Museums
NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY (170 CENTRAL PARK WEST, NEW YORK, NY 10024): Every romcom must include an event where people are dressed up and dancing. It’s the law. I had the New Year’s Eve gala set here since I wrote the first version of the story in 2018. In 2022, I came here with my mom because it was an easy walk from our friend’s apartment, and lo-and-behold, the actual Historical Society put on an exhibit about Jewish deli culture titled “I’ll Have What She’s Having.” I manifested it!
THE FRICK COLLECTION (1 E 70TH ST., NEW YORK, NY 10021): One of my favorite museums, this is the former home and collection of a famous robber baron, as Ari points out. It’s more intimate and easy to tackle than the Met.
BROOKLYN MUSEUM (200 EASTERN PKWY., BROOKLYN, NY 11238): Ari canvasses in front of this museum in the first scene of the book. This part of Brooklyn offers so much of what makes Manhattan exciting, but at a slightly more manageable scale. Case in point: the grandeur of the Brooklyn Museum, which sits adjacent to Prospect Park.
Points of Interest
RAMBLE STONE ARCH (CENTRAL PARK, OAK BRIDGE, NEW YORK, NY 10024): Picturesque little arch where Josh and Ari kiss on New Year’s Eve. There’s a trick to finding your way around Central Park (the light posts have a numerical code that corresponds to the cross streets) but the paths in the Ramble are so curvy that you will get lost. Enjoy.
GREYSHOT ARCH (CENTRAL PARK WEST & W 61ST ST., NEW YORK, NY 10023): This is the arch Ari and Josh pass under after witnessing the proposal at The Frick. It does smell a bit like a basement as you pass underneath.
STUYVESANT HIGH SCHOOL (345 CHAMBERS ST., NEW YORK, NY 10282): One of NYC’s specialized public schools and Josh’s alma mater. (He’s an overachiever.) Also a tribute to my amazing, overachieving college friends who grew up as cool NYC kids.
About the Author
Kate Goldbeck grew up in a literal village and always dreamed of living in New York, even though her parents warned her that the apartments on Friends were not realistic. In college, she studied film and art history—limiting her employment prospects to “film museum.” This line of work did not lead to sitcom-sized living arrangements. Since earning a master’s degree at an engineering school, she’s designed award-winning museum exhibits and immersive experiences all over the world. She adores bantering with her partner, falling asleep to British audiobook narrators, and scratching dogs behind the ears.