Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross are there for you. But their favorite orange sofa may not be.
To celebrate Friends 25th anniversary, Warner Bros. Television wants to temporarily install a replica couch from the show’s Central Perk coffee shop on a sidewalk near 90 Bedford St.—the exterior used as the home of Monica, Rachel, Chandler, and Joey.
But locals are not on board with the publicity stunt, scheduled to begin Sept. 21.
“That block [at the corner of Bedford and Grove] already gets too many tourists and it’s not capable of containing large crowds,” Joe Gallagher, a Greenwich Village resident and Community Board 2 member, told the New York Post.
At least 400 sightseers a day, according to Bedford Street resident Rezar Skoda.
“They take pictures all day and all night. I come outside and there’s 20 people hanging out on my stoop or taking a pee around the corner,” Skoda said. “To close off the street or a section of the sidewalk would make it crazy.”
The exterior used as the home of Monica, Rachel, Chandler, and Joey on “Friends” (via Ajay Suresh)
Warner Bros. has turned a deaf ear to residents’ complaints, though.
The TV producers filed an application with Manhattan’s Street Activity Permit office for a full sidewalk closure of Bedford Street, between Barrow and Grove streets.
But company reps failed to attend the Aug. 12 Community Board 2 meeting, where seven tenants expressed “grave” concerns, the Post reported.
One West Village resident called it a “foolish and disruptive proposal,” arguing that the sidewalk is too narrow to contain the expected hordes of fans.
“There’s no real significance to that building,” Gallagher said, “for it to disrupt the residents and businesses on that block.”
In a strictly advisory move, CB2 unanimously resolved to deny the event permit. The application, however, can still be approved by the Street Activity Permit office.
“We are excited to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Friends in New York City next month,” a Warner Bros. Television spokesperson told the Post. “We were not aware of the community board meeting … or we would have absolutely been there to discuss the proposed event. We are hopeful we can still move forward with the permit and create a unique experience for fans.”
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