Where was How I Met Your Mother filmed?
2005
City Locations
Los Angeles, New York (USA)
Location Types
Bar, Restaurant, University, Film Studio, Cafe, Storefront
Location Styles
Americana, Art Deco, Colonial, Industrial Style
About How I Met Your Mother
Craig Thomas and Carter Bays were the brains responsible for creating How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM), which was initially broadcasted on CBS from 2005 to 2014. The riveting sitcom follows Ted Mosby (Bob Saget) and his group of friends living in New York City's Manhattan borough. Ted narrates to his children the riveting story about how he met their mother.
Ted primarily narrates the show via flashbacks from the future, and in each episode, he evokes memories that recount with humor and wit his journey toward meeting his eventual wife and the mother of his children. Along the way, he encounters hurdles that test his friendships with Marshall (Jason Segel), Lily (Alyson Hannigan), Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), and Robin (Cobie Smulders).
How I Met Your Mother was critically acclaimed throughout its nine-season run. The show earned a total of 95 award nominations, out of which it won 26. In 2010, Alyson Hannigan was awarded the People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Comedy Actress.
Seven years after its release, Neil Patrick Harris won the Favorite TV Comedy Actor award twice. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the show received the People's Choice Award for Favorite Network TV Comedy in 2012.
How I Met Your Mother Locations
How I Met Your Mother went into production in 2005, and the show graced our screens until 2014. While the sitcom is set in New York City, the bulk of filming took place in Los Angeles, California. The majority of scenes were filmed at a soundstage studio in Los Angeles. Further filming was also done on-site in New York, which allowed for a more authentic backdrop to the show.
In particular, McGee's Bar, located at 240 W. 55th St., which served as the basis for MacLaren's Pub, was used regularly to film various scenes. In addition to the impeccable cityscape as its backdrop, famous landmarks like Central Park and Times Square were frequently recorded during production, adding an air of familiarity and authenticity to the show.
HIMYM fans would most likely be rewarded with a trip to the show’s filming locations. Getting up close to Central Park or Times Square, from the same angles used in the show can evoke nostalgia for viewers who have watched Ted and the gang through their shenanigans.
To recreate Ted Mosby’s epic journey, his run through Central Park on Valentine’s Day while searching for Stella’s daughter or his final goodbye at Farhampton station should be some of the points of reference.
Fun Facts:
Besides bringing the highly hilarious series to our screens, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas also performed and wrote the HIMYM theme song. The duo co-founded The Solid, a band that is also behind the catchy number from one of the show’s episodes “Nothing Suits Me Like A Suit.”
MacLaren’s bar scenes in How I Met Your Mother
McGee’s Pub, 240 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019, USA
One of the most memorable How I Met Your Mother scenes takes place at the gang’s favorite watering hole, the MacLaren’s bar. In The Pineapple Incident episode, Ted (Josh Radnor) calls Robin (Cobie Smulders) while she is on a date, after deciding to take several shots. He brags about his ability to handle alcohol, saying he's been "vomit-free since '93."
The scene gets even more hilarious when he starts singing and falls off a table. In the episode dubbed Three Days Of Snow, Ted and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) express their desire to co-own a bar. They are then allowed to fulfill their dream when a snowstorm hits, and they get to manage MacLaren's temporarily.
MacLaren's Pub was based on McGee’s Pub (240 W. 55th St.) in Manhattan's Upper West Side. Despite not being the same as MacLaren's, McGee's has its unique appeal thanks to its comfortable booths and decorated walls.
In the show, the pub is Carl MacLaren, named after Carter Bays' production assistant who worked on HIMYM from 2005 to 2014. Not only does McGee’s offer HIMYM-inspired fares such as the TedMosbyIsAJerk.com wrap, Slutty Pumpkin, and Pineapple Incident, but it also hosts How I Met Your Mother trivia nights Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
The famous bar is a short ride from Lower Manhattan to 240 W 55th St, and you can get there by taking the M15 bus and transferring to a Metro line.
Gray’s Papaya scene in How I Met Your Mother
2090 Broadway, New York, NY 10023, USA
In the first season, episode 11, Ted and his friends plan the perfect New Year's Eve night by visiting five different parties in three hours. This plan ends with them stopping at Gray’s Papaya for hot dogs.
The same location was featured in several other shows, including You’ve Got Mail, Sex and the City, Glee, and The Michael J. Fox Show. It is best known for its “Recession Special, ” which includes two hot dogs and a 14-ounce drink for $4.45.
The chain's first restaurant, located at 2090 Broadway at 72nd Street, was founded in 1973 by Nicholas Gray, a former partner of Papaya King. The appearance of this beloved establishment in a significant sitcom gave it more notoriety than ever before, inspiring an unofficial HIMYM-themed sandwich called "The Slutty Pumpkin."
To grab a hotdog from the HIMYM filming location, get there by hopping on either the 1 or 2 subway line to 72nd Street station.
The gang takes Robin's sister to the Empire State Building scene in How I Met Your Mother
Empire State Building, 20 W 34th St., New York, NY 10001, USA
In the season 2 episode titled First Time in New York, the gang takes Katie (Lucy Hale) to the Empire State Building. This New York City landmark serves as the backdrop for a hilarious scene in which Robin, Ted, Marshall (Jason Segel), and Lily (Alyson Hannigan) each reveal the amusing stories behind how they lost their virginity.
