Manhattan

Free Coffee with Friends: Central Perk

By Denise Oliveira

Lots of coffee shops around New York City will give out free coffee on Monday in observance of National Coffee Day. But only one will transport you back 20 years, to those Thursday nights when you’d hurry home to catch the latest episode of Friends. The Central Perk pop-up coffee shop in Soho is a replica of the famed hangout spot where the 6 Friends spent much of their time.

Part coffee shop (the coffee is free every day, and a sponsor of the pop-up, Eight O’Clock Coffee, has even created a limited edition Central Perk Roast that you can buy to take home), part museum (some of the cast’s outfits; signed pilot and finale scripts; and of course, “smelly cat” memorabilia), and part photo booth (you can actually sit on the couch and get your photo taken), the pop has also been hosting special events, including a recent appearance by the actor who played Gunther (James Michael Tyler). In the back, a large screen plays episodes of the show.

Special activities and giveaways are in the works for Monday (September 29).

Location: 199 Lafayette Street, in Soho (corner of Broome). On a recent afternoon, the line outside went around the block and it took about an hour and a half to get in.

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