I Live Around the Corner From the Bookstore in Netflix's You, and It's Fine, I'm Fine

I was only a few minutes into the first episode of You [1] — the Netflix series that launched a million memes [2] and ended just as many quests for love [3] — when my husband said, "Wait, is that . . . ?" A street view of our neighbourhood? The bookstore just a block from our apartment? A vision that will haunt me for the rest of my days? Spoiler: it's all of that, and I kind of, maybe, sort of no longer feel safe in my own home.

In real life, the charming shop where Penn Badgley [4]'s Joe first meets and becomes obsessed with Beck is Logos Bookstore [5], a lovely little place in the Manhattan neighbourhood of Yorkville, where much of the series takes place [6]. Here, you're more likely to be greeted by one of the store's two shop cats than an oddly attractive sociopath [7]. In fact, while both the facade and front interior of the store were filmed for the show, a clerk was quick to explain that the infamous basement doesn't actually exist. (And just like that, "not the scene of an actual crime" topped my list of Logos' greatest attributes.)

Still, I'm not mad that Joe will reportedly move to LA [8] for season two. As Peach would say, I don't need this kind of energy in my healing space [9]. But before we ship him off for good, let's take a tour of his old stomping grounds, shall we? To be clear, that was rhetorical. I refuse to be alone in this.

The Neighbourhood

Many of the show's street scenes were filmed on York Avenue, where only the name of the bookstore was changed (from Logos to Mooney's).

Here's a Tighter Shot of York Avenue

Even the bus stop outside of Mooney's exists IRL, though the show's creators added a subway station that likely would have priced everyone out of the neighbourhood.

The Store's Exterior

Everything about Mooney's is the same, right down to the gates that keep it secure. (Which you can see in my photo, on the bottom.) If only they were used to keep Joe in.