Meeting Lane, Hicksville · named, not mapped
His childhood home is a private house: named here, not mapped.
Hicksville · Midtown · the Garden
Billy Joel
A Long Island kid who played a Los Angeles piano bar under another name, made his records in Midtown and became the Garden’s first music franchise. Play his places on a harmonica.
Long Island, 1950 onwards
A Levitt house,
a harbour, a street.
His family settled in Hicksville when he was about one, in the Levittown section of Levitt-built houses; Social Life gives the street as Meeting Lane. In the 1960s he and his friends hung out at the Village Green on Newbridge Road, which is still a neighbourhood park.
Hicksville High School
He left Hicksville High in 1967 without graduating, and was given his diploma in 1992.
In June 2017 he came back to speak at the school’s graduation; his message to the class was to do something they love.
A working school: see it from Division Avenue.
Sources
Billy Joel Cold Spring Harbor Park
His 1971 debut album is named after Cold Spring Harbor, a hamlet on Long Island Sound about 20 minutes up Route 108 from Hicksville.
Jerry Abramowitz photographed the cover on a dock on Harbor Road; the dock has since been taken down. A small sign for Billy Joel Cold Spring Harbor Park is still posted at the site.
A town park and boat ramp on Route 25A. Non-residents pay $25 a launch; walkers just come and look at the water.
Sources
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Billy Joel Way, Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay
On 19 October 2023 the Town of Oyster Bay renamed a street for him and gave him a key to the town. The renamed stretch is a piece of Audrey Avenue, now Billy Joel Way.
His motorcycle shop, 20th Century Cycles, opened in late 2010 and closed in late September 2025; the bikes were to be auctioned. It stood at 101 Audrey Avenue and was a free gallery of more than 75 vintage bikes.
He has owned several homes in the area, on Lloyd Neck, in Oyster Bay and on Centre Island. They are private, and not mapped.
A public street in the hamlet. Number 101 was his motorcycle shop, which closed in 2025; his homes nearby are private and are not mapped.
Sources
Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame
The Hall’s exhibition Billy Joel: My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey opened on 24 November 2023 and ran until 26 October 2025; tens of thousands came. It now shows Billy Joel: The LIMEHOF Collection, on loan from the Billy Joel Archives, alongside an Everybody Loves Raymond exhibition.
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am–5pm; buy tickets on the Hall’s website. The Billy Joel collection is part of admission.
Sources
LIMEHOF
Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame
97 Main Street, Stony Brook · Wed–Sun 11am–5pm · tickets online
Billy Joel: The LIMEHOF Collection, on loan from his archives, is part of admission.
Plan a visitThree Village Inn
Three Village Inn, Stony Brook
150 Main Street, Stony Brook · Book direct · (631) 751-0555
A country inn dating to 1751 on Stony Brook Harbor, with suites and a tavern, on the same Main Street as the Hall of Fame and its Billy Joel collection. Pictured: Stony Brook Village Center.
Check roomsThe guide, on a harmonica
Blow for then, draw for now
On the record he plays harmonica, mandolin and accordion as well as piano. A ten-hole harp gives two notes from every hole: one blown, one drawn. Each hole here is a real place, in date order. Blow it for what happened; draw on it for what is there today.
Pick a hole on the harp. Low holes are Long Island; the high end is the big rooms.
The Executive Room, Los Angeles · 1972–73
Tonight at the piano:
Bill Martin.
He worked under the name Bill Martin, from his full name William Martin Joel, while Columbia’s lawyers got him out of his first record contract.
For about six months in 1972 and 1973 he played the piano bar at the Executive Room, in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles; the bar has gone. The people in “Piano Man” were drawn from the room: John was a real bartender on his shifts; Paul was a real estate agent who sat at the bar every night writing a novel. The waitress in the song was Elizabeth Weber, who worked there too and became his first wife.
The bar has gone, and accounts of its exact site disagree, so it is named here and not mapped.
Sources
Sigma Sound, Philadelphia · 15 April 1972
The tape that got him signed
On 15 April 1972, a year before he signed to Columbia, he played a concert at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia that WMMR recorded.
WMMR began playing “Captain Jack” from that tape; the phones jammed, and the play led to a New York audition, other labels’ interest and a Columbia contract. The full Sigma Sound set was released for the first time on the Piano Man Legacy Edition.
A protected building, not open inside: see it from North 12th Street. In November 2020 Philadelphia listed the small brick building on its historic register, which bars demolition without a special hardship ruling.
Sources
Seventh Avenue at West 52nd Street · 1977–78
Three valves
on 52nd Street.
The 52nd Street cover shows him outside the studio with a trumpet. Press the valves to find out where, whose horn, and how it was shot.
No valves down. Press one: the room, the horn or the camera.
Sources
Astor Place · 1976
Turnstiles, at the turnstiles
The 1976 Turnstiles cover was photographed at Astor Place station, at the uptown 6 train turnstiles.
