You’re standing on the corner of 55th and Broadway, looking for a giant neon sign that says "MacLaren’s Pub." You won't find it. Honestly, it’s the biggest heartbreak for fans landing in the city for the first time. The bar where Ted, Marshall, Lily, Barney, and Robin spent roughly 13% of their adult lives doesn't actually exist in the way you see it on screen. But how I met your mother nyc is more than just a backlot in California; it’s a love letter to a version of Manhattan that feels incredibly lived-in, even if most of the "streets" were actually 3,000 miles away on a 20th Century Fox soundstage.
New York is a character. That's a cliché, right? Everyone says it about Sex and the City or Friends. But with HIMYM, the city acts more like a chaotic roommate who refuses to pay rent but always knows where to get the best burger.
The MacLaren’s Myth and McGee’s Reality
If you want the "real" experience, you head to McGee’s Pub on West 55th Street. This is the spot that inspired Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, the show’s creators. They spent a ridiculous amount of time there while writing for The Late Show with David Letterman.
Step inside McGee’s and the vibe shifts. You’ll see the padded booths. You’ll see the wood paneling. It feels right. They’ve leaned into the fame, obviously, offering "Suit Up" cocktails and "The Naked Man" burgers. It’s a bit touristy now, but it’s the closest you’ll get to the soul of the show. The actual MacLaren’s was named after Carl MacLaren, an associate producer on the show.
Inside the show’s universe, MacLaren’s is located right under Ted and Marshall’s apartment. In reality, McGee’s is a standalone pub in Midtown, which—if we're being pedantic—is a bit of a hike from the Upper West Side where the gang supposedly lived.
Where exactly was the apartment?
Ted's apartment is supposedly located on the Upper West Side, specifically at 75th and Amsterdam. If you go there, you’ll find a beautiful neighborhood, but you won't find that specific entryway.
The Upper West Side (UWS) was the perfect choice for the show’s setting. It’s residential. It’s slightly more "intellectual" than the West Village, which fits Ted’s architect persona perfectly. He’s the guy who wants to live near the Museum of Natural History so he can look at the blue whale whenever he’s depressed.
Think about the "Dowisetrepla" episode.
Do you remember that?
Down Wind of the Sewage Treatment Plant.
That was a satirical take on the real-estate boom in neighborhoods like Long Island City or the far reaches of the West Side Highway. NYC real estate is a recurring villain in the series, much like it is for anyone trying to live there with a teacher's salary or a struggling actor's "paycheck."
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The "Best Burger in New York" Quest
In "The Best Burger in New York" (Season 4, Episode 2), the gang goes on a frantic hunt for a specific green-doored hole-in-the-wall.
Ted describes it with such reverence it sounds like a religious experience. While the specific "Corner Bistro" is mentioned as a decoy, the real inspiration is often debated. Many fans point to 7th Street Burger or the classic P.J. Clarke’s as the spiritual successors to that mythical burger joint.
Actually, the show used a fictionalized version, but the locations they pass—like the 21 Club—are very real. That episode captures the true New York anxiety: the fear that you’ve found the best version of something and might never find it again because the city is constantly eating itself and rebuilding.
The Empire State Building and the "No-No" List
Barney Stinson’s obsession with the Empire State Building is legendary.
"International Suit Up Day" and his various "Plays" often revolve around these massive landmarks.
But here’s the thing: New Yorkers don’t actually go to the Empire State Building unless they have relatives visiting from out of town. The show nails this dynamic. The characters treat the city’s landmarks as backdrops to their own personal dramas rather than destinations.
When Robin is feeling lonely and walks through Central Park, or when Marshall goes to the American Museum of Natural History to hide from his responsibilities, it feels authentic. They use the public spaces as their living rooms because their actual living rooms are cramped.
Gray’s Papaya and the New Year’s Eve Struggle
Every New Yorker has a love-hate relationship with New Year’s Eve.
The episode "The Limo" is perhaps the most accurate depiction of a New York night out ever televised.
The traffic.
The high expectations.
The inevitable disappointment.
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They end up at Gray’s Papaya on 72nd and Broadway. This is a real institution. It’s one of the few places left where you can get a cheap, decent hot dog and a "recession special." Seeing the characters huddled there in their formal wear, eating cheap franks, is the most how I met your mother nyc moment in the entire nine-season run. It captures the bridge between the glamour people expect and the gritty reality they get.
The Architecture of Ted Mosby’s Dreams
Ted is an architect, so the show frequently references real-world buildings.