The Empire State Building is one of the most recognizable buildings in Manhattan and has been featured in countless movies over the years. The building stands 1,454 feet tall with 102 floors and two observatory decks on the 86th and 102nd floors. It is open to visitors year-round from 8 am to 2 am, offering spectacular views of downtown Manhattan and beyond
Once inside, visitors have access to elevators that take them up to the observation deck where they can marvel at some of New York's most famous landmarks, including Central Park, One World Trade Center, Brooklyn Bridge, and more.
The Empire State Building is located in midtown Manhattan at 350 Fifth Avenue and is easily accessible by subway or taxi. In addition, any subway line to 34th Street-Herald Square Station or taking any bus southbound on 5th Avenue or Madison Avenue can get you a few blocks from the building.
Robin wakes up in Toronto, Canada scene in How I Met Your Mother
Ontario Bar, 559 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211, USA
Robin, a retired Canadian teen pop star, frequently visits Hoser Hut, which represents Canadian culture. The wearing hole has a photo of Paul Shaffer, a Canadian musician, hung up on the walls.
In the season 4 episode titled Little Minnesota, Robin accidentally wakes up in Toronto after a night of heavy drinking with the Canadian women's curling team. To cure her hangover, she drinks Tim Horton's coffee.
Ontario Bar (559 Grand St., Brooklyn) is a Canada-themed bar located in Williamsburg that serves drinks such as Molson, Moosehead, and Labatt Blue, 10 varieties of Canadian whiskey, and other typical bar snacks.
It has an air-hockey table and a jukebox featuring music by Canadian artists like Arcade Fire and Neil Young to create an authentic Canadian atmosphere. There are 11 Tim Hortons locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City, too — perfect for a hangover remedy!
To get to Ontario Bar, take the L train and hop off at Bedford Avenue station and walk east for a few minutes to Grand Street.
Ted's job at the university scene in How I Met Your Mother
Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
The season 5 episode dubbed Definitions is when Ted accidentally finds himself in the wrong classroom on his first day as a professor at Columbia University. As he arrives to lecture his new Architecture 101 students, he soon finds out, to his horror, that he's not in the right place. He mistakenly wandered into an Economics 305 class instead.
Unbeknownst to him, the class would prove pivotal for his future. Four seasons later, it is revealed that Ted's mysterious future wife (Cristin Milioti) was one of the students in that class. The school scenes were filmed at 116th Street and Broadway, known as College Walk on Columbia University's main campus in New York City.
While this intersection happens to sit between two of NYC’s most prestigious universities, Columbia and Barnard Colleges, the same building at which the HIMYM scene takes place doesn't exist on either campus. However, with a few creative liberties taken by showrunners, they managed to make it look like it could have been filmed there.
Suppose you're looking for a modern-day reenactment of this memorable How I Met Your Mother scene, get there by taking either the 1/2/3 or B/C subway lines up to 116th Street and Broadway and then walking to College Walk.
Marshall bets that Barney can’t cook the food at the Japanese restaurant scene in How I Met Your Mother
Benihana, 47 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019, USA
In the third episode of the 7th season titled Ducky Tie, Marshall makes a bet against Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), sure that he can't cook the food himself at the establishment. After Barney persistently mocks the chef at Shinjitsu, Marshall challenges Barney to cook the food himself.
Unbeknownst to Marshall, Barney took a six-month course on Teppanyaki in Hoboken, and if he wins he gets to touch Lily’s pregnancy boobs. However, if he loses, he has to wear a duck-clad tie for a year.
Benihana (47 W 56th Street, New York City NY 10019) served as the backdrop for the scene. The Japanese steakhouse is still open and accurately portrays the atmosphere from the TV show.
The restaurant serves delicious hibachi favorites like chicken teriyaki, shrimp tempura, garlic steak, and fried rice along with traditional sushi rolls for guests who prefer lighter fare.
Getting to Benihana is easy; it is located on West 56th Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. By subway, take A/B/C/D/1/2/3 trains to 59th Street, Columbus Circle station, or take N/Q/R trains to 57th Street, 7th Avenue station, or F train to 57th Street, 6th Avenue Station.
Conclusion
While most of the How I Met Your Mother scenes were filmed at the 20th Century Fox Studios, several of the famous NYC sites that are featured in the backdrop provide a compelling reason to go on a HIMYM-inspired filming location tour.
Other memorable scenes were also filmed in noteworthy locations, for instance, the General Motors Building (NY 10022, USA) stood in for the Goliath National Bank. The best burgers in New York, well depending on who you ask from the show, are served at the Corner Bistro (331 West 4th Street, NY 10014, USA).
The views surrounding Barney’s bachelor pad, particularly the clothing store which could possibly be 211 Madison Avenue, reveal that the scenes were recorded at 171 East 84th Street, New York.
Needless to watch, How I Met Your Mother is still worth watching today; it has stood the test of time thanks to its outstanding acting performances, creative scriptwriting, and consistent storytelling arc that appeals to both old fans and new viewers.