Why New York City Holds a Special Place in Emmy Rossum’s Life

Emmy Rossum has a personal connection to New York City that goes far beyond being the place where she grew up. The actress has found comfort in its parks, bookstores, neighborhood cafés, playgrounds, and familiar streets. Even after spending a decade in Los Angeles, New York remained the city she wanted to call home while raising her two young children.

Rossum’s connection to the city also shapes the way she works. She often walks through New York while preparing for a role, quietly rehearsing lines as she moves from one place to another. The city gives her room to work without much attention from strangers.

“People do not care,” Rossum said about speaking lines while walking. “They will assume you are on the phone or just crazy.”

That freedom is one of the reasons New York continues to suit her so well.

Cedar Hill Remains a Favorite

Instagram | jamnicha25 | Emmy Rossum has felt a deep connection to Central Park’s Cedar Hill since growing up near the Upper East Side.

Central Park’s Cedar Hill has held a special place in Rossum’s life since her teenage years. The open area sits near the 79th Street traverse, close to the Upper East Side neighborhood where she grew up.

During difficult teenage days, Rossum would visit the hill, lie on its gentle slope, and look toward the trees. She once described it to Gothamist as “nature’s version of a La-Z-Boy.”

The setting still gives her a sense of calm. Rossum has a strong emotional response to hills and old trees, although she admits that talking about those feelings can sound “a little corny.”

Her connection comes from the age of the trees around her. Some have stood in Central Park for hundreds of years and have witnessed major moments in New York history.

“I just remember how this tree has been here through 9/11, through the Second World War,” Rossum said. “Some of these trees have been here [for] hundreds of years. And that grounds me.”

The same hill has also become part of her family routine. Rossum and her husband, Sam Esmail, take their children sledding there when snow covers Central Park. Esmail is the creator of “Mr. Robot,” and the couple lives on the Upper East Side with their children.

Rossum knows the practical side of a snow day, too. The family tries to arrive early before the crowds fill the hill. After sledding, cold hands often lead to a search for hot chocolate.

Sometimes, however, nearby prices make homemade cocoa the better choice.

“Or it’s $28 for a hot chocolate near there, and you’re annoyed, so you just go home and make hot chocolate,” she said.

Books and Quiet Corners

Reading is another important part of Rossum’s routine. Her work already requires plenty of reading, from reviewing scripts to looking at material connected to projects involving Esmail. During her free time, she often turns to novels.

“I’ve always loved losing myself in a world,” Rossum said.

One favorite stop is The Corner Bookstore at Madison Avenue and East 93rd Street. The independent bookstore has become a useful place for Rossum when she wants a book that matches a particular mood.

Rather than simply asking for a popular title, she can describe the kind of reading experience she wants.

“I’m looking for something and I want to feel this way. I want to laugh a little, I want it to be a little absurd and I like an antihero’s journey. What do you have?” she said.

The bookstore staff understand those preferences and can help her find something that fits.

Rossum also visits the New York Society Library. Founded in the 1700s, it is considered the oldest cultural institution in New York City. Her connection to the library includes a familiar parenting problem: overdue picture books borrowed for her children.

She jokes that the library should not hold those late notices against her.

A Quiet Spot Near Cooper Hewitt

Rossum frequently visits the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, but her reason for stopping by is not always the museum’s design collection.

The museum occupies a Gilded Age-era mansion, yet Rossum often prefers its free gardens. The outdoor area offers a quieter setting where she can sit on a bench and attend a Zoom therapy session.

“It’s so peaceful and usually there’s a free bench,” she said. “I go and hope for the best.”

The spot offers something that can be hard to find in Manhattan: a little quiet without leaving the city.

Coffee, Friends and the Reservoir

Instagram | butterfieldnyc | Emmy Rossum frequents Butterfield Market, favoring its coffee over its famed frozen yogurt.

Butterfield Market is another regular stop for Rossum. While the market has gained attention for its frozen yogurt, coffee is the bigger draw for the actress.

Her usual choice is iced hazelnut coffee. She often takes the drink while walking around the Central Park Reservoir with her longtime best friend, Dorie.

The walks give the friends time to catch up and talk about their social circle.

