the ultimate gossip girl guide to new york

 

Morning Upper East Siders, have I got a treat for you! XOXO

Gossip Girl is an iconic show with something of a cult following, even ten years after its debut and five years after its finale. Any fan of the show would love to go to New York and see all the hot spots from the show for themselves, from the iconography of the bright red Hotel Empire sign to the place Blair likes to get her macarons.

After trawling through a ton of GG NYC guides last year before my trip to New York, I was finding that each page only had the same few obvious spots like the Met Steps, and I had to go to a million different pages to compile a good enough, extensive list of places from the show. That’s why I’ve decided to put everything I can into one guide – the ultimate guide – so you can visit all the places S, B, N, C, Lonely Boy and Little J did.
All the other guides I’ve seen have about ten locations and I’ve managed to gather 36. Five or six a day over the course of a week’s trip anyone?

So, here we have it. Live out all of your Gossip Girl fuelled dreams during your New York City visit and pretend you’re Blair Waldorf for a day (I know I do even when I’m not in NY).
PS: Spoilers ahead.

GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL

Location: 89 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017

I am so sad because I didn’t go in to take pics when I went to New York last year, although I’m going back again next Summer and you bet this is top of my agenda. Anyway, how could I not begin this post with the place where it all began? And by it, I mean Gossip Girl – Serena spotted at Grand Central by Lonely Boy. And the rest, as they say, was history.

THE ‘MET STEPS’

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028

It would be a crime, as a fan of GG, to visit New York and not go sit on the steps of the Met as Queen B often did during her days at Constance, and after too, when she needed to relive her reigning moments.

MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

Location: 1220 5th Ave & 103rd St, New York, NY 10029

The exterior Museum of the City of New York was used as the exterior of the schools that Blair, Serena, Nate, Chuck, Dan and Jenny went to – Constance Billard and St Jude’s.

THE PLAZA

Location: 768 5th Ave, New York, NY 10019

One of my all time favourite moments from the whole entire show has to be during the season two finale when Chuck finally tells Blair he loves her. My ice heart really does get melted by those two. It happens outside the Plaza so it’s worth a visit in case your very own CB wants to pull up by you on the street and gift you with stockings and peonies and the lot before declaring his love. Serena and Blair also do their lil photoshoot in season one’s Bad News Blair near here, more specifically the Pulitzer Fountain at the Grand Army Plaza.

THE EMPIRE HOTEL

Location: 44 W 63rd St, New York, NY 10023

I mean, is there anything more iconic in Gossip Girl than the bright red ‘Hotel Empire’ sign sitting atop of the building? Chuck Bass owns this hotel (ok not irl, cry) so that’s the only reason you need to visit the Empire, whether it’s for a stay or to stand outside and take pics of the sign lit up at night, a la me last year. We are properly staying here next year though, which I absolutely cannot wait for. They also do a Chuck Bass cocktail so get yourself up to the bar.

LOTTE NEW YORK PALACE

Location: 455 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10022

The VDW’s temporary home at the start of the show and owned by Bass Industries, the Palace is the most beautiful looking hotel I’ve ever seen and is even better during the festive season when they put up a massive tree outside. We’re also staying here on our trip next year, the ultimate GG experience, so be ready for follow up posts on that!

THE MADISON ROOM

Location: Lotte New York Palace, 455 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10022

This is the exact room where the annual Bass brunch took place, aka that brunch from the second ever episode – The Wild Brunch. I feel like this episode and the brunch was iconic so I’m looking forward to going here when I stay in the Palace to have my own ~wild~ brunch.

VERA WANG

Location: 991 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10021

The Vera Wang bridal boutique here Blair went to try on her custom dress with Dan for her wedding to Prince Louis, with Vera Wang herself making an appearance.

BETHESDA TERRACE

Location: Central Park, 72 Terrace Dr, New York, NY 10021

I’m sure this doesn’t need an explanation. It’s where Chuck and Blair got married, need I say more? Maybe I’m a bit too in love with Gossip Girl because it was ridiculous how surreal it felt standing here knowing it was where the Waldorf Bass wedding took place. Lol at me. Bonus points if you remembered that this was also where Blair came to apologise to Serena in the third episode of the first series when it was raining and Serena was sat on a bench under the shelter of the terrace reading a book. It’s a beautiful spot and I’m definitely going back much, much earlier next year to catch it when it’s empty.

