Four Appleton Blocks

It’s no secret You’ve Got Mail is my favorite movie. I’ve watched it so many times I’ve probably memorized it. I’ve actually considered taking a trip to New York City to visit the locations where it was filmed. I’m already too late for H & H Bagelry, which closed three years ago. The bookstore “Shop around the Corner” was really a cheese-and-antique store. How cool is that? Alas, it too is gone, replaced by a rather ordinary dry cleaner. Zabar’s Deli, where Meg Ryan gets stuck in the cash-only line, is at 2245 Broadway. Barney Greengrass, where Meg lunches with Jean Stapleton, has served smoked seafood on Amsterdam Avenue since 1929. Café Lalo, where Tom Hanks discovers his pen pal is his rival, is at 201 West 83rd Street. The beautiful garden from the movie’s end is Riverside Park on 91st Street. But the place I MUST see is Gray’s Papaya at 2090 Broadway and 72nd Street.