8 Times Gossip Girl Made You Want to Move to New York
After binge-watching every Gossip Girl episode available, it's almost impossible that you won't start fantasizing about life on the Upper East Side, which is far more glamorous than any suburban city. After all, not only are Blair and Serena basically unsupervised (Rufus and his penchant for making pancakes doesn’t count as parent supervision), they have elegant adventures, attend balls on the reg, and basically own the Met steps. Whether you're planning a New York vacation or a move to the big city the second after graduation, let Gossip Girl guide you. These are the 8 moments that make Netflix binge-watchers begin Yelping the best brunch locales and Googling the chicest boutiques, in an effort to become the real life Blair and Serena of modern-day NYC. (Unlimited budget sadly not included.)
1/8Every time Blair and Serena ate lunch on the Met steps and you thought about leaving campus for a far chicer lunch date.
While you were trying not gag in your school’s cafeteria because the stench of chicken-fried steak was all-consuming, Blair and Serena were enjoying loaded Pinkberry cups. Not only did their yogurt lunches look delicious, the girls enjoyed them from the comfort of one of the world’s chicest museums. (Seriously, have you seen the looks from the Met galas?) While the idea of someone throwing yogurt on you during lunch isn’t exactly appealing or appetizing, the though of spending an hour-long break somewhere glam instead of at a graffiti-laden picnic table is entirely too tempting.
2/8Whenever the girls went to a seriously cool club.
Whether they were dancing on tables at Bungalow or acting years older than their age at the Palace hotel, the nighttime endeavors were always #goals. Every single teen TV show has a fabulous teen nightclub, whether it’s Buffy’s The Bronze or The OC’s indie Bait Shop. But when it comes to Gossip Girl, there’s no teen club in sight. Instead, the characters dance on tables at the hottest clubs in NYC. The show often came under fire for glamorizing underage partying — and Blake Lively even later said she didn't understand why kids watched the show because the characters did a lot of illegal things — but who didn't want to chow down at the hottest new restaurant in town. Truffled grilled cheese? Sign us up.
3/8When drama went down at glamorous galas like the Kiss on the Lips party.
In high school, the most major party that takes place is obviously prom, followed closely by Homecoming. In college, there are sorority formals and dorm gatherings that are anything but dressy. While those fetes seem ultra-glam at the time, in retrospect they’re nothing like the charity galas the GGs are attending weekly. Every ultra-glam gathering convinced viewers that Manhattan nightlife was black tie only.
4/8When there were flashbacks or mentions of the infamous “Campbell Apartments.”
Gossip Girl makes Grand Central Station seem like the ultimate elegant destination for secret trysts. In reality, it might have stellar architecture, but the combination of long lines, overpriced snacks, and bros heading home for the weekend on Metro North make it less than ideal for a romantic encounter. Despite the reality of Grand Central, it’s still an Instagram-worthy locale for GG stans...the Campbell Apartments are always packed, making it almost impossible for a stealth tryst between two high schoolers who are many years from legal. Still, Serena and Nate took advantage of the old school architecture to have one of the best, blurry GG moments that was exactly what parents were afraid of happening on The CW. Understandably, this affair could only go d in NYC.
5/8Whenever the characters wore classic couture looks that would look entirely out of place in suburbia.
The chic coats, gowns, and high heels the GG cast rocked made viewers believe that every single New Yorker is always dressed to attend a gala at a moment’s notice. Um, the reality is that many NYC dwellers look far more normcore, especially if the subway is involved (one place GG never ventured). If you rocked Dior down high school hallways, it would look a little bit out of place in a sea of sweatpants. In the world of Constance uniforms, the designer duds were a welcome relief from pleated schoolgirl skirts, and fit in perfectly on the Upper East Side. Television has a long history of characters with perfect closets (including, but not limited to, Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City, the entire cast of Reign, and Pretty Little Liars eclectic ensembles), but no one has come close to Blair Waldorf’s feminine bows and preppy headbands...except maybe Cher in Clueless. While Serena’s Hervé dresses were an inspiration for girls to move to New York to spend time in the nightclub scene, Blair inspired a generation of young women who wanted to one day become UES princesses (with or without a Chuck Bass-type as their eventual husband).
6/8Whenever the girls hungout with (or, more likely, dated) royalty or celebrities.
Of course, many of the characters were basically celebrities in their own right — or at least their parents were — with a former rock star, groupie, and current designer channeling Tory Burch all part of the parental units. Still, the fact that Blair Waldorf managed to date royalty two whole times convinced watchers everywhere that New York was a town where Tinder was basically made up of Prince Charmings (or at the very least, more rebellious Prince Harry types).
7/8Any time the gentlemen on the show were ridiculously romantic.
While Nate was basically every dude who played LAX in high school and joined a fraternity at your college, Gossip Girl did have its fair share of v. romantic moments that could only happen in New York. Whether it was Blair and Chuck cruising around in a limo, Blair trading her headband for a tiara at Prince Louis' urgings, or Dan and Serena having snowflake snuggles, there were sweet moments that seemed distinctly New York.
8/8Whenever the characters were able to hang out 24/7 without making plans prior.
For normal, suburban high schoolers, spending time together is sometimes a huge ordeal, and it usually involves:
A) chilling in someone’s living room or basement, while Netflix plays in the background
B) venturing to the mall, where the rest of school is already there making out and/or shopping with their own crew
C) at the movie theatre, where you, your squad, and all of your teachers are seeing the latest thriller.
Before any of the above activities go down, parents must be informed, drivers must be designated and curfews must be set (even if they’re later broken). The GG crew all lived on the UES (except for Dan Humphrey, the perennial outsider), which meant that they could arrive unannounced to one of their besties nearby apartments, no text necessary. In fact, they didn’t even have to notify a doorman, as they were always sliding into apartments entirely unannounced for a surprise visit for peak drama. Of course, in real life texting is usually far superior to a surprise visit, but that doesn’t mean the thought of hanging out at a moment’s notice at the city’s chicest bar by way of Chuck’s limousine isn’t entirely appealing.