“That’s our friend time where we catch up on all the hot goss of what’s going on in the group chat,” Rossum said.

The routine shows how Rossum uses familiar parts of New York for simple social moments. A coffee, a walk, and a conversation can become a regular part of city life.

Rossum and Esmail also spend time with fellow New York couple Brittany and Christian Slater. Christian Slater became a close friend after working with Esmail on “Mr. Robot.”

When the couples meet, PlantShed Cafe on the Upper West Side is sometimes the choice.

“You feel like you’re in a flower shop while you’re having your coffee,” Rossum said.

The café’s setting adds a distinctive touch to an otherwise simple coffee meet-up.

Family Time at Billy Johnson Playground

Rossum’s two children, a five-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son, now shape much of her free time.

Central Park remains a major part of their family routine. Rossum takes the children to Billy Johnson Playground, known for its granite slides.

The slides come with one unusual requirement: cardboard.

“You need a piece of cardboard because that gives you the traction to get down, so everyone’s fighting over these random scraps of cardboard,” Rossum explained.

The family has even learned to plan ahead.

“We’ll bring a cut-up Amazon box next time,” Rossum said.

The playground gives Rossum another way to pass along her appreciation for Central Park. Places that mattered to her as a child now become part of her children’s own experiences.

Why the Upper East Side Matters

Rossum’s attachment to New York also comes from the sense of community she remembers from childhood.

When she was around three or four years old, she spent time with an older couple who lived in the same Upper East Side apartment building as her family. Her mother could see their kitchen from the family’s kitchen, allowing Rossum to move between the apartments.

She even remembers having a second dinner at the neighbors’ home.

That kind of everyday connection stayed with her. After moving to Los Angeles, Rossum found herself living in a more isolated setting. She missed the casual contact that came with city apartment living.

Returning to the Upper East Side brought some of that feeling back.

Rossum has also challenged the idea that New Yorkers are too busy to care about one another. The city moves quickly, but she has still experienced plenty of small acts of neighborly kindness.

“There is this feeling of connection, also, that we’re all in this together. We make this city happen.”

That idea helps explain why New York remained the right place for her family after Los Angeles failed to become a permanent home.

New York Also Shapes Her Acting

Instagram | emmy | Emmy Rossum connects with New York City by pacing its streets to memorize lines and build characters.

Rossum’s relationship with the city is closely tied to her acting career. She often uses long walks through New York to prepare for characters. Rehearsing lines aloud lets her work through scenes while moving through streets she knows well.

Her role as an FBI agent in Hulu’s crime drama “Furious” gave that habit a new purpose.

The character investigates a serial killer, making the role particularly intense. Rossum even turned part of her daily walks into a memory exercise by trying to memorize license plates she passed along the way.

Shooting “Furious” in New York also made the job easier in a practical sense. The production worked across the five boroughs, while the studio remained a short commute from Rossum’s home.

When filming ended for the day and she left the character behind, familiar places helped restore her normal routine. Playgrounds, coffee shops, Central Park walks, and time with friends remained part of her life outside the set.

Why New York Still Feels Like Home

Rossum spent 10 years in Los Angeles, but New York remained the city she wanted to call home. Her choice to raise her children there reflects a bond that began during her childhood and continued into her adult life.

Her favorite places across Manhattan also show how closely the city is tied to her everyday routine. Cedar Hill recalls her teenage years and now serves as a family spot for winter sledding. The Corner Bookstore and New York Society Library connect with her love of books, while Butterfield Market and PlantShed Cafe give her familiar places to meet friends. Billy Johnson Playground has become part of her children’s time in Central Park.

The Upper East Side holds an even deeper meaning. As a young child, Rossum formed a close bond with older neighbors in her apartment building. After living in Los Angeles, she missed that easy sense of community and found it again after returning to New York.

Rossum also appreciates the freedom to walk through the city while rehearsing lines for acting roles. She can speak to herself without drawing much attention because people usually assume she is on the phone or simply being eccentric.

“There is this feeling of connection, also, that we’re all in this together. We make this city happen.”

For Rossum, that balance between independence and community helps make New York feel personal. The city gives her familiar spaces for work, family time, reading, friendship, and quiet moments, while also keeping her connected to the place that shaped her early life.