I spent a lot of time this winter curled up on my couch watching TV. No matter what time I turned it on, Friends was playing. It made me wonder: how many hours of my life have I spent watching reruns of Friends? Hhhmmm… I think the total might amount to complete months of my life. Maybe even more!

I watched Friends when it first aired in the 90’s. I was a twentysomething out on my own for the first time, and I was a huge fan. Then my son got hooked on the show during his teens, then my daughter in hers.

I’ve got whole episodes memorized at this point. When my daughter and I visited NYC, I did a Google search to see whether there was a Central Perk coffee shop. There is! And an entire FRIENDS Experience to take part in, too!

Tickets for The FRIENDS Experience are timed to limit the amount of people touring the displays at once. They start off by explaining what the experience will be like. Visitors move in small groups from room to room, so no place is ever too crowded to experience all your favorite sets and the little details that make this an interactive museum. It was so much fun to wander through the sets and museum displays of scripts, costumes they wore, Phoebe’s cab, etc.

There were lots of Photo Ops with familiar props like the couch. “Pivot!”

My daughter posed behind Chandler’s wardrobe that Joey wore while going “commando.”

Central Perk

We got coffee at Central Perk. No Gunther. No Rachel. But it was nice to sit and enjoy the idea of being in the coffee shop where Rachel brings her new boyfriend Russ to meet the gang. If only Phoebe had been there singing Smelly Cat!

Then we made our way up to the most iconic doors in TV history.

The Apartments

Once we went into the rooms made up like the sets of the guys’ and girls’ apartments, we had access to the set and could pretend to be our favorite characters! We tried out the La-Z-Boy recliners that Chandler and Joey vegged in for days watching Baywatch.

We played a game of foosball – but Monica could have beat either one of us with one hand behind her back.

Next, the fantastic purple apartment that everyone except Ross lived in at some point.

You’ll be glad to know that the place is “Monica Clean.” There were hand sanitizers everywhere. And everything was very orderly.

I wish there’d been some wedding dresses to try on. We could have re-enacted my favorite episode. We did get to try poking Ugly Naked Guy with the long chopstick pole. There were reminders of so many episodes as we wandered through the multi-level experience. Then we exited through the gift shop where my daughter got a new plush Hugsy, just like Joey’s.

It was so much fun to experience this while we were in New York City. If you’re a fan of the show, I highly recommend.

Which episode of Friends is your favorite?