Fans swarm JFK Jr sites in major city as hit series 'Love Story' triggers tourism frenzy
As the public's fascination with John F. Kennedy Jr. resurfaces in a big way, interest is also exploding in the New York City neighborhoods and hot spots he once favored.
The spike in tourist attention comes amid the release of the hit series "Love Story," which revisits Kennedy’s life and his highly publicized relationship with Carolyn Bessette. The high-profile limited series premiered Feb. 12, 2026.
John F. Kennedy Jr., the son of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, was a lawyer and founder of George magazine. Bessette, a former Calvin Klein publicist known for her minimalist style, married Kennedy in September 1996.
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The couple died tragically in a 1999 plane crash off the coast of Massachusetts.
"Love Story" was filmed at several real-life locations the couple frequented — inspiring curious fans to flock in droves to the downtown spots that shaped their story.
Here are several of the New York destinations closely associated with the time Kennedy spent in Manhattan — and why they're attracting so much tourist attention right now.
Much of the miniseries was filmed in the same neighborhood where the couple was routinely photographed, and where they lived together until their tragic death in 1999.
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Kennedy purchased the loft in Tribeca for just $700,000 in 1994, according to Realtor.com.
Paparazzi were known to wait outside the doors at 20 North Moore Street, hoping for a glimpse of the glamorous young couple.
Carolyn Bessette allegedly moved in sometime during 1995, a year or so before the couple wed.
Upon returning to their home after an intimate wedding off the coast of Georgia and then a honeymoon in Turkey, Kennedy is said to have asked waiting members of the press to show courtesy and consideration toward his new bride.
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"This is a big change for anyone," he reportedly said.
"And for a private citizen like Carolyn, even more so. I ask you to give her all the privacy and room you can … It would be greatly appreciated."
Just around the corner from the couple's former love nest is Bubby’s, a popular diner that serves breakfast classics.
It's a spot JFK Jr. and Bessette Kennedy were known to frequent.
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It opened on Thanksgiving Day 1990, according to the restaurant's website.
Owner Ron Silver began baking pies and selling them to restaurants and neighbors out of a small kitchen at the corner of Hudson and North Moore St. in Tribeca.
"Bubby’s was like a living room for those guys, and they were in all the time," Silver told Page Six.
"It was a place where they would come together and also separately with their friends and have meetings or different things like that," he added.
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"Regulars say blueberry pancakes and matzo ball soup were among their orders — which feels refreshingly unfussy compared to the era’s velvet-rope nightlife," according to Time Out New York.
In the series, Indian restaurant Panna II in the East Village is noted as the site of the couple’s first date — but it was also a frequent spot of the real-life couple.
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Bashir Khan, 50, the owner of Panna II, told Fox News Digital about the increased traffic following the launch of "Love Story."
In the three weeks post-premiere, the restaurant has attracted a 1500-person waiting list, he said this week.
"It’s been two weeks, this is our third week. … I think it’s going to increase," Khan said.
And JFK Jr.’s go-to order?
Chicken tikka masala, according to the restaurant's owner. The grilled white-meat chicken is cooked with tomato sauce, per his menu.
"We're known for our Indian food, and then we're known for our ‘unique’ decor," the restaurant says on its website.
"We take a lot of pride in our food, sourcing quality ingredients and pairing them with inspired recipes to bring out the best in flavor. We wanted to make Indian food accessible too, so we keep everything at a budget-friendly price point."