BLAIR WALDORF’S PENTHOUSE

Location: 1136 5th Ave, New York, NY 10128

The building used as the exterior of Blair’s penthouse is right between the Museum and the Met, so if you’re doing your own walking GG location tour you can stop outside the building on your way from Constance to the Met Steps the way Blair probably would’ve during a day at school.

THE ARCHIBALD TOWNHOUSE

Location: 4 E 74th St, New York, NY 10021

The great thing about the location of the Archibald townhouse is that it’s literally the first building on one of the streets as you walk back towards Midtown from Central Park so you don’t have to go out of your way to visit it, you can just pop in the street as you’re passing and take a peep at the exterior used for Nate Archibald’s family townhouse on the Upper East Side. It’s pretty bloody surreal when you see places that are super specific to the show like this, because anyone can be at the Met Steps but a random house in the UES isn’t exactly tourist attraction material. Obvs don’t go knocking at the door, just stand across the street and take some pics. Maybe next year I’ll go sit on the steps outside and pray nobody comes out looking at me like a madwoman.

THE VAN DER WOODSEN APARTMENT

Location: Milan Condominium 300 E 55th St, New York, NY 10022 

Those glass doors Serena and the rest of the VDW / Bass / Humphrey / Rhodes clan would walk through every day are right here. A bit more out of the way compared to Blair and Nate’s UES abodes but quite close to the Palace so you know where I’ll be headed next Summer!

THE HUMPHREY LOFT

Location: 15 Washington St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

x The much-loved Humphrey Loft is situated right underneath Manhattan Bridge and a five minute walk from Brooklyn Bridge so if you’re spending the day exploring Brooklyn it’s in a perfect location to stop outside, take a pic and imagine you can smell Rufus cooking waffles through one of the windows.

COLUMBIA

Location: 116th St & Broadway, New York, NY 10027

The university / college that Nate decided to go to at the end of season two and where Serena and Blair join him in season four, becoming part of Hamilton House. American college campuses are so pretty for a photo op so have a shameless outfit shoot here too!

THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

Location: 350 5th Ave, New York, NY 10118

Where Chuck attempted to ‘Affair to Remember’ Blair in the season three finale. Literally could’ve been the most perfect episode had they not needed to conjure up some dramz involving Little J.

VICTROLA

Location: The Box, 189 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002

In real life, Chuck’s burlesque club Victrola is really The Box, a club around Lower Manhattan. A club, bar, and cabaret-style theatre, it was used as the club Chuck buys in season one and looks very CB-esque.

THE OAK ROOM

Location: Plaza Hotel, 10 Central Park S, New York, NY 10019

This is where Serena asks Gossip Girl to meet her with Nate in the season two finale, with all her Constance and St Jude’s classmates turning up instead. It’s also where Blair tells Chuck she has to break up with Price Louis.

HENRI BENDEL

Location: 712 5th Ave, New York, NY 10019

A regular Serena and Blair shopping spree spot, this is where Jenny gets Dan to meet her after her fashion ’emergency’ then runs into Serena. It’s also where Blair has her Breakfast at Tiffany’s dream – one of many Audrey Hepburn dreams she has.

THE RUSSIAN TEA ROOM

Location: 150 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019

Where the UES gang enlist Georgina Sparks to trick Poppy Lifton into returning the stolen money and it of course backfires, with Serena arrested outside.

ST JAMES’ CHURCH

Location: 865 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10021

The church in which the royal wedding took place. That’s right, Prince Louis Grimaldi of Monaco’s wedding to our very own Queen B was filmed right here for the 100th episode special G.G.

LADURÉE

Location: 864 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10021

A stones throw away from the royal wedding church (which I didn’t know until right this moment which makes me very sad because I went to this Ladurée last year and didn’t realise the church was right around the corner to go see) this is the Ladurée where Blair gets her macarons and goes to with her sister-in-law Beatrice to get macarons whilst Chuck follows her around. It’s also where I dropped $42 on macarons. Wow I miss having a job.

THE CAMPBELL APARTMENT

Location: 15 Vanderbilt Ave, New York, NY 10017 (in Grand Central Terminal)

This is THE Campbell Apartment (now known as just The Campbell) where the infamous Serena-Nate secret one night stand happened during the Shepherd wedding. And then where the Serena-Dan one night stand during the Shepherd divorce party happened. AKA where Serena went to sleep with Blair’s then-boyfriends during some sort of occasion the Shepherd were throwing concerning their marriage. Also I never realised it was on Vanderbilt Avenue, you know just the famuuzzz rich NYC family that Nate’s maternal side of the family is based on and named after.

