If you ever wondered what New York City looked like in 1988, see the movie. Make that movies.
Five beloved films shot in this city are turning 30 this year. But although some of the backdrops have changed — along with the hair and fashions — many of their landmark attractions are still here, waiting to be rediscovered. From Tess McGill’s office in “Working Girl” to the fleabag hotel where Josh Baskin first crashes in “Big,” here’s where you’ll find them.
“Working Girl”
The story: Melanie Griffith plays Tess, a hardworking secretary whose career-making idea is stolen by her boss, Katharine (Sigourney Weaver). When Katharine breaks her leg skiing, Tess tries to reclaim her idea by passing herself off as the boss.
Iconic settings: The opening panorama shows Tess riding the Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty to work at 1 New York Plaza. Katharine’s office windows overlook New York Harbor, and the wedding Tess crashes to make her pitch takes place at a lavish venue called the Union Club.
What’s there now: The Staten Island Ferry still chugs past Lady Liberty and 1 New York Plaza still stands at South and Whitehall streets with harbor vistas. The Union Club is actually the Andrew Carnegie Mansion, 2 E. 91st St., home of the Cooper Hewitt museum.
Fun fact: For the opening scene, says location manager Richard Baratta, the filmmakers rented out the whole Staten Island Ferry for a day, “and we owned it for that morning.”
“Big”
The story: Twelve-year-old Josh finds a fortune-telling machine at a carnival and, tired of being told what to do, wishes to be “big.” He wakes up the next morning as a 30-year-old (Tom Hanks) and eventually discovers that adulthood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Iconic settings: You’ll see the George Washington Bridge in the background during the carnival scene. When adult Josh runs away from home, he stays in the less-than-luxe St. James Hotel in Midtown, and has the time of his life playing the piano keyboard at FAO Schwarz. Later, overwhelmed, he tracks down that fortune-telling machine and heads to Sea Point Park to reverse his wish.
What’s there now: The carnival scene was filmed at Ross Dock Picnic Area, just north of the bridge in Fort Lee, NJ. The St. James Hotel is actually the boutique Hotel St. James, at 109 W. 45th St. The scene at Sea Point Park, in which Josh asks to be a kid again, was filmed on the boardwalk of Playland Park, in Westchester. Alas, FAO Schwarz closed in 2015 — it’s now the a site of an Apple store.
Fun fact: Toy stores aren’t just for kids. “We were a movie crew of grown-ups with free reign inside [FAO Schwarz], and there was stuff like running around the aisles with all the toys and creating the big piano they danced on — it was a lot of fun,” says Baratta, who also managed locations on “Big.” “It was like we were all kids again.”
“Crossing Delancey”
The story: Thirty-something single Isabelle “Izzy” Grossman (Amy Irving) works in a Manhattan bookstore, where she hooks up with a celebrity writer. But her beloved bubbie (Reizl Bozyk) has other ideas. The matchmaker she hires to find Izzy a husband introduces her to Sam, the Pickle Man (a post-“Animal House” Peter Riegert). At first, Izzy’s appalled, but Sam charms her, if not with his skill at handball, then with a hat.
Iconic settings: The movie is largely set on the Lower East Side, where Bubbie’s apartment overlooks the Williamsburg Bridge. And yes, there’s an actual pickle shop here, too.
What’s there now: The bookstore was created inside 518 Washington St. in Hoboken — now a Mexican restaurant, Charritos Midtown. Parts of Bubbie’s home were filmed inside unit 23D at 154 Broome St., a public-housing building. Posner’s Pickles was Guss’ Pickles at 35 Essex St., now home to Delancey Wine. The handball court where Sam played to impress Izzy is still there.
Fun fact: Location manager Patty Doherty Hess recalls the search for Sam’s pickle store fondly. She says the Guss’ Pickles staff even taught Riegert how to sling the goods: “We went and rehearsed there with [Riegert] handling a barrel, handling a pickle … they became buddies.”
“Coming to America”
The story: Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) leaves his homeland of Zamunda with his assistant Semmi (Arsenio Hall) in search of his queen. The two head, aptly enough, to Queens, where, posing as an exchange student, Akeem romances Lisa McDowell (Shari Headley).
Iconic settings: In search of meager housing, Akeem and Semmi find a squalid tenement in an unidentified Queens slum. Akeem heads to a basketball game at Madison Square Garden with Lisa, her boyfriend Darryl (Eriq La Salle) and Lisa’s sister (Allison Dean), only to be recognized by one of his countrymen. When the jig is up, Akeem’s royal parents (James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair) head to New York and summon Akeem to the royal suite at the Waldorf Astoria.
What’s there now: That Queens slum was actually in Williamsburg. The building that’s home to their apartment stands at 390 S. Fifth St. (interiors were shot on a soundstage). Madison Square Garden’s still standing, of course, as is the Waldorf Astoria, now closed for renovations.
Fun fact: The fictional run-down nabe where Akeem and Semmi live was even more dicey than it appeared. “Once [the drug dealers] learned we had nothing to do with the police, they were friendly and made sure we had no problems because they didn’t want the police around,” recalls production assistant Quincy Gunderson.
“Married to the Mob”
The story: Angela de Marco (Michelle Pfeiffer) flees to Manhattan with her son, Joey, after her husband, Frank (Alec Baldwin), is murdered by his Mafia boss Tony Russo (Dean Stockwell). Tony, who has eyes for Angela, finds her in Manhattan. So does FBI agent Mike Downey (Matthew Modine), who’s hot on Tony’s trail.
Iconic settings: Frank is killed in the garish-looking Fantasia hotel, during a tryst with his mistress. Angela and Joey leave the burbs for a rundown apartment at Clinton and Rivington, where a tub stands in the kitchen.
What’s there now: The exterior of the Fantasia was shot at Westchester Manor, a banquet hall in Hastings-on-Hudson. And that run-down apartment Angela finds was shot at 71 Clinton St., where a two-bedroom rented this week for $2,600 a month.
Fun fact: Location scout Sasha Tsyrlin thought Westchester Manor’s “elaborate exterior” could match the over-the-top rooms of the Fantasia. When hunting for the place where Angela could find a new life, the location team scouted the least-suburban nabe of all: the Lower East Side. “At the time,” says location assistant Neri Tannenbaum, “it was considered the most bohemian place you could be.”