Did you ever watch Friends (and did you know it was almost called six of one)? The Friend’s Experience has come to Seattle and it’s a lot cooler than I imagined (I liked the show but I wasn’t obsessed and I bet I’ve missed some episodes) and it’s something I’d go back to again now that I know what it’s actually like. I was treated to a guided preview with my friend Arlene and seeing fun pop-up events like this in our city (it’s in old Barnes and Noble Space in Pacific Place Mall) gives me hope that we are starting to pick ourselves out of the dreary days we’ve had and there’s a lot more glitter ahead.
So What is the Friend’s Experience in Seattle really like?
In order to experience the Friend’s Experience you need to buy tickets online. This event in Seattle runs from Feb 1 to April 30th (and it looks like it’s Thursdays-Sundays and only a few Mondays) so there is time to plan ahead and get tickets right now and it’s here for a little while. Tickets seem to range in price from $32 per person for just entry-$65 per person for a guided private group tour and you can add professional photos and souvenirs.
You can also bring in your own camera and take as many photos as you like. My friend and I had a private tour and it was really cool to have the whole place to ourselves. I was told that on a normal day there would likely be 20 or so people let in at a time and I don’t think it would feel very crowded. If I went again I would probably try to be one of the first times or last times in the day but I don’t think it would be a big deal not to have one of these times either.
How long will it take to get through the whole Seattle Friends’ experience?
Years ago I happened upon a small Friends’ pop-up in Chicago where we were able to see part of the coffee shop and hold Phoebe’s guitar. The Friend’s Experience in Seattle is many times bigger and I was surprised at how many things we could actually touch and take pictures with-I think we could have spent over an hour going through the whole thing if we really wanted to. We got a picture trying to pivot the couch up the stairs and I had fun pretending to cook in Monica’s apartment. I love how all the hand sanitizer even asks “is it Monica clean?!!” We also spent a bit of time playing around in the Central Perk coffee shop and I really wish they actually had coffee drinks here.
There is lots of Friends trivia that will conjure memories from the shows. It’s incredible to believe this lasted for 10 years of our lives from 1994-2004. For me, this was high school through college and also the first couple years of marriage and my first job. It feel like yesterday and a long time ago.
I didn’t think I would want to take so many pictures, but it was so refreshing to be able to go back in time for a little bit and feel how the world felt back in the days when we didn’t have phones in our hands or all the worries we’ve had the past couples years and we just looked forward to the next Friends episode on tv. Also you can stand behind a mannikin that makes you look like you are wearing all the clothes Joey did in the “one where no one’s ready”
(No one really told us life was going to be this way, did they?)
(PS. if you are looking for places to eat after you visit this event, you can check out Asean Streat a couple blocks away or look at my list of Seattle favorites and a lot of these are kid-friendly too. And for coffee, we couldn’t get coffee at the Central Perk here (wouldn’t that be the coolest?), so we went to Monorail Expresso down the street and it’s really good too.)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
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