Glee - Glee Cast Invades New York City

Lea Michele, Amber Riley, Cory Monteith and Chris Colfer were among the Glee stars who invaded the Big Apple to begin filming the upcoming second season finale.

The group kicked off its trip with an official seal of approval from Mayor Bloomberg, who greeted the actors and hosted a special press conference at the Gershwin Theater, one of the filming locations.

The stars later stopped traffic as they took over Times Square to shoot scenes for the special episode, which will see their high school choir club head to New York City to compete in a national singing competition.

Actress Jenna Ushkowitz took to her Twitter.com page to share her excitement, writing: "Good morning! It's 5am and it's never been easier to get up for work... Because we are shooting in NY!!! Couldn't be happier!"

The Glee finale, which will also feature scenes in Central Park and the Lincoln Center, airs in the U.S. next month (24May11).