Gossip Girl Goes Downtown

Ok, so we understand the knocks on Gossip Girl. It's an awful, vapid, shallow show...which would be all fine and good if it wasn't for the poor writing, empty characters and boring, predictable plotlines. YET, what trumps all is that it is filmed on location in New York City. The shows shortcomings aside, it is a genuine local show with some great city scenes. So we trudge on...

Four weeks in and we're getting ever closer to these kids actually spending some quality time on the *exclusive* Upper East Side. This week the gang hangs out in actual Manhattan...albeit below Houston Street. There's a game of hoops on Chrystie Street, a blown off movie date outside Sunshine, and some shopping in Nolita (actual quote: "It's called Nolita, not no showers"). Seems downtown is full of smells -- when Dan Humphrey (the Brooklyn kid) is in Nolita buying a cuban sandwich (Café Habana?) the scent doesn't please one Upper East Sider.

As usual, these kids just can't stay out of the LIC! Mrs. Waldorf's high end fashion studio, where the controversial photo shoot went down, took place on the other side of the river, overlooking the 59th Street Bridge and the Midtown skyline. The "Five Star", a secret, high stakes poker room in Queens where Nate gets in trouble was probably only a couple blocks away. See, even the impossibly rich can't find good space in Manhattan.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jeff Baum in Arts and Events on October 11, 2007 11:00 AM

Comments [rss]

guest

yeah, right, like any rich upper east sider would dare venture downtown for fear of their life. they're completely complacent uptown, ignorant of the real good stuff downtown, and this city completely throws that out the window.

guest

"Gossip Girl Goes Downtown" ...hey if this series is about young twits that like to give head I might just watch an episode. Or two.

guest

This will bring more hopelessly single bitches here to NYC .... all the better for me!!!!!!

You ladies think it's tough now ....

guest

This show is utterly disgusting as it will simply let all the inferior trailer park trash from the midwest to go googly eye at the NY scene and make them wanna come here!

I don't wan't Metheads here!

matty

and yeah this segment is crap.

matty

jeff baum seems to like it. somehow he got a job from it though. i watch kitchen nighmares - even though every episode seems like the previous one. With the long island setting and all.

guest

Do adults actually watch this show. Seems it is the rage with 11-13 year-olds.

JRod5417

#18- As a woman I am offended by your post. Please do us all a favor and take it back. Chauvinism is not sexy.

I also reiterate that Kitchen Nightmares is a superior show and Gordon Ramsay has a cute pug face. Shut it down!

guest

Downtown is the New Uptown.

Anything can be BOUGHT.

zodak

#13 just click on his name to see his past articles.

guest

and you're watched through the window dearie...haven't you seen yourself on tv?

chuzzlewit

I'm still unsure why I would want to look at NYC location shots while sitting in an apartment in NYC - I got a fuckin window here, people...

Jen S

Guest #18 - you're a douche. I wouldn't be caught dead watching this crap.

guest

I for one enjoy the weekly recaps.

guest

Please, no more filming in NYC.

we hate you, we don't want you. we don't care if your show is filmed on Location or not.

I will do all I can within legal limits from MY APARTMENT to ruin your filming. that includes lining my windows with aluminum foil. Listening to my stereo, cooking fish, using my 500 watt halogen light near my window and others I may think of.

guest

It's amazing how women's taste in television does not develop past 10th grade. They sit in front of crap like this, The Hills, 90210, soap operas and Gray's Anatomy, E! and E.T. and TMZ. Empty, vapid and souless.

guest

I can't believe people here are being this cynical (well it's Gothamist..so no surprise there..it's either downright cynicism or racist comments).

Just let the man do his job, it's just an article about a sub-par show. Not a kidnapping.

Jeff Baum

Well, I really like all the location stuff. Aside from Law and Order, no other current show shows off the city like this. So I get a big kick out of that.

Also, I had such high hopes going in, I'm just disappointed so far. There's might still be hope.

guest

because depthless sheen is just so fabulous...only violence can save us now...

Nick S

it seems that neither you nor jen like the show... why does it merit a weekly recap?

guest

Wow Jeff! Your link doesn't work!

And while I did read your post, it didn't help me understand while you posted about such vapid, mindless drivel. Any press is good press, Jeff! Wow!

guest

Geez, Jeff, way to make up tons of past articles and have them miraculously appear in the archives! We all know that you're a shill working for Gossip Girls. All you have to do is put the third letter of each word together and the subliminal homerism becomes clear!!

guest

baudrillard was right...

Jeff Baum

Wow! I've been at Gothamist for over 2 years now. I mostly write about music:

http://gothamist.com/authors.php?author=arts_jeff

And, as I make clear in the first sentence above, I don't even really like this show! Did you actually read the post?

guest

OMG please keep up the gossipgirl news

and please, weave in the shakeshack somehow

The best burgers

guest

I'd hit both of them.

guest

This guy Baum is a PR shill who's paying Gothamist to plug the show. Note: he hasn't written anything else for Gothamist, and I will wager he'll only be writing about this piece-of-crap show. Nothing like great journalism....

guest

I think the Gothamist "T" shirt girls are cuter, albeit younger also.

guest

again with the show that's filmed on location.

Bubba

Does this mean we're going to be inundated by idiotic Gossip Girl wannabes a la Carrie Bradshaw???

Reality Czech

Someone bitch slap them ASAP!

Jen Chung

I don't know how well a Cuban sandwich travels to Brooklyn. I mean, really!

But I did love Blair's Breakfast at Henri Bendel's dream sequence. That was pretty great.

JRod5417

Dear Gothamist,

If you insist on posting stories about this stupid show, then I kindly request that you also post stories about Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay. A far superior program that airs the same time as Gossip Girls.

Sincerely,

JRod5417