The Press in New York | Welcome to Chandler and Monica’s

On the occasion of the 30th^e anniversary of the legendary series, The Press visited The Friends Experience

The Press took advantage of a recent stay in New York to visit an exhibition dedicated to Friends. A fun and highly Instagrammable activity that shows that after 30 years, the series still enjoys incredible popularity.

The sitcom created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane may have premiered on September 22, 1994, but you’d swear it’s one of the trending titles of 2024, so omnipresent is it in the public space. That’s why we should have known that by booking our ticket on a Saturday morning, the chances of us going The Friends Experience in relative privacy were rather thin.

Seeing about thirty people waiting on Lexington Avenue at 9:45 a.m., about fifteen minutes before the doors opened, our fears were realized: we were going to have to share the space with many other motivated tourists.

But more than anything, the queue showed how wide the show, starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, casts its net in terms of age, nationality, gender and more.

In front of us, a young German couple in their early twenties who were passing the time by smoking cigarettes, further away, an American family composed of dad, mom and three children, and right behind, four Quebecers, including a super fan who seemed determined to prove to the whole world that she knew the series better than anyone; she spoke loudly and recited lines by heart. (Yes, it was often very annoying, but we would have liked to face her in a thematic quiz Friendsto see which of us had the best command of the subject.)

Designed by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment, Original X Productions and Warner Bros. Television Group, The Friends Experience is aimed at die-hards. The price of the passes reflects this. A regular adult ticket costs $59.75 US on weekends ($57 on weekdays), plus or minus $80 CAD depending on the current exchange rate.

Will a novice fan who would likely remain unmoved by a giant version of Hugsy (Joey’s stuffed penguin) find it worthwhile, given the prices? Hard to say.

One thing is for sure, the addict who writes these lines would go back without hesitation. Take my money, I want a new photo in front of the fountain in the credits!

Photo opportunities

Speaking of photos, don’t forget your smartphone, because the exhibit seems to have been designed and built to meet the image needs of Instagram users. Photo stations abound, and all employees have clearly been instructed to accept, with a smile, to immortalize the moment every time someone hands them a cellphone.

The main settings of Friends have all been meticulously recreated, including – of course – Monica’s apartment. You can even climb over the balcony and try to catch a glimpse of Ugly Naked Guy, somewhere in the distance. Another interesting detail when you explore the kitchen: you can pretend to taste Rachel’s famous “traditional trifle”, the dessert she fails miserably in one of the Thanksgiving specials.

The sets of Central Perk, the coffee shop where the entire group spent their days instead of going to work, have also been recreated, as have those of Chandler and Joey’s four-and-a-half, including a foosball table, large ceramic dog statue and recliners.

One of the most popular large-scale reproductions in the exhibition is undoubtedly the staircase that Ross, Chandler and Rachel unsuccessfully attempt to lift a three-seater sofa up at the beginning of season five. As we posed and pretended to force ourselves by lifting the enormous sofa, we just wanted to scream “Pivot!” at the top of our lungs.

The real ones know

The Friends Experience also includes more “conventional” portions, such as this room dedicated to the characters’ costumes. The video in which designer Debra McGuire explains the sextet’s looks is particularly interesting.

The exhibits include everything from Phoebe’s three-dimensional Gladys and Glynnis paintings, the newspaper clipping announcing Monica and Chandler’s engagement… with a portrait of Monica and Joey (Chandler couldn’t smile naturally), Rachel’s Pepto-Bismol pink bridesmaid dress, Ross’ giant armadillo costume (“The Holiday Armadillo”) to raise awareness of Hanukkah for Ben, and more.

“Oh. My. God,” as Janice would say.

As written above, the geeks will get their money’s worth. And just before leaving the exhibit, some of them will shell out an additional $30 to buy the “professional” photos taken along the way.

So far, The Friends Experience has stopped in 25 cities in 8 countries. A first exhibition in Latin America has just been announced, in São Paulo, Brazil. The major cities currently hosting the expo are, in addition to New York, Paris, Boston, Las Vegas, London and Sydney, Australia.

Visit the exhibition website (in English)