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The ‘Friends’ Experience Set To Open In Boston

Author Jeff Gorra

If you’ve ever wanted to explore any of the iconic apartments in the classic show Friends, now is your chance. The FRIENDS Experience will officially open in Boston on Friday, May 17.

Specifically, this exhibit will be located in the Back Bay at 343 Newbury St. Exploring the layout gives fans the opportunity to “enter the show.”

From the kitchen table in Monica’s apartment to the infamous two lounge chairs in Joey and Chandler’s apartment, this experience is filled with everything you remember from NBC’s show, which aired for ten seasons from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004.

“See a wide array of replica props and costumes, bringing you one step closer to your favorite characters,” the Friends Experience says.

Tickets will be available to purchase online soon, and a limited number of tickets at the door or standby tickets will be sold each day.

As you can imagine, part of the thrill here is the opportunity to take photos and selfies with you sitting on legendary items like the orange couch. Good news: the exhibit encourages photos and phone videos. Guests can then tag their social posts with the hastag #FriendsTheExperience for the chance to be shared on their official social platforms. Professional photography or video equipment is not allowed, however.

Other FRIENDS Experience Adventures

This Newbury Street experience is not actually the only opportunity in Boston to indulge in everything Friends. Just a few blocks down you will find Central Perk coffee shop.

“Central Perk has long been seen as the gathering place for locals to get a great cup of coffee and share moments with friends,” they say. Tom Colicchio from BravoTV’s Top Chef is the entrepreneur behind the coffee ship. Central Perk is open seven days per week starting at 7 AM. It, too, is modeled after the gathering spot from the show. It even includes creative visuals and items that replicate the actual Central Perk shown on TV.

As you know Friends, was based in New York. As such, the FRIENDS Experience has also set up shop there in addition to now opening in Boston on Friday. Earlier this year, there was also an exhibit in Miami. The arrival in Boston was announced in early March and met with much excitement.

If you can’t get enough Friends in your life, merchandise items are also for sale. The most popular items include a Central Perk coffee mug, a “How You Doin?” shirt, and a yellow picture frame.

Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.

From Pizza To Guitars Here Are Your Best I-95 Stops From Boston To New York

There are roughly 220 miles and four and half hours between Boston and New York. On the drive south (or return trip North), it’s likely you’ll need to make a pit stop. Whether it’s to accommodate a bathroom request, grab a bite to eat or get a breath of air, we’ve compiled a list of the best stops along I-95 on the Boston to New York drive.

We’ll assume here that we are driving south. Therefore, your journey begins in Massachusetts. You’ll pull past Providence and a few exit signs for T.F. Green Airport before enduring the meat of the trip. That would be a good two-plus hours through Connecticut, where you will surely slow down at some point. Finally, after trekking through the Constitution State, you start to see the exit sign numbers get down to single digits. The empire state awaits.

This journey can seem like a grueling effort up and down I-95. In a bigger picture, a four-hour route between two major markets is not really that much. Just ask the Midwest. If you want to drive from Chicago to Minneapolis, you are looking at close to a seven-hour drive, with only one state in the way. Nonetheless, the 1-95 Boston to New York route can be grueling. Therefore, we put together a collection of different stops to help make it more enjoyable.

Of course, this exercise does not include kids screaming in the backseat that need an immediate stop. Perhaps that’s another list. Here, we will pinpoint some pleasing attractions you would have the time to stop for. However, we won’t stray too far off the exits. And while taking 12 hours to play blackjack at Foxwoods would be a blast, we will narrow in on relatively short stops only.

So, let’s hop in the car and find the best stops from Boston to New York along I-95.

*Note – we are not going in order of stops from north to south. We are listing in an overall ranking format.

  • #1 Frank Pepe's Pizza

    We’ll start with the best thing to stop for. Pizza. Frank Pepe’s is a legendary establishment in the New Haven pizza scene. The good news here is that you have choices. If the original New Haven spot is too far off the path (or has a long wait), there’s also a location in Fairfield, CT at Exit 24.

     

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  • #2 Hoxie Scenic Overlook Point

    If you need a moment of fresh air or to loosen up the legs, this scenic lookout point offers a nice view of the Mystic River. There’s comfortable parking space, and its an easy pull off or on to the interstate. It’s not uncommon to find people taking photographs here as well.

    A view of the Mystic River in CT. Hoxie overlook

  • #3 Cafe Tempo Coffee House

    Sure there are dozens of Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts right along the path, but pulling into Cafe Tempo Coffee House in Warwick, Rhode Island is well worth the wait. A homemade banana hazelnut iced coffee makes any slow-moving traffic situation more manageable.

  • #4 Milford Service Area Rest Stop

    After all that pizza and coffee somebody is going to need a bathroom. At mile-marker 41, via southbound access, you will find a rest stop in Milford CT that is a direct pull-off I-95. You can fill up on gas, or more food if you still feel like snacking. There are plenty of fast food and candy options at this stop.

    Blue rest Area sign off the highway, pointing to the exit

  • #5 Bay State Vintage Guitars

    This is applicable on your way out or into Massachusetts. Bay State Vintage Guitars is a family owned shop has some of the nicest custom and vintage guitars available. Each instrument on the wall tells a story and his a history that goes back well beyond what’s considered classic rock. They are located on Washington St. in Norwood.

  • #6 Colony Grill

    Hot oil pizza is a thing in Connecticut and it’s delicious. Colony Grill in Stamford is bound to have whatever game that is live playing on their TV’s. Their menu consists of pizza and drinks, so you know they take their pie seriously. Like Pepe’s, you have a few choices in addition to Stamford. Their Fairfield location is also a stone’s throw off I-95.

     

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