A few years ago, while in New York, I dragged my boyfriend out to stalk many of the filming locations from fave romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail. I had managed to find almost all of the locations except for the most important one – Meg Ryan’s Upper West Side brownstone from the film. For some reason this location was a tough one for me to find and, unbelievably, I wound up locating it about two days after I returned from last year’s New York vacation. 🙁 Talk about bad timing!!!
Upon my return from New York last December, I popped in my You’ve Got Mail DVD – which happens to be another known cure for New York homesickness, second only to watching Sex And The City reruns. 🙂 Anyway, in one of the final scenes of the movie, as Kathleen Kelly leaves her house and walks toward the 91st Street Garden to meet NY152 for the first time, she walks past a garbage can with ” W 89″ painted on the lid. Eureka!! That little stalking clue led me to search West 89th Street on Google Maps and I quickly found the brownstone used in the film. On an ironic side note, a guy named Jonathan recently posted a comment on my You’ve Got Mail post alerting me to the garbage can clue. I guess great minds think alike. 🙂
So two weeks ago, I was able to finally stalk Kathleen Kelly’s adorable brownstone. And I am happy to say that it looks almost exactly the same today as it did ten years ago when filming took place. There are, of course, a few differences, though. Most notable is the gold intercom that Tom Hanks uses to talk himself into Kathleen’s home in the film. In real life that intercom does not exist. Most likely it was just a prop that was added for filming and then removed when production ended. The brownstone’s front doors are also slightly different from how they appeared onscreen and, again, I believe set decorators brought in new doors for the filming that were subsequently removed. Aside from that, though, You’ve Got Mail fans will definitely recognize the brownstone as Kathleen Kelly’s.
I can’t tell you how excited I was to finally be stalking this location – especially since I had been searching for it for years! For any You’ve Got Mail fans this one is a definite must see and I highly recommend stalking it! 🙂
Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂
Stalk It: The You’ve Got Mail brownstone is located at 328 West 89th Street on New York’s Upper West Side.
Did you find out what the rent is? Or can it be leased?
Dear Lindsay i got a friend who want to start a online bookshop and want to use the picture of the front of the shop and the inside for using in the website. Where you got the pictures so we want permission to use them.
Greetz Patrick
From the Netherlands Europe
Thank you for finding the brownstone!!! You’re awesome!! My
daughter (also a big fan of YGM) is walking through the Upper West
Side as we speak and called me (in AZ) to have me look online for
this info. And I found it, thanks to you. She’s walking there right
now! thank you thank you thank you. I love it!! Fell in love with
New York when I saw this movie, too 🙂
Awww, I’m so glad your daughter was able to see the house thanks to my site. That’s the whole reason I started writing it, so I always love hearing stuff like that! 🙂
I just visited the Upper West Side and lots of the locations for YGM. Good to know I’m not the only YGM romantic!
What is it about THIS movie? I don’t know HOW many times I’ve seen it and wondered where the brownstone was located. I’ve been to most of the other locations by accident with a WOW! when I happened across them. ( would.. “I love you” be too much? ) Glad to find your site.
I knew you would know the answer! So glad you posted it. I’ve gotten some of my SATC locations from you and I think it’s amazing how you find all these places not listed anywhere else. Thanks again!
Lindsay – I thought I was the only one who pines for NY. I was born and raised in Long Island, but have always loved Manhattan – it’s my favorite plact to vacation. I lnow ive in Nevada, near Las Vegas – just not the same kind of traditions found in NY. I had seen the movie “You’ve got mail” when it came out, then watched it again recently. I was searching for a new bed and fell in love with Kathleen’s upholstered headboard style, so I researched the movie and found your site – I loved the info! Thanks and keep stalking! Lisa
Lisa, I’m in Olympia, WA and I pine for NYC as much as you do. Go every summer….I agree.. I would love to have Kathleen’s bed.. brownstone! Probably seen the move 20 times (ok I lie.. it’s my pick me up.. and my nostalgic “me time” move.. maybe 30? times… and on right now.) BTW, my best friend lives in Vegas.. Henderson. I sure wish I knew what it was about the city (NY…not Vegas) that is so drawing. I think my friends think I’m a nut case for wanting to live there. But I think they are remembering the horror stories of the 70’s and 80s. Nothing like that today. Glad to see someone else is OK with Lindsay’s stalking!
Congrats on your find. I figured you would eventually. I kept checking back here once in awhile since my 2008 post to see your progress. Way to go!
haha Wow! It was so fun to read this!! I was – just for fun – “looking for appartments” on a website hoping to find Kathleen Kelly’s! I just love that movie! I will definately have to visit it someday! Could you post the other locations (and where they are) from the movie?
I am glad to see that I am not the only crazy person out there! Crazy in love with this movie….that is. I LOVE your website! I wish I had known about this several years ago. I found the brownstone myself, after countless hours of researching, and thought about posting it somehow online…but didn’t figure there would be that many people interested! Wow…..this is so great 🙂 Thanks!
You’ve Got Mail is one of my favorite movies of all time and this past year, I got to take a You’ve Got Mail tour…visited Zabars, Cafe Lalo, the Starbucks where Joe and Kathleen get their morning coffee and a few other places. Thanks for this!
My husband surprised me with the idea of going to NYC for our 10th Anniversary this October. I have always wanted to visit NYC since I first saw the move “You’ve Got Mail”. I fell in love with NY in the fall when watching this movie (fall is my favorite season) so naturally I wanted to look up where it was filmed. Thank you for all of the information, along with all of the other attractions, this will really make my trip. I have yet to tell my husband…hee hee hee.
Thank you,
I live on the same block as Cafe Lalo and I love this movie. I have been trying to find it for a while…now I know. I found the shop around the corner and we know that fox books was the old Barneys…now it is complete
Just grabbed the feed… thanks for posting this.
Thanks a billion times !!! I’ve been looking for this house for ages.
Thanks for the info on the brownstone. I have been looking for this place forever. I too have been to all of the locations for the movie except for the brownstone. I can now cross this off my Bucket List. Thank you again!
fantastic find. Thanks, Apple