“The Last One” aired on May 6, 2004.
Young adults around the world felt the loss.
It was the final episode of “Friends,” the wildly popular sitcom that portrayed the lives of six 20-somethings in search of love and meaning in New York City.
With humor and heartbreak, slapstick and sympathy, the TV series shared tales of Chandler (played by Matthew Perry), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Monica (Courteney Cox), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Ross (David Schwimmer) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow).
“What has truly stood the test of time is its laugh-a-minute humor — a perfect storm of smart writing and flawless performances by the perfectly cast ensemble,” Australian Women’s Weekly reported last year following the death of Perry.
His loss was mourned around the world, as the Aussie magazine attests.
Matthew Perry (third from right) starred alongside Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer in “Friends.” (Hulton Archive)
A global fan base has made New York City the bucket-list destination for “Friends” fans from far and wide — even though the show was filmed at Warner Bros. Ranch in Burbank, California.
5 favorite ‘Friends’ destinations in New York City
1. The Friends Experience
This interactive new tourist attraction did not appear on the show.
“The One in New York City” opened only in 2021.
Long lines are shown outside the flagship location of The Friends Experience, 130 East 23rd Street in Manhattan. (Joan Slatkin/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
But it serves as a Manhattan museum of “Friends” lore and memorabilia, including the show’s signature orange couch, the kitchen that was a centerpiece of the show and Rachel’s memorable cow jacket.
The Friends Experience also boasts “The One in Boston” and — coming soon — “The One in Miami.”
2. The apartment
The connection fans felt to “Friends” was proven in Oct. 2023, when Perry died after a struggle with addiction.
Fans flocked to the Greenwich Village apartment building at 90 Bedford St., whose facade served as the setting of the series.
Tributes and flowers for Matthew Perry at the “Friends” apartment building in Manhattan on Nov. 1, 2023 in New York City. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Distraught fans left flowers, mementos and held vigils outside the location as if it were the actual home of Perry and his “Friends.”
3. The ‘Friends’ fountain
The fountain that appears in the “Friends” famous opening credits looks quite similar to the Cherry Hill Fountain in Central Park.
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Given the show’s setting in Manhattan, visitors naturally post pictures on social media boasting that they found the “Friends” fountain.
The group that manages Central Park has been forced to address the TV tourism controversy.
Cherry Hill Fountain in Central Park with view of towers of San Remo building, New York City. The fountain is often mistaken by tourists as the one that appears in the opening credits of the TV show “Friends.” (Mehul Patel/Alamy Stock Photo)
“Cherry Hill is still a popular destination for enjoying views of the lake and the cherries blooming in the spring,” the Central Park Conservancy writes online.
“Although the Cherry Hill Fountain looks similar, the fountain in the show was in fact filmed at a studio in Los Angeles.”
4. Chandler’s office
Perry’s character works as a “transpondster” — monitoring data in an ominous skyscraper with a signature slope.
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It is actually the Solow Building at 9 West 57th St. in Midtown Manhattan.
“The One With the Monkey” from TV series “Friends” with Maggie Wheeler as Janice Hosenstein and Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing. (Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
The skyscraper is a celebrity in its own right.
“This famous building has also featured in other TV shows and films,” reports GoCity.com, including “Sex & the City,” “Zoolander” and “Superman,” among others.
5. Ross’s museum
The popularity of “Friends” made Ross the world’s most famous paleontologist, working at the New York Museum of Prehistoric History.
Scene from “The One Where Ross Finds Out” from TV series “Friends,” with David Schwimmer as Ross Geller and Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green. (Robert Isenberg/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
The prehistoric museum does not exist.
The stately building that played the part was actually one of Manhattan’s most famous landmarks, the American Museum of Natural History along Central Park.
It was the setting for “Friends” moments as monumental as its architecture.
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“Just in case you need your memory jogged,” DigitalSpy.com reports, “it’s where Ross and Rachel first do the deed, and lest we forget, was the setting for sandwich-gate.”
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