I've been wanting to go to the Friends Experience for so long and finally it comes to my backyard at Great Lakes Crossing Mall! HOW EXCITING!
The Friends Experience was truly everything. It's randomly located in District 1 of GLC and right at one of the "corners" of the mall where I believe it used to be a Bed Bath & Beyond location or something, so it's one of the really big store spaces. It's a massive space and that meant plenty of room for all the different Friends exhibits!
My friend and I went at 4:30 pm on a weekday and there was barely anyone there! I'm curious to know what this place looks like on the weekend as when we walked in, there were the line ropes in place that seemed to indicate they normally get long queue lines. I was glad for no lines though and just being able to take as much time throughout the experience as possible for my friend and I - it was such fun!
All the workers are so friendly and there are so many photo ops! I would highly recommend taking as many pictures as you can with your own phone because the spots where photographers are taking your photos means at the end of the exhibits, once you get to the gift shop to view all your photos, you'll need to pay for one of their photo packages in order to get most of the photos you took inside the experience! The only photos they give you for free are the PIVOT couch ones, which let's be real...those are the best ones anyways, but still! But there are still plenty of photo ops where there is no professional camera/photographer ready to take your photos and just one of the employees waiting for you to hand them your phone to take photos, so it does balance out nicely!
If you're a Friends fan, I just highly recommend you come here! It was so fun to be immersed in all the sets and I was giddy the whole time! Friends may be overrated given how overexposed it's been in recent years, but it was still so fun for me and so nostalgic as I remember watching this show as it aired LIVE growing up in my parent's home and then finding this show again when it came to Netflix over a decade after it finished airing! It's nostalgic and just so so delightful!
I don't want to spoil it too much, but you basically get to see everything you probably have ever wanted to see! The opening theme song sequence set, Monica & Rachel's apartment, Joey & Chandler's apartment, the hallway between their two apartments, Central Perk, and so much more!!! Pay particular attention to all the signs they have as they fill you in on so much of the detail and background of Friends!
At the end of the experience, you find yourself at the gift shop! It's cute and has some pretty unique items (like Monica's break up jam and a Central Perk coffee mug purse a la Loungefly) and this is where you can view your photos. Again, if you're a Friends fan of any kind, I think you're going to have such a good time here! Please have so much fun for me!!!!! read more