GOLD ROOM BAR

Location: Lotte New York Palace, 455 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10022

This is where Serena was ‘drinking on an empty stomach’ in the Pilot episode after meeting Blair for a reunion drink.

COOPER HEWITT SMITHSONIAN DESIGN MUSEUM

Location: 2 E 91st St, New York, NY 10128

Wow the GG writers and producers loved a museum for a filming location. This is where the Bass-VDW nuptials in the season one finale occurred.

BUTTER

Location: 70 W 45th St, New York, NY 10036

Literally the only reason I’m including this is because it was across the street from my hotel last year and when we arrived and I saw it over the road I freaked out because it’s the Butter from the Jenny Blair feud in season one’s The Blair Bitch Project. We planned to go but didn’t get time which makes me v sad because it was that close. I will never forget Blair sat at the table shouting that her party is coming. Don’t do what she did and sit alone though, only BW can pull that one off.

BARRIO CHINO

Location: 253 Broome St, New York, NY 10002

This is the location Serena stumbles out of during the Thanksgiving flashback in Blair Waldorf Must Pie! from season one after a night drinking, and runs into Dan.

BABYCAKES

Location: 248 Broome St, New York, NY 10002

This is Eric McKenna’s NYC bakery that Dan leaves with his Thanksgiving pie in said flashback before sacrificing the pie to save a still-drunk Serena when he sees her stumbling in the street.

STK

Location: 1114 6th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Where the famous Nairtini was thrown by Serena at (fake) new girl Amanda after Chuck’s encouragement in season two’s The Ex-Files.

VESELKA

Location: 144 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

The place that Dan and Vanessa always get their pierogis from and talk about way too much in the early seasons.

GEISHA SUSHI

Location: 3468 Broadway, New York, NY 10031

Where Blair and Nate go during one of their dates in the very first episode which was p awkward.

HARRY WINSTON

Location: 701 5th Ave, New York, NY 10022

Oh you know, only the place Chuck gets an engagement ring for Blair, which he then holds onto for seasons and seasons before returning it by leaving it on the doorstep before getting it back again.

DYLAN’S CANDY BAR

Location: 1011 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10065

For some reason this is in all the Gossip Girl tours and guides of NYC despite being so insignificant to all the other things included like the Empire and the Met Steps. But this guide is filled with places that have only appeared in one or two episodes because it’s the ultimate guide, for people who rly care as much as I do (which is a lot). Anyway, this is where Dan and Vanessa go shopping for Nate’s present of candy when Dan’s phone is stolen by Nelly Yuki and the Dan-Serena-sharing-a-sibling rumour being exposed follows suit.

SOCIALISTA

Location: 376 W Broadway b, New York, NY 10012

This is where Jenny wanted to celebrate her birthday. I think it was in season one before Blair convinced Rufus to throw an eight-year-old’s dream birthday party. It’s from the same iconic Butter episode – The Blair Bitch Project – but I don’t think they actually go there, just mention it. Yep, this is what you get in the ~ultimate~ guide everyone.

PINKBERRY

Location: 1039 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10022

This is the exact Pinkberry in Midtown East where Jenny tries to take on the mean girls, lead by Penelope, and gets everyone from Constance and St Jude’s to invade the place so that the mean girls don’t get their table in season two’s In the Realm of the Basses.

COMMUNITEA

Location: 11-18 46th Rd, Long Island City, NY 11101

This is the coffee shop Vanessa worked in pre Rufus’ gallery coffee shop. It’s organic so very Vanessa.

CAFE HABANA

Location: 17 Prince St, New York, NY 10012

Dan and Rufus went here one time. Yep, ultimate guide everyone. Ultimate.

If I come across any more locations I’ll always update this list as and when. Now go enjoy New York the way the Upper East Siders did!

If you want to see some more general locations to visit, things to do and see, places to eat and all the New York trip goodness, I also did a New York photo diary & long weekend guide last year after my trip.
If you love Gossip Girl as much as I do, which you must do to sit through a 35-location GG NYC guide, then check out my post on 25 things that would be different if Gossip Girl was set in London.
And if you love both Gossip Girl and New York, and want to see more of the Met Steps, check out my Steps of the Met outfit post.

Until next time!

You know you love me,
XOXO.

♡
Yasmin