A working subway station on the 6 line. The cover was shot on the uptown side.
Sources
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Compare toursMadison Square Garden · 1978–2024
One show a month,
torn off the wall.
His records there are marked by banners in the rafters, replaced every month with each show. Tear the calendar month by month and watch the banner change.
December 1978: He first played the Garden on 14 December 1978.
Sources
December 1978
1first show
He first played the Garden on 14 December 1978.
Madison Square Garden
He first played the Garden on 14 December 1978. The residency ended on 25 July 2024 with his 150th lifetime show at the Garden.
A working arena. A one-hour tour of the building runs on chosen dates; check the calendar on msg.com.
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden tour
Seventh Avenue, Manhattan · Adults $48–$49 · about 60 minutes
A one-hour guided tour behind the scenes of the arena where he played 150 shows. It does not promise anything about him; check the calendar for dates.
See tour dates
Shea Stadium, Queens · July 2008
Last Play at Shea
On 16 and 18 July 2008 he was the last rock act to play Shea, in two shows billed as Last Play at Shea, to about 110,000 people.
Paul McCartney joined him; so did Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks and John Mayer. The shows became the film Live at Shea Stadium and a documentary, The Last Play at Shea.
Site of Shea Stadium
The stadium has gone; plaques in the car park mark home plate, the pitcher’s mound and the bases.
Plaques for home plate, the bases and the pitcher’s mound are set in the Citi Field car park. Easiest on a non-game day.
Sources
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
On 4 August 2015 he played the last show before the arena closed for a major renovation, to about 17,000 people.
He had played the Coliseum more than 30 times; Paul Simon and Kevin James joined him that night, and he opened with “Movin’ Out”. He recorded Live from Long Island here in 1982, and played the first concert after the renovation in 2017.
A working arena with concerts and Long Island Nets games through the winter: go to an event.
Sources
Richard Rodgers Theatre
Movin’ Out, Twyla Tharp’s dance musical to his songs, played here until 11 December 2005, after 28 previews and 1,303 performances. At the 2003 Tony Awards Tharp won for choreography, and Joel shared Best Orchestrations with Stuart Malina.
A working Broadway theatre: see the front any time, or book a show.
Sources
2025 and now
The harp goes back in its box.
He announces a diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus, made worse by recent concerts, and cancels all his scheduled shows while he has physical therapy.
His official tour page lists no concert dates. The places are still there.
Sources
Where it is now
11 places you can visit, from Hicksville High to the Shea plaques. His childhood home on Meeting Lane and his homes round Oyster Bay are private and are not mapped; the Executive Room has gone, and its exact site is disputed, so it is named and not pinned.
Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.
General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working school: see it from Division Avenue.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A town park and boat ramp on Route 25A. Non-residents pay $25 a launch; walkers just come and look at the water.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A public street in the hamlet. Number 101 was his motorcycle shop, which closed in 2025; his homes nearby are private and are not mapped.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working arena with concerts and Long Island Nets games through the winter: go to an event.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am–5pm; buy tickets on the Hall’s website. The Billy Joel collection is part of admission.
Hicksville High School, Division Avenue, June 2019. Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0 180 Division Avenue, Hicksville
Hicksville High School
He left Hicksville High in 1967 without graduating, and was given his diploma in 1992.
A working school: see it from Division Avenue.
Sources
Cold Spring Harbor seen from near Billy Joel Cold Spring Harbor Park, July 2013. Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor, Town of Huntington
Billy Joel Cold Spring Harbor Park
His 1971 debut album is named after Cold Spring Harbor, a hamlet on Long Island Sound about 20 minutes up Route 108 from Hicksville.
A town park and boat ramp on Route 25A. Non-residents pay $25 a launch; walkers just come and look at the water.
Sources
Oyster Bay’s old railroad station, a few steps from Audrey Avenue, March 2025. Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net) · CC BY-SA 4.0 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay
Billy Joel Way, Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay
On 19 October 2023 the Town of Oyster Bay renamed a street for him and gave him a key to the town.
A public street in the hamlet. Number 101 was his motorcycle shop, which closed in 2025; his homes nearby are private and are not mapped.
Sources
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, in June 2021, after its renovation. Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
On 4 August 2015 he played the last show before the arena closed for a major renovation, to about 17,000 people.
A working arena with concerts and Long Island Nets games through the winter: go to an event.
Sources
Shops at Stony Brook Village Center, home of the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. Iracaz · CC BY-SA 3.0 97 Main Street, Stony Brook Village
Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame
The Hall’s exhibition Billy Joel: My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey opened on 24 November 2023 and ran until 26 October 2025; tens of thousands came.
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am–5pm; buy tickets on the Hall’s website. The Billy Joel collection is part of admission.
Sources
Stay
A room on Stony Brook Harbor.
An 18th-century inn on the same street as the Hall of Fame.
