![]() ![]() “The shopping and restaurants are top of the line. “The town has a rich cultural life, a thriving farm-to-table scene, abundant nature, and world-class art galleries,” Nable says. ![]() Doose’s or Washington Market? | Photo: Alexandra Charitan It may not be as elaborate as the Festival of Living Pictures, but Marty’s “ Best Dog in the World Contest” seems like a storyline dreamed up in the Gilmore Girls writers’ room (Paul Anka is bested by a poodle, causing Lorelai to have a legitimate reason to utter “oy with the poodles already!”). The town, which has a population of less than 5,000, was incorporated in 1779 and hosts picnics, outdoor movie nights (hopefully it’s not just The Yearling on repeat), and concerts. ![]() In true small town fashion, she recommends that I try the pizza shop across the street. “We got slammed earlier,” an employee tells me, apologetically. It’s only mid-afternoon, but Marty’s has run out of ice cream (Rory, the reluctant Ice Cream Queen, would not approve). The staff is friendly but it’s neither Luke’s, nor Taylor’s Olde Fashioned Soda Shoppe. Lured by a chalkboard outside advertising several ice cream flavors-and the fact that it’s one of the only businesses open on the holiday afternoon-I go to Marty’s. The closest thing you’ll get to Luke’s is Marty’s, a café selling breakfast, lunch, and Lorelei’s lifeblood: coffee. In fact, the place I want to visit the most is, unfortunately, the most conspicuously absent from Washington proper: a local diner. Unlike Williams Hardware, Washington Supply Company actually sells hammers instead of coffee. Washington has a historic inn, a prep school, a town green, a bookshop, a market, and a town hall. “In that respect, the town of Washington does reflect the fictional Stars Hollow vibe.” “Stars Hollow is really a state of mind-an idealistic, nostalgic version of a small town that has captured the imagination of many of us who yearn for a more charmed, civilized lifestyle,” says Nable. The hardware store is unfortunately not a diner. I suspect that on its busiest days there isn’t much foot traffic in Washington, but even without the unconventional cast of characters, I can immediately see why Sherman-Palladino was charmed. People walk everywhere-in the snow, in the rain, and sometimes to a beat set by the town troubadour(s). One of the many things that have always felt anachronistic about Sherman-Palladino’s world is how the small town of Stars Hollow always appears to be bustling. When I visit Washington on Memorial Day, the town feels deserted. Or, as I discovered on my recent visit to Washington, sometimes just a few hours in a tiny town is enough. When my life gets dark or even the least bit complicated, the urge to pack up everything and move to a quaint town where everyone knows my name-and breakfast order-is strong. Where Sherman-Palladino leads, they will follow: In 2016, that devotion brought more than 1,000 die-hard fans to the first-ever Gilmore Girls fan festival, held in the small Connecticut town that inspired Sherman-Palladino and her husband to create the show.įans have always flocked to the filming locations of their favorite movies and TV shows, but it’s particularly enticing to be able to visit a very real, fully-functional town that so closely resembles its small screen counterpart. Nineteen years after audiences were first introduced to fast-talking coffee addict Lorelai Gilmore and her well-read daughter Rory, fans of the show haven’t moved on-in fact, they’re as rabid as ever. It’s also something that very few entries into pop culture can claim to be: beloved. The show, which debuted on the WB in 2000, may not be labeled as “prestige TV,” but it is incredibly smart, endearing, and laugh-out-loud funny. In 2016, friends and I gathered with coffee and Pop-Tarts to watch the Palladinos get a second chance at ending the show the way they originally intended with a four-episode revival on Netflix. Since that summer, I have rewatched the series more times than I can count-even the seventh season, which some fans discount because it was made after the abrupt departure of the show’s creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, and her husband, Daniel. I sped through all 153 episodes at a breakneck pace, immersing myself in the sometimes annoying, but always comforting, fictional town of Stars Hollow and its endless parade of quirky residents. From the very first episode, I was hooked. Back before Netflix or endless streaming options, I picked up a used DVD set of the first season of Gilmore Girls, a show I had somehow missed entirely during its original, seven-year run. I had just graduated college and secured my first professional job, but I wasn’t adjusting well to the changes. In the summer of 2008, I was feeling lost. ![]()
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