On the NYC TV & Movie Tour you can see all the New York locations featured in Ugly Betty, starring America Ferrera (Betty Saurez) in the title role, with Eric Mabius (Daniel Meade), Tony Plana (Iganacio Suarez), Ana Ortiz (Hilda Suarez), Ashley Jensen (Christina McKinny), Becki Newton (Amanda Tanen), Michael Urie (Marc St. James), and Vanessa Williams (Wilhemina Slater).
This Emmy Award-winning series follows the smart, nice and (arguably) not-so-beautiful, Betty Saurez as she works at the high-fashion magazine, Mode, where she is surrounded by ultra chic fashionistas. Production moved from Los Angeles to the Big Apple for the third season, bringing in even more sites to our favorite city and tour!
Midtown
See the MetLife North Building, which is the fictional headquarters of Mode magazine and Meade Publications in Ugly Betty, and where Betty Saurez works as a very helpful assistant. The MetLife North Building is located across the street from the beautiful Madison Square Park, and is also the perfect place to stop and eat lunch. This absolutely beautiful art-deco building is home to famous restaurants like Tabla and 11 Madison Park where, in the Sex and the City series, Big tells Carrie he’s marrying someone else.
See the luxurious St. Regis Hotel, where Wilhelmina (Vanessa Williams) suggests that she and Alexis (Rebecca Romijn) must stop by before they go to the opera. The St. Regis Hotel is the original St. Regis that sparked many different locations throughout the world. The elegant St. Regis Hotel is located in the heart of Manhattan and is the most highly acclaimed luxury property in North America. If you want to see some of New York’s elite, go to the hotel’s famous King Cole Bar and Lounge for some of the city’s finest cocktails. Don’t forget to look at the iconic “Old King Cole” mural which is definitely a New York “must see!” The St. Regis elegance and beauty has been used in many films including Taxi Driver, Miss Congeniality and The Devil Wears Prada.
Downtown
The tour of NYC TV & Movie Tour runs daily and takes guests right past the Woolworth Building, the actual setting for the first season of Ugly Betty. A graphic design firm was attached to an advertising company whose offices were both in the Woolworth Building and had gone out of business. Since their space was open, portions of the set you see downstairs are taken from that location, which was shot in New York. However, as the show became popular, they expanded to a different set.
The Woolworth Building, also known as the “Cathedral of Commerce,” is 57 stories and is one of the oldest and most famous skyscrapers in New York City. This National Historic Landmark is one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States and was featured in the movie Enchanted, when Narissa the dragon carries Robert to the top.
* In an effort to stay current, we are constantly updating our tours with new locations and cannot guarantee the presence of locations mentioned on our site. If you have a particular interest in locations from a specific TV show or movie, please let your tour guide know and we will do our best to accommodate your request.