Sesame Street muppets beyond excited as New York City will officially name a street after them

Throughout your childhood and, let’s be honest, most of your adult life, you may have wondered – how do you get to Sesame Street? After 50 years, the answer has finally been revealed.

On Wednesday 1 May New York City will officially name the intersection of West 63rd Street and Broadway “Sesame Street” in honor of the children’s television show’s 50th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, a public event will be held at the corner of 63rd and Broadway, adjacent to the Sesame Workshop office. Expected attendees include Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Elmo, as well as present and former cast members of the show.

The Guardian spoke to a local New Yorker who couldn’t be happier to hear the news about the official Sesame Street. You might know him:

Elmo with Sesame Street Workshop CEO Jeff Dunn.

Sesame Workshop has planned “a yearlong celebration with a celebrity-studded special, press and social buzz, events, partner activations, and social impact” to commemorate the show’s 50th year of being on air, according to their website.

In the past, there was speculation about the true location of the street. The show is produced and shot at Kaufman Studios in Astoria, making Queens a likelihood. Other possibilities were Harlem or Alphabet City, an enclave in the East Village since both neighborhoods resembled Sesame Street in appearance and demographic makeup. However, Sesame Workshop thought it best for the iconic street to be located in the Upper West Side, close to their headquarters.

Since 1969, the children’s television show has been a pioneering force in media and education, tackling issues like racism, loss, poverty and living with a disability. Just last year, the series introduced Julia, a new character on the show who falls on the autism spectrum. A storyline in Season 15 centered around coping with the death of a loved one. Characters learned that Mr Hooper, a store owner on Sesame Street, has passed away and through this, children learned about grief and how to deal with it with the help of their friend, Big Bird.

Sesame Street is often visited by celebrity guests, and Elmo is known to make cameo appearances himself, such as in this clip with Game of Thrones characters:

Facebook Twitter Pinterest World clashes: Elmo meets Game of Thrones!

So how do you get to Sesame Street? Take the 1 uptown to 66th/Lincoln Center, then walk three blocks down to 63rd and take a left on Broadway. If you hit Central Park, you’ve gone too far.

This article was brought to you by the letter S and the numbers 5 and 0.