7 NYC Locations John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Actually Visited

The show Love Story: John F. Kennedy & Carolyn Bessette has ignited a wave of interest in the Kennedy family, JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s relationship, and ‘90s fashion trends, among other subjects. It has also inspired widespread fascination with New York City in the ‘90s, which provided the backdrop for the duo’s romance.

The bars, restaurants, and apartments where JFK Jr. and Bessette fell in love and famously fought have since become pilgrimage sites of sorts for fans of the show, acting both as portals into the past and new destinations for the latest generation of New Yorkers to seek out some of that signature Big Apple magic.

Nobu
Bubby’s
The Odeon
JFK Jr.’s Apartment
Washington Square Park
Central Park
Indochine

Nobu

Nobu is a sushi restaurant with locations in New York, Los Angeles, and Tokyo, among other places, and it has long been a celebrity hotspot. JFK Jr. and Bessette-Kennedy were regulars at Nobu’s Tribeca location, which was near their apartment, and JFK Jr. was also seen arriving on rollerblades and meeting with luminaries from producer Quincy Jones to designer Jeff Hamilton within its walls.

Bubby’s

This Tribeca spot was just a block from JFK Jr. and Bessette-Kennedy’s apartment, and the duo were often seen dining there. The restaurant opened in 1990, and Kennedy is said to have paid it a visit on the second day it was open. He is said to have frequently ordered oatmeal and a caffè latte, according to Vogue, though other sources have reported that he and Bessette enjoyed everything from matzo ball soups to pancakes.

The Odeon

This Tribeca haunt is a downtown staple, perfect for sipping cocktails and talking about art and fashion while lounging on its red leather banquettes. Bessette apparently favored this restaurant, often ordering a hamburger with a side of sautéed spinach instead of fries. The French-American brasserie was also apparently the spot where Bessette and JFK Jr. rekindled their romance after a short split.

“By the early summer of 1994, John Jr. had been seeking to reunite with Carolyn for some time. It finally happened one evening when Carolyn was working a private event for Calvin Klein [at The Odeon], to which John showed up,” author Tim English wrote in his book The Kennedys’ New York. “Carolyn intervened before he could be turned away at the door, and the pair then spent the rest of the night talking. But by the end of the summer, they were going steady.”

JFK Jr.’s Apartment

20 North Moore Street in Tribeca, New York | Jim.henderson / Wikimedia Commons

Two years after he met Bessette, JFK Jr. purchased the industrial-style loft that would become the couple’s home for $700,000. 20 N Moore St. is said to have had two bedrooms, was reportedly located on the building’s top floor, and had rooftop access. The building is under private ownership today, and has previously been inhabited by talk show host David Letterman and actor Ed Burns.

Washington Square Park

In February 1996, JFK Jr. and Carolyn got into a fierce argument in a New York City park that was famously captured by photographers. According to the 2024 book JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography by Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio, that park was Washington Square Park, a Greenwich Village institution known for drawing a hodgepodge of tourists, bohemians, artists, and students.

In the show, the pair fight about the prospect of marriage. But in real life, the fight may have “stemmed from Carolyn’s ongoing complaint that John let people walk all over him,” according to JFK Jr.’s friend Steven M. Gillon, per his 2019 book America’s Reluctant Prince.

Central Park

JFK Jr. was raised at 1040 Fifth Avenue overlooking Central Park, and he spent lots of time there throughout his life—as did his parents. His mother, Jackie Kennedy, spent so much time walking there that the park’s reservoir was renamed the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in 1994.

Indochine

The dimly lit French-Vietnamese restaurant Indochine opened in 1984 and has been a hotspot for fashion-related events and high-profile meetings for decades. Bessette-Kennedy was photographed there numerous times at various fashion-related events, and she and JFK Jr. were also seen dining there shortly after their wedding.