Candace Bushnell's NYC: 'Sex and the City' Creator's Favorite Spots

Carrie Bradshaw, a timeless New York icon, wouldn't exist without Candace Bushnell, the creative force behind her. This May, the celebrated author, TV producer, and creator of Sex and the City returns to Manhattan. She will be performing her one-woman show, "True Tales of Sex, Success, and Sex and the City," for a single night on May 16th at Sony Hall in Paramount Times Square. Bushnell describes the show as "the story of a woman who arrives in New York and makes her mark. It’s also the origin story of Sex and the City—why I invented Carrie Bradshaw—and what happened to me afterward." She's previously taken this performance to cities including London, Prague, and Budapest.

In a recent conversation, Bushnell reflected on the global reaction to her work – from her New York Observer column that sparked the hit TV series to her novels and stage shows. "It’s mostly women who come with their girlfriends for a celebration," she says. "They tell me that Sex and the City changed their lives or made a difficult period much better. They find it empowering, showing them they don't have to feel bad about being single, wanting more from relationships, and not wanting to settle."

Bushnell notes that even when performing in countries where English isn't the primary language, her material resonates deeply. Subtitles are provided for these shows. "Wherever they are, they understand these lessons about relationships," she explains. "Lesson number one: If you don't do it, somebody else will. Lesson number two: Men lie about everything, including their ages. Women everywhere understand that. These are universal truths."

Candace Bushnell's New York City Guide

After decades as a quintessential New Yorker, Bushnell still maintains a home on Manhattan's Upper East Side but often escapes to her house in the Hamptons. "I spend pretty much every weekend at my house in the Hamptons because I've got two big standard poodles and they need their space." However, her work and social life remain firmly rooted in the city. Below, she shares her favorite spots for dining, drinks, shopping, and getting ready for events around town. A tip from Bushnell: wear comfortable shoes. "I am definitely a New Yorker who thinks three miles away is walkable."

Where to Eat and Drink

“First of all, I don’t eat lunch. I try to avoid lunch at all costs because it’s inconvenient for me. It comes at the time of the day when I’m really starting to get to work. But when I do, I go to the old standbys. I live on the Upper East Side, so I’ll go to Le Bilboquet. I’ve loved it since it was a tiny little restaurant in the East 60s, maybe 64th street. They’re in a bigger space now, but I’ve been going there since the ’90s. I do dinner, definitely. I like to go to The Corner Store in SoHo, but when I stay in the Upper East Side, I always get the veal piccata at Caravaggio. It’s in the space that used to be Coco Pazzo, an Italian restaurant from the ’90s, so I’ve been going to that address for 30 years. For drinks, I’ll take people to Casa Tua, the private club in The Surrey, A Corinthia Hotel, and the lounge and restaurant, which are public, are great too. But like everywhere in New York, the restaurant is really hard to get into. It’s like, what is going on? I think it’s TikTok. For coffee, I go every single day to Ralph’s Coffee because it’s near me on the Upper East Side—and at Christmastime, I’d see 150 people standing in line to get it while it’s 20 degrees out. It’s baffling to me. What are you all doing?”

Hotels She Recommends

“There’s the Hotel Chelsea, which has been renovated now. I haven’t stayed in the new rooms, but my friends have and they love it. The thing that’s so interesting about that place is that, when they renovated it, they found all these rooms that had kind of been closed off for decades. They had all the original moldings and beautiful woodwork, so all of that has been restored—I love those sorts of delicious little spaces in a hotel. And of course on the Upper East Side, there’s The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel. I’ll go there for tea—and actually, I’ve performed my show there at Café Carlyle. Three times, three years in a row. I feel like I need to come up with a new show before going back.”

Shopping Destinations

“For shopping, you always can go down Fifth Avenue—to Louis Vuitton and all those places. But I usually stick around Madison Avenue. I walk up and down that street pretty much every day. There’s the Manolo Blahnik boutique, naturally, and Bergdorf Goodman on Madison and East 66th Street is always great. And every time I'm like, “God, I’ve gotta find something to wear,” I could pretty much always go to alice + olivia and find something adorable.”

Getting Red-Carpet Ready

“When I come to the city, I feel like I have to get my hair and makeup done once a week. I go to a lot of events, and there are always photographers. Sometimes when I go to things at Lincoln Center—or like, I went to a Cinema Society event last night—there’s always a little red carpet. Just lots of parties, you know? And then there’s Zooms or podcasts—I have to get in glam for podcasts now because they’re all video recorded now too. Oh yeah, the days of being a writer in your sweatpants are gone. So the place where I get my hair, nails, and all that done is Valerie Joseph Salon—they have locations on the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side, and in the Hamptons. For spa treatments, I go to Tracie Martyn on Fifth Avenue; that’s downtown from me. For something closer, I like the Spa Valmont at the Carlyle.”

Favorite Places for a Good Time

“I love seeing the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center. You know, I was once married to a principal dancer with City Ballet, so at one time, I went a lot. Recently, a girlfriend of mine was talking about going, and then I just remembered, like, ‘Oh yeah. I love it there.’ It’s just so transportive, with all the dancers moving to the live music. And I’ll go to the occasional Broadway show. I also live near The Metropolitan Museum of Art—it’s one of those places where I feel like I should go more often. You could spend the rest of your life just constantly going to the Met and seeing something new each time. And Central Park, of course: I take walks there every day and everyone should go to the Bethesda Fountain—every single time any production shoots in the park, they all go there. So you’re bound to see something interesting when you check it out.”

Travel Essentials

“I have to travel so much for work that I am actually almost never on a vacation. That's one of the reasons I have my house in the Hamptons—I just zip over there on the weekends and I can have a little mini-vacation. But when I do travel, I can’t go anywhere without a little travel pillow. Like, an actual square pillow, not one of those neck things. I love the one I have from Kumi Kookoon. No matter what hotel I’m in, I use that pillow. And lavender pillow spray—mine is from Cape Cod Lavender Farm. They’re based out of Harwich, Massachusetts, and their stuff is all-natural, which is getting harder and harder to find these days, I think.”

Why She Stays in New York

“It's really the people. It’s a very social city, this place. I’ve always said this: It’s a city where you really can be single. It's full of single people and there’s always something to do every night. You can be single here and have a very full life, absolutely. It’s easy to meet strangers, new people. Old friends, new friends, everyone passes through New York.”

Candace Bushnell will perform her one-woman show "True Tales of Sex, Success, and Sex and the City" on May 16 at Sony Hall in New York City.