An ‘And Just Like That…’ Guide to New York City

11.08.2023 - 15:49 / cntraveler.com / Alain Ducasse

Has there ever been a fictional character with a more glamorized lifestyle than Carrie Bradshaw? She’s worn designer bags as well as shoes that have sold out immediately afterwards, made Magnolia Bakery world-famous, and, this past summer, even had a pop-up “experience” dedicated to her in an empty space in SoHo. One doesn’t need to “couldn’t-help-but-wonder” why: Carrie made being single and living in New York seem like an endless, well-dressed adventure, where carriage rides in Central Park with romantic millionaires, fabulous parties in Tribeca, and trips to the Vogue closet were always in reach. So when visiting New York City, it’s always fun to see the sites that made up her fantasy.

Many of the places featured in Sex and the City have closed since the show ended in 2004 (RIP Barneys). However, as And Just Like That season two airs on HBO, a new set of hotspots serve as the setting for Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte—as well as new additions Lisa, Nya, and Seema’s—escapades.

Below, an And Just Like That guide to New York City.

After an initial address mixup, Carrie and Aiden reunite at Benoit, the Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse restaurant. This year, Benoit is celebrating its 15th-year anniversary—an accomplishment for any business, especially one in the notoriously difficult New York City hospitality field.

It’s as close as one can get to a classic French bistro this side of the Atlantic: their onion soup is divine, as is its escargot. Although And Just Like That didn’t show what Carrie and Aiden got for dessert, we’d like to imagine it was their famous chocolate soufflé.

Whereas Sex and the City saw Carrie and co going to an adventurous array of watering holes to pick up men—who remembers the fireman calendar contest on Staten Island?—And Just Like That… shows Seema, Nya, and Carrie going to the bar five-star Baccarat Hotel. (Seema assures the crew it’s “the place to meet single men”—and she’s right, they do.) The 60-foot bar offers fine wines and exquisitely crafted cocktails, all served in Baccarat Crystal and under Baccarat chandeliers.

The glamorous bar at the five-star Baccarat Hotel.

Seema has a disastrous lunch with Zed and his ex-wife at Daniel, Daniel Bouloud’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Midtown. It’s one of New York’s most critically acclaimed and fanciest eateries—the main dining room serves a four-course prix-fixe menu or a seven-course tasting menu–however, for more casual a la carte dining, you can sit in their lounge.

Herbert and Lisa have drinks at The Mark Bar to celebrate being child-free after they send their kids off to summer camp. Designed by Jacques Grange, the room’s cow print couches have always attracted a glamorous Upper East-side set looking to grab martinis after