The Devil Wears Prada is the Meryl Streep treasure that 2006 gave us all.
In honor of the iconic movie’s 10th anniversary, we — two superfans — set out on an unofficial Devil Wears Prada crawl through the mean (and stylish) streets of New York City.
With photos of Anne Hathaway’s character in hand, we embarked on our journey with only one goal in mind: to carry the essence of Andy in our hearts and souls.
In the order in which they appeared in the movie, here are 11 of the filming locations used in The Devil Wears Prada:
Location: Andy’s apartment, where we see her head off to her interview at Runway.
With dreams of hard-hitting journalism in my eyes and with the spirit of a “down-to-earth” girl whose boyfriend is a chef, I stood stoically in the doorway of Andy’s Lower East Side apartment.
As I pretended to take a step onto the sidewalk, I got into the mindset of pre-Miranda Priestly Andy and thought to myself, You can do this, Casey. You are Anne Hathaway today. You’re gonna get this job because you’re super great and because, also, you need the money because your boyfriend can only feed you grilled cheeses. Andy mindset? Check.
Location: Bakery where Andy buys a bagel before her interview.
Ah, the bakery where Andy gets that infamous onion bagel prior to being in a room full of people who will be able to smell her breath. (Never forget Nigel’s line “Did somebody eat an onion bagel?”) But because the real-life bakery is too fancy for bagels, we had to leave to get one at the bodega across the street.
Attaining said onion bagel was 100% necessary because it is essential to Andy’s persona: She’s a woman who eats carbs in a world full of salad eaters.
Location: The subway stop that Andy gets on to get to Runway headquarters.
So, it took us approximately 14 minutes to walk from Andy’s apartment to her subway stop, and Krystie, the New Yorker who guided my poor California self throughout the tour, says it’s important to note that that’s quite a walk to get to work. I have no opinion on that, because I drive everywhere in Los Angeles, so any walking distance longer than five minutes is long to me. All I know is that, by the time we got there, I had eaten more than half of the bagel that I promised myself I would save for the next photo.
Once we got to the station, I made sure to pose with the remainder of the bagel in my mouth because that’s just the kind of on-the-go person that Andy is.
Location: Elias-Clark headquarters.
Listen, all we wanted to do was go inside this building and recreate the elevator scene a la Meryl Streep, but there was major security, guys. So we politely stood outside and pretended to cower in the presence of such a large and ominous building filled with couture designs.
Location: The restaurant Andy’s boyfriend works at.
As soon as we got to Bubby’s, we felt right at home (just as we assume Andy felt right at home since her bf was employed there). But mostly we felt welcomed there because the wonderfully kind hostess let us come in and sit at the table that Andy and her friends *probably* sat at.
We didn’t have red wine to pour, so we pretended to be talking about ~life and love and work~ while cheers-ing each other. Andy would probably approve.
Location: Downtown 51st Street Station, where Andy emerges as a new woman.
As you might have noticed, the photo of Andy has changed. This is no longer down-to-earth Andy with a heart of gold and lofty dreams — this is fashionable Andy who has had a taste of Miranda Priestly praise and wants more of it.
So as I walked up the steps of the Lexington Avenue and 51st Street station, I held my head higher, because I’m not Old Casey anymore — I’m New Casey.
Location: The bar where Andy’s friends prove that they are the worst kind of friends.
OK, you know what scene I’m talking about: It’s the one where Andy comes bearing gifts for her dear friends, and all they do in return is toss around her ringing phone and make fun of her. Real friends wouldn’t do that.
To really capture the mood, Krystie pretended to be all of those disapproving people rolled into one.
Location: Miranda’s townhouse.
This is the filming location of all filming locations. This beautiful building is the pseudo home of the great Miranda Priestly. Only a woman made up of such sheer power as her can be the owner of this home. That’s a fact.
We didn’t try to go in — because we respect the privacy of the owners of the home, who are probably not Meryl Streep — but we did stand outside and say “so beautiful” over and over again.
Location: Smith and Wollensky, where Andy gets a steak for Miranda.
Guys, this is the restaurant where Andy began to repair all that she had done wrong — aka listening to those damn twins and going up Miranda’s stairs when she shouldn’t have — and bought a steak for her boss. No, Miranda didn’t eat the steak, but whatever.
At this point in the tour, I was really into Andy’s character. I could feel her need to please coursing through my veins. I could also feel her franticness, which is why I ran in place while Krystie took this photo.
Location: The St. Regis, where Andy SOMEHOW manages to get her hands on the Harry Potter manuscript thanks to Douche McDouche.
For starters, I can’t believe we were let inside this beautiful bar. The King Cole bar is located inside the St. Regis, and it is SO GORGEOUS. Seriously, the paintings and decor were beautiful, and the ambiance was dark and mysterious. But as soon as I started to like the bar, I immediately told myself to stop thinking that way, because Christian Thompson likes that bar, and what does that say about me?
So Krystie quickly got into place for the photo — aka she pretended to be Christian Thompson waiting with the manuscript for Andy — and we got out of there.
Location: The New York Mirror’s newsroom.
Can you feel it in the air? This is the location where Old Andy and New Andy come together to create an entirely transformed Andy who has learned endless knowledge, both good and bad, from the all-powerful Miranda Priestly.
She has changed, and so have we.
