, the actors and NYC! I am a huge fan of these tours and they are a great way to see the city and see many famous spots from this Amazon hit show. If you are not watching the show, you really must. It is gold. 

The tour takes you to areas of Gramercy, NYU and Bowery and the fabulous Greenwich Village. A good example is the photo above of the old B Altman building, which I never knew it was there at 5th and 34th Street. The store was before my time so I never shopped there, but probably walked past a zillion times and never realized what it was! This is where Midge works in Season One and you will recognize the entrance as she is going up the steps. 

My photo during the exhibit at the Paley Center last year 

Old Town Bar and Restaurant 45 E 18th Street 

This bar originally opened in 1892 under the name Viemeister’s, later taking on the name Craig’s Restaurant to survive Prohibition. It has been used in many shows and movies. This is where Joel hangs out with his friend and everyone keeps calling him there! I have walked past here a few times as well and never really looked closely. 

It gives you an old time feel for sure, and not very big. 


I loved the old time cash register 

I will be back here for sure for a bite to eat when in the area 

McSorleys 15 E 7th Street

Many of the interiors were created in a Brooklyn studio, but for outside shots there are many unchanged places in New York City. McSorley's is one of them, which opened in 1854 and didn't allow women inside until the 1970's! This is where Midge took her doctor boyfriend Ben called the Cedar Tavern ( a real place that has closed) to meet the artist Declan Howell. I had never been here so this was quite interesting for me. 



The inside is very old school, and not a very big place. The floors have sawdust on them. It really felt like I was stepping back in 1854! 


The menu is quite inexpensive and they had quite a few people at the bar and sitting at tables to dine. 

The doors looked pretty original too and can you see the sawdust on the floor ? 



We were treated to one of New York City's best desserts, a mini black and white cookie! It was so good and a nice treat in the middle of the tour. You are allowed to bring drinks with you or a sandwich if you wish on the bus. 

Albanese Meats & Poultry 238 Elizabeth Street 

"We got the rabbi !" Albanese Meats is the famous place where Midge and her Mom are buying meat for the Rabbi coming to Yom Kippur. This butcher shop located at Little Italy’s Elizabeth Street – renamed Lutzi’s for the show, though the real name made an appearance in The Godfather Part III .  This would be a fun spot to get your photo taken, but trying not to get in the way of the paying customers. This place was way cool, we did not go inside but I may come back. 




The Up and Up Cocktails 116 Macdougal Street 

How great does our tour guide look ? She was easy to spot when I was looking for the bus as well! This was another place to recognize quickly, the steps going into the Gaslight on the show. 


The actual Gaslight where Lenny Bruce and Bob Dylan hung out has been gone for a while, so they use the steps below at Up and Up Cocktails as the exterior. It was located at 116 Macdougal Street in Greenwich Village between 1958 and 1971. I think it works pretty well!  


Washington Square Park (architect Stanford White) 

Midge ends up in a rally in Washington Square Park with Jane Jacobs who was actually born in Scranton, Pa in 1916 which is where I work. It really is a small world folks. This is a wonderful park to see in person, so much history here and this is where the tour becomes a walking one which is perfect. 

We really lucked out for a 50 degree day in December, it was perfect for walking around and enjoying all the neat village spots! 



The Music Inn 169 West 4th Street 

This is where Susie brings Midge to hear some of the underground comics. The shop is extremely tiny but has so much character. I loved all the musical instruments from the ceiling! 


Records galore! Yes, I said records ! They are for sure making a comeback! 




                                                                 La Bonbonniere 28 8th Ave

The last stop fills in for The City Spoon, Midge's favorite diner and where Joel proposes to her in the street. This place takes cash only and would be very neat to stop in for breakfast, lunch or a snack.

I cannot recommend this tour enough to everyone. It is a great way for those who enjoy the show to see some familiar spots in the city, explore other areas of the city (and then go back on your own), hear some behind the scenes history of the show. One of the stories I loved was that for Season 3, a society lady named Carmela "Rose" Harper  hat collection was donated to the show by her family. I just found it so wonderful, what a great way to pass on your vintage fashion than to a show where millions can enjoy! Do consider this tour, or many of the other wonderful tours offered by On Location Tours as you cannot go wrong with any of them!


Mrs. Maisel’s Marvelous Tour of New York City meets on 34th Street and 5th Avenue on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at noon, and lasts for a total of two and a half hours. Tickets are $52 for adults.


FTC Disclosure:
**I was provided with 1 ticket for this tour mentioned in this post free of charge. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post & was not obligated to give a positive review of the product. All opinions expressed here are mine. **

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Wednesday, August 1, 2018

The Real Housewives of NYC Tour


I will admit, I do watch a few of the Real Housewives shows on Bravo. Bravo is probably one of my most favorite channels, and when I downgraded my cable this year, because I use Netflix daily, I had to be sure Bravo was still on my channel list. The only 2 housewives shows I watch are NYC and Beverly Hills. The New York City Housewives I have watched from the beginning, probably because I love the city so much and want to see the best places to eat and shop! When I was invited by On Location Tours to review this tour, I couldn't pass it up. So myself and a lovely friend spent a good 4 hours through many parts of the city where all the drama took place from various seasons. The first episode aired January 22, 2008, can you believe it's been that long? Let's take the tour !!
We meet the bus at Tipsy Parson, where Bethenny and Jules had their lunch, in the Chelsea area.  
One of our first stops was at the jeweler Helen Ficalora where Kelly had some jewelry made. 

She is famous for her alphabet charms, which I own in my initial "R" and just adore. We kind of felt however this stop could have been skipped because you didn't have much time to shop, this is not the kind of jewelry you would purchase quickly. Everything is really gorgeous that is made here. 


It was nice seeing different areas of the city, and our guide, Melissa, was very informative of not only the show, but the wonderful city. We watched scenes from the show as we rode around, and went past places were various dramas occurred.  



We visited "Spin" the ping pong social club,  owned by Susan Sarandon. in the Flatiron district  


Very cool, don't you think? Thanks to Sue, my guest for the day on the trip, for these great photos

Georgetown Cupcake is where Bethenny took the girls for cupcake classes. I am a pretty big fan of their cuppies, I think they are pretty darn tasty. I even tried their GF flavor and it was quite tasty!  
We choose the Oreo and chocolate flavors, they were both oh so good. The cupcakes are not included on the tour, but you do receive a discount for your purchase, which is nice.  
The classic Russian Tea Room was our last stop, for a peek into the gorgeous decor and a drink at the bar. The tea room is celebrating their 87th birthday this year, and was founded by members of the Russian Imperial Ballet in 1927. 
I wasn't into getting a drink at the bar, but enjoyed all the gorgeous items on display. 


Russian nesting dolls are just oh so special and these were no exception 
The Russian Tea Room Egg 


Petrossian was another place we walked past, such a glorious building and best spot for caviar. 


We really enjoyed the tour, it was a very fun experience. Aside from the jewelry stop, the rest were neat, wished we had more time in the places. The tour lasts about 3.5 hours, so they need to keep you moving. We passed by so many places, and the tour guide was quick to point things out to us. I also like being able to see the episodes where they filmed the places you are just seeing in person. These tours are great for groups as well, a really fun time in the city.

Have you ever enjoyed an On Location Tour? If not, I highly recommend one! 


Disclosure: I was provided 2 tickets from On Location Tours for this review. There has been no monetary compensation for this post. I only recommend products that I feel will be of interest to my readers, and that I am truly impressed by. All opinions are my own. Thank you!! 


To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for being a reader of this blog! 

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