Of all the iconic New Yorkers in pop culture, Carrie Bradshaw is among the most memorable—as is the woman behind the myth, Candace Bushnell. The best-selling writer, TV producer and Sex and the City The creator is back. Manhattan This month she performs her one-woman performance. True Tales of Sex, Success, and Sex and the City Sony Hall in the Sony Center, located at the Sony Center, will be hosting a one-night only event on May 16. Paramount Times Square. “It is about a woman that comes to New York, and makes it. It is also the origin of Sex and the City—of why I invented Carrie Bradshaw—and what happened to me afterward,” Bushnell says, describing her evening-length performance, one that she’s taken on tour to cities like LondonPrague Budapest.
You can chat with your friends about anything. Condé Nast Traveler, Bushnell recalls the reactions to her work—her column for the New York Observer that inspired the hit TV show, her adult and young adult novels, and onstage performances—from fans all over the world: “It’s mostly women who come with their girlfriends, out for a celebration. They tell me that Sex and the City They feel that it has improved their lives or helped them get over a difficult time. “They find it empowering that they don’t need to feel bad about wanting more out of relationships and not wanting a settling.”
Bushnell’s shows have subtitles translated in places where English is not the primary language. She has found, however, that her material transcends language and cultural barriers. They understand that no matter where they are in the world, these relationships lessons apply to them: “Lesson number one is, if you do not act, somebody else will.” Second lesson: Men will lie about anything, even their age. Women everywhere understand this. “These are international issues.”
Bushnell, a New Yorker for decades, still lives in Manhattan’s Upper East Side but is increasingly escaping to the east. “I spend every weekend in my Hamptons house because I have two large standard poodles who need space.” She spends a lot of time in New York, both for work and socializing. She shares her story with Traveler Her favorite spots for shopping, dining, and getting glammed for events in the city. You might want to wear comfy shoes if following her suggestions. Bushnell: “I’m a New Yorker and I think three miles is a walkable distance.”
What to eat and where to drink in New York City
“First and foremost, I do not eat a lunch. It’s just too inconvenient. This happens at a time when I’m just starting to work. When I get to work, I always go back to my old favorites. I live in the Upper East Side so I’ll probably go to Le Bilboquet. It’s been my favorite since the East 60s or 64th Street. The restaurant is in a larger space, but I have been going to them since the 1990s. I do dinner, definitely. I do like to go. The Corner Store In SoHo, I like to order the veal piccata but I also enjoy it when I am staying in the Upper East Side. Caravaggio. The space used to house Coco Pazzo, a 90s Italian restaurant. I have been going there for over 30 years. I will take people there for drinks. Casa TuaThe club is a private club located in The Surrey, A Corinthia HotelBut the public lounge and restaurant are equally as good. The restaurant, like all of New York’s restaurants, is very difficult to enter. What is happening? I believe it’s TikTok. Every day I go to Starbucks for coffee. 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 confusing to me. What are you doing?”
What to do in New York City?
“There you are” Hotel ChelseaThe rooms have been renovated. My friends who have stayed there love it. It’s interesting that when they renovated that hotel, they found rooms that had been shut 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. There’s also the Upper East Side. The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel. I’ll go there for tea—and actually, I’ve performed my show there at Café Carlyle. Three times in three years. I feel I need to make a show new before going back.”
Shopping in New York City
“For shopping, you always can go down Fifth Avenue—to Louis Vuitton All those places. Madison Avenue is my usual haunt. I walk that street almost every day. Bergdorf-Goodman is also a great option. Alice + Olivia is always a great place to shop when I need something new to wear.
What to do in New York City to be red-carpet ready:
“When I visit the city, it feels like I need to have my hair and make-up done every week. I’m always surrounded by photographers when I attend events. 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. It’s just lots of parties. And then there’s Zooms or podcasts—I have to get in glam for podcasts now because they’re all video recorded now too. The days of writing in sweatpants is over. So, the place I get my hair done, nails done and all of that 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 where I am. If you want something more local, I recommend the Spa Valmont at the Carlyle.”
What to do in New York City:
“I love watching the movies” New York City Ballet Lincoln Center. I used to go a lot because I was married to a City Ballet principal dancer. Recently, a girlfriend of mine was talking about going, and then I just remembered, like, ‘Oh yeah. I love it. The live music and all the dancing is just amazing. The occasional Broadway show is also on my list. I also live nearby The Metropolitan Museum of Art—it’s one of those places where I feel like I should go more often. You could spend all your time at the Met, seeing new things every 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. “You’ll see something cool when you go there.”
What Candace Bushnell takes with her when she travels:
“I travel so much at work that I rarely take 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. If I’m going to travel, it would be impossible for me to leave home without my little travel pillow. I’m talking about a square pillow and not the neck thingies. I really like the one I got from Kumi Kookoon. This pillow is my go-to no matter where I am. And lavender pillow spray—mine is from Cape Cod Lavender Farm. “They’re from Harwich in Massachusetts and their products are all-natural. It is becoming harder to find natural products these days.”
What keeps Candace Bushnell living in New York City?
“It is the people. This place is very social. I have always said that it’s a place where you can be single. There are many singles in the city and you can do something every night. It’s possible to be single and live a full life here. It’s very easy to meet new people, strangers. New friends or old, New York has it all.
Candace Bushnell performs her one-woman show True Tales of Sex, Success, and Sex and the City Tickets available for the Sony Hall on May 16, New York City. Tickets available here.
