Welcome to New York! It was waiting for you! I’m a massive Swiftie and I had the chance to visit New York for a week in October 2023. I couldn’t go to New York and not do a Taylor Swift lyrical tour of the place as it’s she mentions it in so many songs. I even created a map that lists most of the places she mentions in her songs which you can view here as well as a TikTok video playlist that contains all of the places that are listed below!
NB: This list isn’t complete and there’s places that I haven’t listed as these were only the places I had time for. The ‘I Love New York‘ blog has more coverage if you’re interested.
Start at The Museum of Art & Design: Taylor Swift – Storyteller Exhibition
Until March 2024, The Museum of Art & Design has a Taylor Swift exhibition which is well worth a visit. For $25 you can see her different costumes she’s worn to concerts and see her jewellery she wore in numerous music videos. I was blown away by how sparkly everything was because it looks 1000% times more incredible close up!
Make sure you check out the giftstore too as they sell a copy of Taylor’s book from the 10-minute version of All Too Well. It’s got the exact same design as the one in the short film but it’s completely blank inside. We’ll be paying a visit to the bookshop where the short film was filmed so this could be a great time to buy the notebook to be used asĀ a prop in a later edition of New York (Taylor’s Version).
Once you’ve taken in everything at the MAD museum, walk 15/20 minutes down 7th or 8th Avenue until you reach Times Square. You could also get the subway but if it’s a good day the walk is pretty spectacular through the bright lights (‘that never blind me, meeeee’).
Times Square: ‘Back to a first glance feeling on New York time’ – Holy Ground
Once you’ve reached Times Square, take a few minutes to just enjoy the atmosphere and the hustle and bustle of it all. Although Taylor never references Times Square directly, the lyric, ‘back to a first glance feeling on New York time’ from Holy Ground and, ‘the lights are so bright but they never blind me, meeee’ from Welcome to New York give us clues that it’s Times Square she’s referring to.
Whilst you’re here, you could visit the TKTS booth and buy a discounted broadway ticket show. I queued for about an hour and paid $100 for a front seat show at Aladdin! The catch is that the tickets are for the same day but for spontaneous, budget travelers, it’s a pretty good deal!
After Times Square, you’re then going to get the subway to the start of the High Line. Get the red line 1 or 2 to 28 St and then follow Google Maps to La Barra at Merado Little Spain on W 30th St. You’re then going to go up the stairs to the High Line.
The High Line: ‘Your heartbeat on the High Line’ – Cardigan
The High Line is a converted subway line that’s now an urban park. It’ll take you about 45 minutes to walk the whole thing (you should finish on Gansevoort St). It’s a beautiful place to walk and enjoy nature blossoming in an urban environment. You could bring a packed lunch and enjoy it on the High Line or have lunch at the next stop.
Taylor mentions the High Line in Cardigan when she sings,’ your heartbeat on the High Line, once in 20 lifetimes’. The song is so beautiful and I’d highly recommend listening to it whilst you’re walking the High Line for added effect.
Bus Stop Cafe: ‘I thought I saw you at the bus stop’ – The 1
Once you reach the end of the High Line, follow Washington St 4 blocks, turn left and then you should reach The Bus Stop Cafe. In The 1, Taylor sings, ‘I thought I saw you at the bus stop, I didn’t though’. Although this could be written about an actual bus stop, it’s rumoured to be about this cafe. This is a perfect place to stop and have some lunch before we continue our Taylor Swift tour.
Electric Lady Studios
Once you’ve got a full belly, you’re going to take a 15-minute walk to Electric Lady Studios. This this the place where Taylor has recorded all of her albums since Lover. It’s a great place to cherish and remince on all of her fantastic work.
A 5-minute walk down the block is the infamous Cornelia Street which you have to visit whilst you’re in New York.
Cornelia Street: ‘I’d never walk Cornelia Street again’ – Cornelia Street
You have to do the obligatory pilgrimage to Cornelia Street whilst you’re in New York! Once you’re there make sure you walk down the whole street (since Taylor can’t do it anymore š¢).
