When I went to see Lea Michele’s opening night in Funny Girl I took some detours and went to visit some other filming locations in NYC. These locations, of course, were ones that I was not able to visit during my last NYC trip back in December of 2021. It was super fun to visit these spots and literally be living in a Glee episode.

The Stardust “Spotlight” Diner.

Look somewhat familiar? This is the diner that inspired the ‘Spotlight Diner’ that Kurt, Santana, Lea, and Dani work at in Season 5 of Glee.

Located right in the theater district of NYC (Broadway and 51st street); this diner employs many aspiring stars just like in Glee. The serving staff takes turns singing while you dine. There was a server who even sang DROMP while I ate some waffle fries. It was an incredible experience.

The food was alright. It is definitely a place you go to for the environment. I waited in line for about 20 minutes (the line went down the side of the building). It was a fun time and an awesome way to start my Funny Girl Glee Weekend.

The building itself seemed smaller than what is pictured in Glee. I didn’t get to walk around and look at all the pictures on the wall or really take in the ambiance. The space was slightly crowded as it is a popular spot. Like me, if you want to experience a Glee episode, take a visit.

Bow Bridge, Central Park.

This bridge saw Finn and Rachel cross over it during season 2. The New Directions were in NYC for nationals. Finn gave Rachel a bouquet of flowers on this bridge and then they went to Sardi’s.

This bridge also makes an appearance again in season 5. It appears in the Season Premier episode (Love, Love, Love). Rachel sings Yesterday by the Beatles on this bridge after she finishing a chemistry reading for Funny Girl.

You can literally picture both scenes while you walk over this bridge. It is a very pretty bridge and really nice. It has great views of the city from it and is a great backdrop for pictures; even on a rainy day!

Sardi’s.

Spoiler! I did not eat here. I just took a picture infront of it while a group of police officers stared at me like I was an idiot. Sardi’s is a hot spot and was depicted in Season 2 of Glee. It is where Rachel meets Patti Lupone because Finn brought her here to eat for their ‘work date.’

NYPD Time Square.

This location is featured in Season 5 episode 14 of Glee. Blaine gives Sam a pep talk and brings him to Time Square. This is where they sings ‘Best Day Of My Life’ while a street dancing groups performs.

Unfortunatly, there was no one performing while I was there. Yeah I didn’t see a single dance crew or bucket drummers. But there were a bunch of other people taking pictures like I was. I am not sure how many of them were fans of Glee but that’s ok; I met plenty of them while at Funny Girl.

Supringly there was not many street performers within Time Square. There was a ton of people but not many street performers. Maybe it was do to the rainy weather that we had during the trip. Regardless, it was still fun to see and visit this location.

Funny Girl Theater.

Now its not the exact theater that was used in Glee for Funny Girl; but it is the theater that Lea Michele will be fulfilling her personal dreams and the dreams of every Glee fan in the world. So, of course, I had to include it since it was the reason for the trip. I also had to recreate with my own spin the infamous picture of Rachel underneath the Funny Girl sign.