The Corinthian Columns at 55 Broad Street or the Hearst Tower—these are the things Ted geeks out over.
There’s a real tension in how the show treats the skyline.
The fictional "GNB Building" (Goliath National Bank) that Ted eventually designs is meant to be a modern marvel that changes the skyline.
In the real NYC, this would involve years of community board meetings, protests, and lawsuits.
The show skips the red tape and goes straight to the romanticism of "making your mark" on the city.
Why the "Vibe" Matters More Than the Geography
If you try to map out the characters’ movements, you’ll realize the geography makes zero sense.
They jump from the Upper West Side to Brooklyn to Midtown in minutes.
In reality, that’s a 45-minute subway ride on a good day, and an hour-and-a-half nightmare on a weekend when the L train isn't running.
But that's not why people search for how I met your mother nyc.
They search for it because the show captured the feeling of being 27 and lost in a city of millions.
It’s about the fact that your local bar becomes your sanctuary.
It’s about the "Woo Girls" in the Meatpacking District.
It’s about the "Spitting Man" on the subway.
The show uses real locations to anchor the absurdity.
When Marshall is searching for the burger place, he mentions passing a "strip club next to a Christian reading room."
That is a very "Old New York" image that has mostly been gentrified away, but it’s rooted in the truth of how the city used to look.
The Farhampton Connection
Even the escape from the city is a New York staple.
Farhampton is a fictionalized version of the Hamptons (specifically likely Montauk or East Hampton).
The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) scenes?
Painfully accurate.
The yellow tickets, the dingy stations, the specific "drunk train" vibe of the last train out of Penn Station—anyone who has lived in NYC and ventured to the islands knows that feeling. It’s the ritual of the exit.
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Real HIMYM Locations You Can Visit
If you’re planning a pilgrimage, don't just look for the set. Look for the spirit.
- McGee’s Pub (55th St): The inspiration for MacLaren’s. Order the shepherd's pie.
- Gray’s Papaya (72nd & Broadway): Get the recession special. It’s still there, somehow surviving the rent hikes.
- The American Museum of Natural History: Specifically the Hall of Ocean Life. This is where the "Smithsonian" gala happened (though that was filmed elsewhere, the location is real).
- The Empire State Building: Go to the observation deck, but do it at 2:00 AM like a real person with a bad idea.
- Staten Island Ferry: Remember the "Staten Island Ferry" episode? It’s free. It’s the best view of the city you’ll get for $0.00.
The Myth of the "New York Magic"
A lot of people think HIMYM is unrealistic because the characters have huge apartments.
Actually, compared to Friends, Ted and Marshall’s place is almost believable.
It’s a walk-up.
It’s messy.
It has a leaky roof at one point.
The "magic" of the city in the show isn't that everything is perfect; it’s that even when everything is falling apart—when you’re dumped on your birthday or you lose your job—there’s a bar downstairs with four people waiting for you.
That is the ultimate New York fantasy.
Not the penthouse.
The community.
Actionable Tips for Your Own NYC "HIMYM" Tour
If you want to experience the city like the gang, you have to avoid the high-end tourist traps.
- Skip the fancy rooftop bars. Go to a dive bar in Hell's Kitchen or the Upper West Side. Look for places with Christmas lights up in July and a bartender who looks like they’ve seen too much.
- Walk the Brooklyn Bridge at night. It’s a long walk, and it’s where a lot of the show’s "coming to terms with adulthood" moments feel most resonant.
- Eat a hot dog on a street corner. It doesn't have to be Gray's, but it has to be fast.
- Visit the Rose Main Reading Room at the NYPL. Ted would definitely spend time here. It’s quiet, grand, and reminds you that the city has a history longer than your own problems.
- Take the LIRR to a random stop. Just to feel the specific "commuter's dread" that Marshall experiences.
The city has changed since the show ended in 2014.
The "HIMYM" version of NYC is a bit more analog, a bit more grounded in the early 2000s transition.
But the landmarks remain.
The Empire State Building still glows different colors.
The taxis are still yellow (mostly).
And people are still moving here every single day, hoping to find their own version of a booth at MacLaren’s.
To truly find the how I met your mother nyc experience, you have to stop looking for the exact filming locations and start looking for the moments: the late-night diner runs, the accidental adventures in the wrong borough, and the realization that the people you're with are more important than the place you're standing.
Go to 55th Street. Have a drink at McGee's. Then go find your own "best burger" and argue about it with your friends for three hours. That’s the most authentic way to honor the show.