No need to go outdoors; these actors could easily jump from one set to the other as needed. The illusion of a New York City street is strong, but really, this set is still in California.
If you’re a true Friends fan, you might give your left phalange to step inside Central Perk for a day. You would think, with the way the show makes it seem, that Central Perk is just down the road from the friends’ apartments in NYC’s Greenwich Village. In one episode, Joey counts 97 steps from their apartment building to the entrance of Central Perk. That might have actually been an accurate count, considering the guys’ apartment was just a stone’s throw away in the very same studio.
This was just another constructed set, but perhaps it is the most famous one. That’s why after the show finished filming, the Central Perk set was preserved by Warner Brothers and moved into a lot next to the studio’s Prop House. If you ever get a chance to take the Warner Bros. VIP Tour, you’ll get an up-close and personal view of this iconic set. Look out for Phoebe’s guitar propped up by the little stage area!
We recommend heading to New York City and finding your own little independent coffee shop instead. You could get lucky. WB has sold the copyright to the Central Perk logo and concept with the rumor that real Central Perks will someday be fully functioning in New York! So far, we know that there’s no Gunther included, but we’ll keep our ears out for any more news.
