Where was Serendipity filmed?

Johnathan Trager picks up a pair of black cashmere gloves when he sees another lady also pick up the same pair. He says, "Sorry. You go ahead. They're the last ones." The lady, Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale), says, "No, no, sorry." John asks the salesperson (Lilli Lavine), "Uh, miss? Can we have another pair of these black cashmere gloves?" She replies, "Whatever's out is what we have." Sara asks persistently, "You don't have a stock room?" The salesperson replies, "Nope," and walks away.

John very gallantly says to Sara, "Listen, you take them. I don't need them." She responds, "No, no, no, no. You saw them first." He keeps the gloves back up, and suddenly an elderly gentleman comes and happily grabs them. John tries to stop him, but the gentleman gets into an animated debate about how the gloves are just there with their price tags on.

This lovely exchange is one of the best scenes in Serendipity. Audiences see the sparks fly between John and Sara and the looks they give each other over the black cashmere gloves. This scene is filmed at the prestigious Bloomingdale's flagship store in New York. To get here, catch MTA M101 and hop off at the 3rd Ave/ 5th St stop. Bloomingdale's is a three-minute walk from here.

John and Sara share a dessert in a restaurant in New York. Sara tells John, "Serendipity. It's one of my favorite words." John asks her, "It is? Why?" She replies, "It's such a nice sound for what it means – a fortunate accident. Except I don't really believe in accidents. I think fate is behind everything." John mocks her, "Oh, you do? Fate's behind everything?" Everything is predestined? We don't have any choice over anything at all?" Sara refutes his claims, "No, I think we make our own decisions. I just think that fate sends us little signs, and it's how we read the signs that determine whether we're happy or not."

John looks at her and says, "Fortunate accidents. Lucky discoveries. Like Columbus in America." Sara says, "Yea or Fleming discovering penicillin." They continue this banter and exchange while enjoying their dessert. Audiences can see that John and Sara fall for each other a little bit every time.

This filming location of Serendipity is the famous restaurant at 225 East 60th Street, Serendipity III. The name is how the conversation about fate and choice comes into play. To get here, hop onto MTA number 4 and hop off at the 59th St Lexington Ave stop. The restaurant is a 4-minute walk from this stop at a medium pace.

John and Sara are ice skating in New York when he suddenly turns to her and says, "Now, promise me you're not just visiting here for a week or marrying somebody to get a green card or on parole." Sara smiles and replies, "None of the above. You?" He's miffed and says, "No, no, no. Proud US citizen, no criminal record. You won't tell me your name, then tell me, what do you miss most about Mother England?"

Since Sara has a British accent, it is evident that she's from across the pond. She says, "I miss my mum terribly." John looks at Sara and says, "If I were her, I'd miss you too." She just blushes gorgeously and looks away from him. She changes the topic and instead asks John, "Okay. Favorite movie?" He thinks for a second and blurts, "The correct answer is 'Cool Hand Luke.'"

This gorgeous scene is filmed at the Wollman Skating Rink. Of all the Serendipity filming locations, this one is naturally so beautiful that the crew did not need to make any changes to the surroundings. To get to Wollman's, catch the MTA M1 and hop off at 5th Ave/ E 63rd St, and walk for a minute to reach.

John is dejected and yells at the cab, "That's it?" and kicks some snow off the sidewalk. It hits another couple walking past. John is instantly contrite and runs to them, saying, "Jesus! I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." He then wanders around and reaches the entrance to the Subway. He goes down the subway stairs and suddenly halts, touching his throat. He realizes he's missing his scarf.

He heads back the way he came and re-enters Serendipity III. John tells the Maitre d' (Stephen Bruce), "I think I left my scarf." He checks and replies, "No, there's nothing here. You can go upstairs. Maybe it's still there." John runs up the stairs.

While John is down, Sara walks to the Christmas tree to pick up her bag, and as she lifts it, she sees John's scarf. She smiles, picks it up, turns around, and sees John looking at her. They greet each other, and Sara places the scarf around John's neck.

For the contemplation scene where John is walking, the Serendipity production team chose the location of the Subway at Park Avenue and East 33rd Street, New York. The fastest way to get here is to hop onto MTA number 4 and get off at 33rd St.

After getting the cashmere gloves, Sara tells John to go to the other end of the elevator and randomly press a button to see if they both reach the same floor. She tells John, "Okay. Get in. Take a breath and when the door closes, hit a button." John is confused and asks her, "I don't understand this." Sara understands and responds, "You don't have to understand it. You just have to have faith." John yells, "Faith in what?!" Sara smiles, "Destiny."

As the elevator doors close, Sara looks at him and says, "Hey! It's Sara. My name's Sara." As the doors shut, she presses the button to the 23rd floor. John stares at the elevator buttons frustratedly, but he also pushes the button to floor 23. As the elevator reaches the 14th floor, a kid and his dad walk into John's elevator.

Of all the funny scenes in Serendipity, this one takes the cake since the kid in the Halloween costume presses the buttons on all floors, driving John insane. This hilarious scene is filmed at the Waldorf Astoria New York at 301 Park Avenue, Manhattan. Getting here quickest by catching MTA number 7 to Grand Central – 42nd St, and walking for 8 to 10 minutes.

John is set to get married to Halley Buchanan (Bridget Moynahan) in three days. However, he keeps hearing the name 'Sara' everywhere he goes – the golf course, his hairdresser, the cyclist singing next to him! He goes out of his mind and tells the taxi driver, "Forget Charles Street, take me to the New York Times Building on 42nd." Once John reaches, he walks toward Dean Kansky (Jeremy Piven) and narrates everything happening. John says, "I'm telling you; I keep running into her, keep finding her… the universe keeps revealing her to me. Sara! Sara! Sara!" Dean tries to reason with John, "You're getting married in three days!" John says, "Yeah! I know!" Dean ignores him and continues, "It's entirely duplicitous, think about it. Why would you risk your relationship with Halley just to search for some pipe dream?"

Many Serendipity locations are filmed at Showline Studios (now Studio City Toronto) at 915 Lake Shore Boulevard East. This scene is also filmed in the studio. Fans should hop onto bus 72B, hop off at Carlaw Ave at Lake Shore Boulevard East, and walk for 3 – 4 minutes at a medium pace.