Carrie's home on Perry Street

Hans Von Rittern

Speaker: Chuck Rolando (Standard American accent)

It may be hard to believe, but it’s now 10 years since the cult TV series Sex and the City came to an end. Repeats of the show are still broadcast all over the world, and there have been two film versions. But if you miss the adventures of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda, then you can go on  a “Sex and the City Tour” of New York. It is led by Hans Von Rittern, who works for a company called Sterling City Tours:

Hans Von Rittern (Standard American accent)

One of the best places to see Sex and The City sites are in Greenwich Village. (A) perfect location is Perry Street. Everyone seems to think – and the illusion in the television show is – that her home is right off Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side, but the street that really creates the charm of the old brownstones and the cobblestones and the heavy lined streets is really Greenwich Village. It’s more the look that, I think, people associate with old brownstone New York. So the actual building is in Greenwich Village, and a very funny thing: the owner himself was paid $10,000 every single time Sarah Jessica Parker walked up and down the stairs, so he made a lot of good money! And a few blocks around the corner is the Magnolia Bakery, which has become iconic, and simply because the girls sat out front and talked about their boyfriends and ate cupcakes. So that’s just a few blocks away.

THAT GARDEN...

And that’s not all:

Hans Von Rittern

In the other direction, you go to the Jefferson Market and there’s the beautiful garden where Miranda one day couldn’t decide where she wanted to get married in New York, and she drops her groceries out in front of the gate, looks up inside the garden and realises, “That’s it, this is where I want to get married!” And that’s where they held the wedding. And it turns out that, from one little TV show, this garden has now made a fortune because now, of course, everyone else wants to get married there! And then the fourth spot is just a few blocks away, is actually where Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick live. So you’ve got this little hotspot of all these little Sex and The City sites.

LOVE STORY

And we asked Hans the big question: why has Sex and The City been such an international hit?

Hans Von Rittern

If you step out and think about it, it isn’t about so much sex and it isn’t so much about the city. If you patiently watch the show, it’s about universal relationships. All of it has to do with everything that we have been through in our lives ourselves. We’ve all broken up with somebody, whether you’re gay or straight, young or old, black or white, we’ve all had somebody cheat on us, we’ve all had somebody disappoint us, we’ve all had job offers we don’t know what to do with. It dealt with human relationships and it dealt with day-to-day situations that we all can relate to, and I think that’s why the universal appeal is so big. It wasn’t just the sensation of them talking about sex and the fabulous clothes, it truly was something that all of us could relate to at one point or another. 

TAKE THE TOUR!

Hans Von Rittern’s “Sex and the City” tours are flexible. There is no limit on the number of people, although Hans says that a small group is best. He will also adapt the itinerary to his guests’ requests, but he believes that the most interesting places are:
• Carrie’s brownstone
• Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick’s real-life home
• The Magnolia Bakery
• Carrie’s Fifth Avenue apartment
• Miranda’s wedding garden

Four of the five locations are in Greenwich Village, and Hans usually meets his guests there (the exception is Carrie’s Fifth Avenue apartment).
The tour costs $35.

For further information:
Website http://hansvonrittern.com
Facebook Hans Von Rittern
email hansvonrittern@aol.com