Location: Rockefeller Center
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What to do and see in Rockefeller Center, New York (NY): The Best Performances
Conquering New York in one visit is impossible. Instead, hit the must-sees – the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art – and then explore off the beaten path with visits to The Cloisters or one of the city’s libraries. Indulge in the bohemian shops of the West Village or the fine dining of the Upper West Side. The bustling marketplace inside of Grand Central Station gives you a literal taste of the best the city has to offer.
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1. Saturday Night Live
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 50 reviews
Sketch comedy and variety show that has launched numerous hollywood stars from Eddie Murphy to Mike Meyers.
Reviewed By jonathancchan - New York City, United States
Going to a taping of Saturday Night Live has been at the top of my bucket list ever since moving to New York, and it was everything I hoped it would be! Skits and sketches from some of the top comedians and performers, laughing with friends until we could barely breathe. The staff, hosts, and pages were incredibly friendly and welcoming, and it was so special to see the cast I’ve been watching on television for a long time.
2. Late Night With Seth Meyers
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 144 reviews
Reviewed By jonathancchan - New York City, United States
We all had a lot of fun participating in the audience of a taping of Late Night with Seth Meyers! One of my favorite actresses Kristen Bell was a guest on the show tonight! It was interesting to learn during the Q&A how long Meyers has know Bell! The whole process was really well organized and smooth. After the initial check in and security screening, we were handed tickets and seated in the gorgeous Peacock Lounge. It was a very comfortable place to rest, and thanks to NBC for having a nice place for audience members to wait. After several more elevators and hallways, we were finally at Studio 8G! The house band, professional staff, and enthusiastic comedians made for an energetic experience. We were all so excited to get to see Seth Meyers, and one of my friends even got to ask a question during the Q&A time!
3. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 292 reviews
Reviewed By karissanr
My partner and I spent a bit of time researching when to arrive for standby tickets before heading there a few days ago, and the info we found proved invaluable, so here's our experience for those want a full account of the day: The day we saw Jimmy Fallon, the guests were Rami Malek, Chrissy Metz and John Prine (my understanding, is that the times below aren't applicable to days with super famous guests, as some people line up as early as the night before... so check who the guests are on the day you're planning on going!) We arrived at about 4:55am and were 7th and 8th in line. The first two couples arrived right on 4am, and numbers 5 and 6 arrived at about 4:20. After us, the next pair arrived at about 5:20, and from 5:30 onwards it started building up really quickly. It's really easy to see where to line up on 49th St - there's a roped off section with a sign saying "Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers standby tickets". It's also pretty relaxed until about 7am, when the security guards start coming out and asking anyone who is sitting on the ground to stand up, and starts bunching up the line so it doesn't extend so far down the street. Occasionally, too, an NBC representative will come out and chat, just to see how many people are there, answer any questions etc. They're totally fine if you head out of line to run to the restrooms, but they don't encourage leaving for any other reason. Having said that, we forged friendships with the two people in front and two people behind us, and eventually (at about 7:30am) one of us did a coffee run for the other five. It wasn't an issue because we'd all been there for so long and were all happy to keep the space for that one person. So, in that case, I think it really depends on the people around you. At 10am on the dot, an NBC representative will come out and separate the line into two - one for Jimmy Fallon and one for Seth Meyers. They'll then tell you that you'll be receiving a card with a number on it, and to have your photo ID ready. (My Aussie drivers licence was enough - they didn't need passports, just any gov. ID with your name and photo on it.) They then tell you to meet back at the NBC store (entrance on 6th Ave) at 3:30pm. We got our cards and wandered off. At 3:30, we arrived at the NBC store and went through 'check in' (they tick your name off so they know you're there). You MUST have your photo ID and the card they gave you in the morning with you. From there, they put you back into order (so there's no rush to get there in the afternoon - all the hard work is done in the morning). After a bit of waiting, they come down and tell you how many people MIGHT be able to go in. The day we went, it was 70. Anyone with a number past 70 was told to leave. A few minutes later, they came down and said they could DEFINITELY take 47 people in. The other 23 would have to wait a bit longer to see if there were still spare tickets. So the first 47, in order of numbered ticket, were given a second card, a wrist band, and then taken through security and upstairs into the waiting lounge. I'm not sure what happened to the other 23. I think some eventually made it in, but not all. Note: you have to show both cards and your wrist band a few more times before you enter the actual studio, so just keep them all in the one hand. In the lounge, it's your last chance to run to the restrooms or play on your phone, but honestly the best part was looking around and seeing pictures from previous shows, and listening to the awesome 90s-00s tunes playing. After relaxing in the lounge for a few minutes, they started calling in people in groups according to what was on their ticket. Those with reservations/pre-granted tickets were called up by Letter (A-Z), then people with double letters (e.g.MM), then numbers. After that was Standby people. There's absolutely no need to rush to the front of that call, because they put you back in order anyway. From there, you're walked down the hallway to the lift, and taken up to the studio in groups of 12. You're filed into the studio and given a seat by one of the NBC staff members. Most people end up sitting next to the same people from the morning (and afternoon) line up, so it ends up being heaps of fun - like you're there as part of a big group of friends! They play a video of previous highlights of the show, and then the warm up guy comes on to crack a few jokes, do some housekeeping (absolutely no phones - even though you're told this a million times throughout the afternoon) and introduce the band etc. From there, the show starts and it's all heaps of fun! Your biggest job is to enjoy yourself and be loud doing it!! Jimmy came up into the audience while they were setting up for the music item, and answered a few questions and told a few jokes. That was one of the coolest parts, I think. And at the end, he does his high-five run through the audience. The filming takes about one hour (about 5:00-6:00) and then you're walked out almost the same way you came in! They also give you 10% NBC shop discount tickets on the way out, so if you're planning on buying something from there, wait until after the show! It was definitely a crazy long day, but heaps of fun!
4. The Meredith Vieira Show
5. The Dr. Oz Show
Overall Ratings
3.0 based on 66 reviews
Reviewed By localgal920 - Brooklyn, United States
My review will focus on the experience of visiting the taping. There were a few segments taped today, and I'd have to say I disagreed with the "spin" on most of them, but I'm not reviewing whether this is a worthwhile show to watch. We were admitted to the building immediately, didn't have to wait outside in the cold, which was a nice touch. Unlike another taping of another show which I attempted to see recently, there were seats for all ticketed audience members. They hadn't overbooked. There was a comfortable waiting room for audience members, who were then called into the studio area and seated, and entertained by a "warmup" guy. We didn't see a whole show being made, just several segments which will apparently be spliced into different future shows. A TV taping is like a NYC industrial tour. Entertainment is what we do in this town and this is how one sees the work being done.
