CineTrotter
New York, United States
Grand avenue of Manhattan leading to the Grand Central terminal.
The scene : 9 minNYPD officer James Edwards chases an extraterrestrial suspect on the elevated section of Park Avenue, just south of Grand Central; the fugitive jumps off the viaduct to escape.
New York, United States
The scene : 10 minPursued to the edge of the viaduct, Jay jumps off the bridge and lands on the roof of a double-decker sightseeing bus.
New York, United States
Art museum founded in 1937 and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, whose spiral ramp is one of the manifestos of the modern movement. The building is designated a National Historic Landmark and a New York City Landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is among Wright's works recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The scene : 11 minCornered, the fleeing extraterrestrial climbs the facade of the museum; Edwards catches up to him inside by ascending the spiral ramp to the roof, from where the alien leaps into the void.
90 Orchard Street
New York, United States
Corner building of the Lower East Side, at the intersection of Broome Street; Scorsese later installed Umberto's Clam House from The Irishman there.
The scene : 18 minKay takes Edwards to Jeebs (Tony Shalhoub), a pawnbroker who discreetly sells alien weapons; it is there that Edwards has the weapon picked up from the alien identified.
Hugh L. Carey Tunnel Ventilation Building (Battery Place)
New York, United States
Hugh L. Carey Tunnel ventilation building — the former Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel — at the southern tip of Manhattan, on the Battery Place side. The same tunnel has a second ventilation building on Governors Island. Its construction in the 1940s removed part of the area known as Little Syria.
The scene : 23 minSummoned by Kay the day after his pursuit, James Edwards arrives at the designated address and discovers, behind the tunnel's ventilation shaft, the headquarters of the Men in Black; the film locates it at a "504 Battery Drive" that does not exist. The two agents return there throughout the investigation, and it is where their shared story ends.
New York, United States
Circular fort built between 1808 and 1811 by architect John McComb Jr. at the tip of Manhattan. It served successively as a performance hall, a public aquarium, and an outdoor brewery, but it was originally the first immigration station in the United States, before Ellis Island: over eight million people were registered there between 1855 and 1890. Designated a New York City Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is now managed by the National Park Service.
The scene : 31 minSitting on a bench in front of the circular wall of the fort, Kay explains to Edwards what entering the MIB really entails and gives him until dawn to decide.
54 MacDougal Street
New York, United States
Greenwich Village building that has since been demolished and replaced by a condominium; it previously housed the shop A Question of Time.
The scene : 38 minIn front of the window of Rosenberg Fine Jewelry, Edgar watches the Aquilian jeweler and follows him as he exits the store.
New York, United States
Monumental Beaux-Arts style train station inaugurated in 1913, one of the largest in the world by the number of platforms, located on 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan. It was designed by the architectural firms Reed and Stem and Warren and Wetmore and is a dead-end underground railway station.
The scene : The terminal serves as the backdrop for a chase sequence that opens the film.
New York, United States
Locksmith kiosk located in a narrow passage between two buildings on Orchard Street, a few steps from the pawnbroker's shop.
The scene : In the narrow alcove separating two buildings, Frank the pug delivers the information that reignites the chase; Jay then improvises an explanation for the onlookers.
New York, United States
The scene : Disoriented by what he has just witnessed, Jay empties the magazine of his weapon in the middle of the street; passersby are immediately neuralyzed.
New York, United States
Diner from 1938 in the Meatpacking District, which became the night café Florent in the mid-1980s, closed in 2008; the original aluminum sign has been preserved above the business that occupies the premises today.
The scene : Disguised as a waiter, Edgar surprises Rosenberg and his Aquilian interlocutor in the middle of their meeting and shoots them down. On screen, the neon sign of the restaurant bears a Russian inscription that means "good food."
New York, United States
A twenty-five-acre park at the southern tip of Manhattan, situated in front of Castle Clinton.
The scene : At the end of the film, Jay and his new partner, Agent L, walk away in the park after having bought a hot dog.
New York, United States
Heart of the Financial District of Manhattan, around the New York Stock Exchange. The skyscraper 40 Wall Street, completed in 1930 by architects H. Craig Severance, Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, and Yasuo Matsui, is a New York City Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Art Deco architecture.
The scene : At the newsstand planted in front of the entrance to the Wall Street subway, Kay browses through the supermarket tabloids.
69th Regiment Armory
New York, United States
Arsenal of the 69th Regiment, on Lexington Avenue between 25th and 26th East Streets.
The scene : The armory serves as the office of the chief medical examiner: agents enter through the side door on East 26th Street, meet the medical examiner Laurel (Linda Fiorentino), and examine the bodies.
New York, United States
The scene : Jay takes the taxi in pursuit and follows it around the corner of the avenue.
New York, United States
The scene : Edgar confronts the newsstand vendor.
New York, United States
The scene : Parked aside in his pest control truck, Edgar opens Rosenberg's package and is taken aback by what he finds.
New York, United States
The scene : Kay stops the traffic and drives the car onto the ramp leading to the tunnel.
New York, United States
The scene : Kay presses the famous little red button: the car breaks through the toll barrier, flips over, and speeds up to the ceiling of the tunnel, going against the flow of traffic.
New York, United States
The scene : Edgar drives the pest control truck that he stole.
Jersey City, United States
Jersey City Waterfront Park, facing the southern tip of Manhattan.
The scene : The park road serves as the New Jersey Turnpike: Kay intercepts the alien Redgick there, and then Jay finds himself assisting the birth of the baby squid, whose grip effortlessly sends him across the other side of the roadway.
Simi Valley, United States
Simi Valley filming ranch, located in the hills of the western valley.
The scene : An alien spacecraft crashes near an isolated farm.
Culver City, United States
The scene : Culver City lot plateau occupied by the production for its interiors.
Culver City, United States
The scene : Second of the two stages in Culver City reserved for studio filming.
New York State Pavilion
New York, United States
A remnant of the 1964 World's Fair, the New York State Pavilion designed by Philip Johnson features the circular skeleton of the Tent of Tomorrow and two observation towers with saucer-shaped roofs, which still stand in the park.
The scene : The two observation towers of the pavilion actually conceal alien ships: Edgar drags Laurel in force before taking off, with Jay and Kay on his heels.
New York, United States
Theater housed in the former Theaterama designed by Philip Johnson for the 1964 World's Fair, within the New York State Pavilion.
The scene : The final scenes of the film take place there.
New York, United States
Steel globe thirty-six meters in diameter, presented as the largest in the world, surrounded by three rings representing satellite orbits and set in the middle of a basin and a crown of fountains; it has undergone a three million dollar restoration.
The scene : Jay and Kay shoot down Edgar's ship, which falls on them and pierces the steel globe.
New York, United States
Home of the New York Mets until its demolition in 2009.
The scene : Edgar's ship flies over the stadium during a match: a player misses the ball, the stands look up, and Jay and Kay open fire.