Late Show with David Letterman

Visiting New York City sometime soon?

Well, if you are I suggest swinging by the Ed Sullivan Theater and catching a live taping of the Late Show.  You have to see Dave while he's still doing it!  Personally I have not been to a live taping of that particular show, but I wish I had done a little preparation and reserved tickets before visiting NY.  However, I have walked around the exterior of the building and it looks really cool.

The Ed Sullivan Theater has been around since 1936 and apparently was the location for the first United States Beatles performance according to Wikipedia.com.  Located just south of Central Park, the theater is easily accessible by foot, cab or subway.  If you don't know this by now, these late shows are taped in the afternoon anywhere from noon to 6pm.  Often, there is a wait to get into the taping so it can take several hours to just sit through an hour-long show.  Make sure you plan your trip accordingly.

Get your tickets here.

The Ed Sullivan Theater is located at:
1697 Broadway
New York, NY

Tom's Restaurant - Seinfeld

If you're even somewhat of a Seinfeld fan and you visit New York City, you must stop by Tom's Restaurant in upper Manhattan.  Located on the upper-west side just above the park, Tom's Restaurant is a local favorite and situated perfectly to serve students of Columbia University.

Just a brief rundown of New York City geography, Central Park runs from 59th Street to 110th Street.  Tom's Restaurant is located on the corner of Broadway and W 112th Street which is getting close to Harlem territory.  Harlem's boundaries vary depending on the area, but Central Harlem where the famous Apollo Theater is located is W 125th Street (just to give you an idea).

NBC's hit show Seinfeld used this small restaurant's exterior in hundreds of episodes as the local diner that Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer would frequent for a quality meal and to talk about "nothing."  The interior shots were done in a studio in Los Angeles as well as Jerry's apartment and many other inside filming scenes.  Even outside scenes where characters would be walking down the streets were filmed in Los Angeles on mock streets that were made to look like New York City.  You can tour those streets on the Universal Studios backlot tram tour.

The actual interior of Tom's Restaurant looks nothing like the set on television.  The real Tom's is much smaller but does have cool Seinfeld memorabilia on the walls.  I recommend stopping by and grabbing a quick burger (the service is fast and good, I've eaten here twice). 

Seinfeld is probably my favorite show of all time.  Like The Office, the episodes are quick, funny and well written.  So if you're a fan, swing by Tom's and snap some pictures like the one above where I'm enjoying the New York Times.

Tom's Restaurant is located at:
2880 Broadway
New York City, NY