If you believe your television, NYC has some pretty great real estate… for cheap. How else could columnist Carrie Bradshaw afford such a spacious one bedroom and all those Manolos? How did chronically under-employed Monica Geller live in the heart of Greenwich Village? Padmapper has investigated five of our favorite TV shows and their characters' apartments to determine which shows keep it believable and which real estate is just too good to be true.
Not only do they break down each character's job, estimated financials and apartment stats, but the article also divulges some great behind-the-scenes extras. Did you know the outside shot of Jerry Seinfeld's apartment is actually a building in Los Angeles?
It's a fun read for any TV fan. Read the full article at Padmapper.
(Images: Paddmapper)
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30 Rock is my favorite because you know Liz Lemon is making enough money to be one of the wealthy but she doesn't dress or decorate ostentatiously, and her home is believably comfortable and upscale.
I always wondered how carrie could afford her lifestyle
FYI - the story was Monica lived in her grandmother's rent controlled apartment.
I think Carrie Bradshaw's was rent controlled also, there was that one episode where she had to either buy her apt. or she couldn't afford it anymore.
True, Carrie's apartment was rent controlled. She had to borrow bucks from Big in order to buy it when it turned condo. How she afforded the wardrobe on a writer's income, well, I've never heard of price controlled Manolo's.
@Pi, W86th and Riverside is pretty much the definition of wealthy - heart of the UWS on the water. If you read the article they estimate her income would be 1.5 million a year.
I love how Seinfeld had a HUGE Upper West Side apt. and he was a stand-up comedian in the show...not a famous one yet. And Carrie Bradshaw had a walk-in closet for her shoes. Just hilarious!
No one wants to watch a tv character living in a grungy roach-infested apartment. Remember when Carrie hooked up with that 20-something guy who used the last square of toilet paper to strain the coffee? Would you want to watch a show about that apartment for 4 years?
I liked Miranda's apartment the best. HBO had a feature on its site about each woman's apartment where you could look at the rooms in detail. I don't think it's live any longer but I enjoyed clicking around Miranda's place.
who is this carrie person you speak of?
joking.
who gives a flying hoot!
This is a weird side note, but did anybody else notice that Miranda's apartment in SATC is the same apartment used in the movie Friends With Kids?
Sex and the City used to bum me out. I knew a lot of people trying to keep up with that lifestyle and coat it with a "devil may care" attitude and I always felt like such a geek because I couldn't get on the bandwagon of 5000$ purses and 800$ shoes (much less work and run around town in them) and 100 bucks in cocktails every night. Years later...many people that were caught up in this while it was popular went quietly bankrupt. They couldn't afford it either, but were too ashamed to say that expensive shoes were out of their price range.
I remember a scene where Charlotte is made out to be an ass because she doesn't want to lend Carrie 40,000 in a a downpayment on her apartment.Carrie and Miranda are trying on shoes and Carrie says something about 100 pairs of Manolos only costing her 4000 dollars and Miranda is like "try 40,000". I was disappointed that the show made Charlotte sell her assets to give Carrie a leg up. Her financial irresponsibility wasn't cute and it's too bad so many young girls emulated it.
Yeah, I mean the point of things like these are "hey, reality check: maybe don't get yourself into debt emulating a lifestyle that is absolutely impossible for just about all of us." I think taking a deep look at lifestyles presented in the media has become increasingly important since the financial crisis, with everybody realizing that keeping up with the Joneses is utterly ridiculous, since the Joneses are basically the people on these shows who are living an impossibility. While nobody looks at these shows and consciously thinks "oh! this is a realistic depiction of what I can expect from my life!! I think I'll go buy a house I can't afford and fill it with furniture I also can't afford," the message still gets internalized when you see people living well, WELL beyond their means (or anyone in the 99%'s means). It is always worth giving yourself a conscious reality check and having a look at how things you see on TV might be effecting you and your desires, usually for the worse.
I for one appreciate this post as I'm one of those foreigners who (used to) stay awake at night wondering how on earth American TV characters could afford such places. I don't compare my real-life living situation to any of these TV characters because my only requirement has always been to be near the beach/sea.
@Portlandrules - I completely agree.
@Portlandrules--I agree with you too.
@ Portlandrules - me three. Back in the day, I watched dh's friends buy into this mentality. A few years later, I watched as one by one, they lost their fine houses. Many lost their furnishings as well as they were purchased with credit. Still, they drove around in their fancy cars & put on airs, while hiding the fact they were living in their parents' basement rec rooms as they were called back then. By the time we bought our home, a couple of dh's closest friends were still trying to recover from losing their second home. Financial promiscuity destroys families as well as the next addiction.
Every TV show I watch set in NYC seems to be about the filthy rich.