Cornelia Street is located in the West Village so whilst you’re here you can enjoy the False God lyrics, ‘Staring out the window like I’m not your favorite town, I’m New York City’ and, ‘You’re the West Village’.
Housing Works Bookstore
Once you’ve reminisced in Taylor’s loss and awful heartbreak of Cornelia Street, take a 20-minute walk along Bleecker St to the Housing Works Bookshop. This is the bookstore the last clip of All Too Well (10 Minute Version) is filmed. Here you can buy second hand books or a coffee. All of the money you spend goes to charity and be sure to check their events calendar as you never know – there could be a Taylor themed event happening at the bookstore whilst you’re there!
Smile To Go: ‘Let’s fast forward to 300 takeout coffees later’ – Is It Over Now?
If you didn’t get a coffee at the bookstore, you have to get a coffee at Smile To Go on Howard Street! It’s just a 10-minute walk away from the bookstore and is rumoured to be Taylor’s breakfast spot. I also think this is the place she refers to in Is It Over Now? when she states, ‘let’s fast forward to 300 takeout coffees later’. I was lucky enough to be in New York during 1989 (Taylor’s Version) release week so I feel so fortunate to have been able to go to this cafe just as we heard the vault songs for the first time. There’s a small chance this is the cafe she refers to in Begin Again, ‘on a Wednesday, in a cafe I watched it begin again’ but the like from Is It Over Now? makes a lot more sense as you can’t really sit inside Smile To Go.
Brooklyn Bridge: ‘From when your Brooklyn broke my skin and bones’ – All Too Well (10 Minute Version)
Once you’re sufficiently caffeineted, take a 15-minute walk to the Brooklyn Bridge down Lafayette St. This is where Taylor refers to in All Too Well (10 minute version) with, ‘from when your Brooklyn broke my skin and bones’. If anyone can explain those lyrics, be my guest because even now I’m still unsure of the meaning! There’s loads of souvenir stalls on the bridge so bring some cash if you want to buy anything!
Or if you’re looking for a happier song about Brooklyn, I’d highly recommended Maisie Peters’ Brooklyn as she sings, ‘if you’re looking for the girl of your dreams, she’s in Brooklyn with me’ which is true to every single one of you girlies.
Lovers of Today: ‘Dive bar on the East Side’ – Delicate
After you’ve explored the Brooklyn Bridge, you’re probably exhausted so now’s the time to treat yourself to a fancy cocktail in the ‘dive bar on the East Side’ that Taylor refers to in Delicate. You’re going to take the subway to 2nd Av and walk 10/15 minutes to the Lovers of Today Bar. The bar is super cute and don’t forget to ask the bar tender about Taylor visiting because they’ll confirm all of the rumours! They have regular happy hours and a cocktail is around $14.
Rooftop Bar: ‘Up on a roof with a school girl crush’ – King of my Heart
After you’ve enjoyed your first drink, it’s time to find a rooftop bar to make all of your King of My Heart dreams come true (I’m a hopeless romantic, sorry!). Sadly, I didn’t have time to do this in New York but I later did whilst I was in Singapore. If you can, ‘drink beer out of plastic cups’ because then you’re truly embracing her spirit!
Coney Island: ‘Sitting on a bench in Coney Island’
If you have time, why not take the subway to Coney Island? You’ll need a whole day here and it’s over an hour to get to from Manhattan but it’s an amusement park so should be good fun! Sadly I didn’t have time to visit when I stayed in New York but I embraced my inner Coney Island vibes whilst I was in Toronto.
There’s so many more songs that Taylor refers to New York in but these are the ones I had time for and most of them can be visited in one day. If you do this your, let me know how it is and I’ve also made a whole TikTok playlist of all of the places I went soundtracked to the song so be sure to check that out too. Thank you so much for reading. I hope you found it useful and enjoy your time in New York! It truly is an incredibly magical city.
Izzy's Adventures 