Where To Go In New York City For Celebrity Sightings: Part Two
If we’re being brutally honest, the two hotspots in America for celebrity sightings are Los Angeles and New York. Most A-listers own property in both major cities. If you’re in theater, you’re in the Big Apple. If you’re in TV and movies, you’re in Hollywood.
And since I live so close to New York City, there’s a constant buzz about where everyone’s favorite celebrity is at all times. Just yesterday, my friend texted me that she was in the box at a Yankee game next to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
As a New Yorker, just step out your door and you’ve got a great chance of seeing someone from your TV screen. You’ve you’ve spent virtually dozens of hours over season after season with these actors. So don’t be shocked if you automatically respond to them as if you’ve run into a long lost friend — and they shrink back in horror.
I was reminded of an episode of How I Met Your Mother, where they all continuously see Regis Philbin throughout the city. It was such a common recurrence, that no one cared when they saw him anymore.
Whether you’re traveling to New York City for business or pleasure, or you’ve lived here your entire life and want to search out some familiar faces…There are many places you can venture to in order to make this happen.
Thanks to celebrity gossip site, Deuxmoi, there’s actually a segment dedicated to celeb sightings in the wild. There’s a simple pattern to where celebrities go in New York City if you just pay a little attention.
There’s Erewhon and Sushi Park in Los Angeles, there’s Four Charles and The Box in NYC. You could even try sitting in Central Park and double as an extra in a film if you wanted.
If you’re looking for more places to go in NYC that are guaranteed to pack some star power, here are a few more recs for you:
Lucali
Celebs: The spot where Jay-Z and Beyonce ate instead of attending the 2012 Grammy’s. A date night favorite for Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.
Cuisine: Old school Italian, wood-fired pizzas, gobs of cheese. An intimate place with date night vibes and cozy ambience.
Emilio’s Ballato
Celebs: A girls night spot for Blake Lively, Brittany Mahomes, Taylor Swift, and more. A popular joint for Barack Obama and George Clooney. New York athletes and movie stars galore.
Cuisine: Universally loved Italian comfort food in a joint that’s been around since 1956. Italian-American fusion that everyone should partake in once in their lives — at least.
Banzarbar
Celebs: Good enough for Taylor Swift’s birthday party and a star-studded guest list with names including Sabrina Carpenter, Gigi Hadid, Zoe Kravitz, and many more.
Cuisine: Eclectic cocktails circa the 19th century. Combining modernism and classics, you’ll never have a drink like these.
Ray’s
Celebs: A celebrity hotspot. Think Swift, the Hadids, Lana Del Rey, Dua Lipa, Zoe Kravitz, Dave Chappelle. Partly owned by Nicholas Braun and Justin Theroux.
Cuisine: A funky dive bar with bad cell service (which is kind of the point for celebs.)
MAMO
Celebs: With a famous sister-restaurant in Paris, MAMO SoHo attracts stars like Rihanna, Samuel L. Jackson, Magic Johnson, and more.
Cuisine: More Italian food. Don’t blame me, the celebs love their Italian.
Central Park
Celebs: All of them. Seriously, just hang out for a while and keep your eyes open. My friend saw Jason Bateman the other day while she was heading home from work.
Cuisine: The hot dog vendor. They’re not there for the food — they’re there to go for a run around the reservoir, take a walk or film something.
Torrisi
Celebs: Where Barry Keoghan and Sabrina Carpenter had a steamy date night that confirmed they had not broken up.
Cuisine: You guessed it…Italian.
The Mercer Hotel
Celebs: Deep inhale. Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Marc Jacobs, Kanye West, Hailey Bieber, Leonardo DiCaprio, Justin Timberlake, Zendaya, Doja Cat, Jay-Z…are you convinced yet, or should I keep going?
Cuisine: Not really for the food…more for the stay. But, The Mercer Hotel does have terrific cuisine considering it’s a top-notch, high-profile Manhattan hotel with some of the most high-profile clientele. Pro tip: go during NY Fashion Week.
