Even if you can’t live the life of a Gossip Girl cast member , you can pretend you can by visiting the spots they use as backdrops during the show.
The beautiful main lobby of Grand Central Station is where we first get a glimpse of Serena — and that backdrop couldn’t be more beautiful.
Another memorable early Gossip Girl scene is that infamous Serena and Nate Archibald affair, which happened right before Serena left town and blew up her relationship with Blair.
The Lotte New York Palace is not exactly the most inexpensive place to stay in the city , but it is a beautiful spot to visit if you want a taste of luxury.
After Eleanor Waldorf and her fashion team tried to trick Serena into replacing Blair as the face of the brand, the two frenemies stole a couple of backless dresses from the rooftop photoshoot and had one of their own.
It’s an old Ukrainian restaurant located in the East Village, dating back over 60 years, and it’s known for delicious food, even if it’s not super fancy.
The steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art are where Blair, Serena, and their friends hung out before and after school .
To witness the fine, expensive neighborhood Blair dragged for filth and turned her nose up at any chance she got, cross the river and see the Humphreys’ side of town for yourself.
Notable past exhibits include Worth & Mainbocher Demystifying the Haute Couture and The City Within, which highlights the beauty of Brooklyn and might’ve been an educational experience for Blair.
In Season 3 of Gossip Girl, Chuck invests in The Empire Hotel, which is indeed a very real hotel in New York.
Who could forget that scene where Blair rushes to meet Chuck on the observation deck at the Empire State Building, minutes after he’s already left? Chuck was being dramatic and the worst during that scene , but the Empire State Building is part of Gossip Girl history.
The glamorous Russian Tea Room makes a few appearances in Gossip Girl — most notably in the Season 2 episode where Georgina Sparks is scamming Poppy — and is a very cool place to visit.
Serena and Blair once made up by the fountain after that fight in which Blair tried to embarrass Serena in front of the Ivy Leave school reps, and it’s also where Chuck and Blair eventually get married.
While it temporarily closed during the pandemic — like Blair’s favorite The Modern — King Cole Bar typically serves a range of light bites.
Barrio Chino is a real Mexican restaurant on Broome Street in New York, and also the place that Serena spent a Thanksgiving afternoon in 2006 after drinking her family woes away.
Jude’s is filmed at the Museum of the City of New York, but the interior was filmed a few blocks south in the Synod of Bishops Russian Orthodox Church, which features an administrative building and two connected churches.
You can take in the beautiful architecture and design for free, and a visit will also double as an opportunity to see where famed author John Steinbeck requested his funeral to be held.
Lily’s clear feelings for Rufus be damned, two tied the knot in Season 1 at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, and it’s one sight you won’t want to miss.
Err, except for when it was declared in Season 1 that “not going to Butter is so much better than going to Butter” and Jenny and her group of fair-weather sidekicks trick Blair into going alone.
Cue up a “Moon River” instrumental track, hop out a yellow cab, and slowly approach what used to be Henri Bendel’s flagship on Fifth Ave.
Can you even say you went on a Gossip Girl NYC tour if you don’t stop over at NYU’s campus? Since it’s extremely ill-advised and creepy to try to sneak into a college dorm that is not your own, if you don’t have a key card, don’t even attempt to access the roof of “Ehrlich Residence Hall,” which many believe to be Rubin Hall on Fifth Ave.