Three Village Inn
Three Village Inn, Stony Brook
150 Main Street, Stony Brook · Book direct · (631) 751-0555
A country inn dating to 1751 on Stony Brook Harbor, with suites and a tavern, on the same Main Street as the Hall of Fame and its Billy Joel collection. Pictured: Stony Brook Village Center.
Check roomsGo there
Stand where it happened.
The Garden’s own tour, the Hall of Fame, and music tours in Manhattan and on the North Shore.
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden tour
Seventh Avenue, Manhattan · Adults $48–$49 · about 60 minutes
A one-hour guided tour behind the scenes of the arena where he played 150 shows. It does not promise anything about him; check the calendar for dates.
See tour datesLIMEHOF
Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame
97 Main Street, Stony Brook · Wed–Sun 11am–5pm · tickets online
Billy Joel: The LIMEHOF Collection, on loan from his archives, is part of admission.
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Compare toursWhat’s on
No dates on his calendar.
His official tour page lists no concerts.
No current dated events are listed. Check providers for the latest programme.
Take it home
A book and four records.
The biography, and the albums made in the places on this page.
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Billy Joel: The Definitive Biography
Fred Schruers
The full life, from Hicksville to the Garden.
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Piano Man
Billy Joel · LP, Columbia, 1973
The Executive Room, in a song.
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Turnstiles
Billy Joel · LP, Columbia, 1976
The cover was shot at Astor Place.
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The Stranger
Billy Joel · LP, Columbia, 1977
Recorded in A&R’s Studio 1A.
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52nd Street
Billy Joel · LP, 1978
Made at 799 Seventh Avenue in summer 1978.
Live marketplace search · listings and condition change
Find a copyDates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.
The full record
Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.
13 of 13 places · 28 of 28 Moments
Meeting Lane, Hicksville
Hicksville, Town of Oyster Bay, Long Island
Hicksville
His family settles in a Levitt house in Hicksville when he is about one.
Hicksville High School
180 Division Avenue, Hicksville
No diploma
He leaves Hicksville High without graduating.
The diploma
Hicksville High gives him his diploma, 25 years late.
Back at Hicksville
He speaks at Hicksville High’s graduation.
Billy Joel Cold Spring Harbor Park
Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor, Town of Huntington
Cold Spring Harbor
His debut album takes its name from Cold Spring Harbor; the cover is shot on a Harbor Road dock.
Billy Joel Way, Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay
Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay
20th Century Cycles
He opens his motorcycle shop on Audrey Avenue in Oyster Bay.
Billy Joel Way
Oyster Bay renames part of Audrey Avenue Billy Joel Way and gives him a key to the town.
The shop closes
20th Century Cycles closes after nearly 15 years.
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale
Live from Long Island
He records Live from Long Island at the Nassau Coliseum.
Closing the Coliseum
He plays the last show before the Coliseum closes for renovation.
Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame
97 Main Street, Stony Brook Village
My Life
The Hall of Fame opens Billy Joel: My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey.
The Executive Room, Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire district, Los Angeles
Bill Martin
As Bill Martin, he plays the piano bar at the Executive Room for about six months.
Sigma Sound Studios
210–212 North 12th Street, Philadelphia
Sigma Sound
He plays a concert at Sigma Sound that WMMR records; its “Captain Jack” jams the station’s phones.
Astor Place station
Lafayette Street and Astor Place, Manhattan
Turnstiles
The Turnstiles cover is photographed at the uptown 6 turnstiles at Astor Place.
A&R Recording, 799 Seventh Avenue
Seventh Avenue at West 52nd Street, Manhattan; now 787 Seventh Avenue
The Stranger
The Stranger is recorded in A&R’s Studio 1A.
52nd Street
He makes 52nd Street at A&R, tracking at 799 Seventh Avenue and mixing on the other side.
The cover
Jim Houghton photographs him with Phil Ramone’s old trumpet outside the studio’s service entrance, on a Polaroid.
A&R comes down
The A&R building at 799 Seventh Avenue is demolished.
Madison Square Garden
4 Pennsylvania Plaza, Seventh Avenue, Manhattan
First Garden show
He plays Madison Square Garden for the first time.
The franchise
The Garden names him its first-ever music franchise.
Once a month
The residency begins: one show a month at the Garden.
The 100th
His 100th Garden show; Bruce Springsteen joins him and New York names it Billy Joel Day.
The streak stops
A run of 73 consecutive monthly Garden shows ends with the pandemic.
The 150th
The residency ends with his 150th lifetime show at the Garden.
2025
He announces a diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus, made worse by recent concerts, and cancels all his scheduled shows while he has physical therapy.
No dates
His official tour page lists no concert dates.
Richard Rodgers Theatre
226 West 46th Street, Manhattan
Movin’ Out
Twyla Tharp’s Movin’ Out runs on Broadway; Joel shares the Tony for orchestrations.
Site of Shea Stadium
Citi Field car park, Flushing Meadows, Queens
Last Play at Shea
He plays the last two concerts at Shea Stadium; Paul McCartney joins him.