Jennifer Abidor

Which Gossip Girl actress was born in a prison? And, which gossip guy was named after a tennis ball? I learned the answer to these questions and more when I got the opportunity to take a tour of the NYC locations for The CW’s Gossip Girl courtesy of On Location Tours. That’s right, I got a firsthand chance to experience the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite, mostly from the comfort of an air-conditioned coach bus.

When I arrived at the glamorous Palace Hotel (the very place that Serena Van Der Woodsen lived for a while) I was shuttled onto the bus for the ultimate Gossip Girl experience. My friend and I found our seats as we listened to breezy tunes straight out of GG episodes. Girls from all around the globe (and a few very unfortunate men) channeled their inner Blairs and Serenas, dressed to impress and ready to learn the ins and outs of NYC through the eyes of their favorite characters.

Once settled in our seats, we met our friendly tour guide Lindsey who used to work as a stand-in for Vanessa, so she truly was an expert on all things Gossip Girl.

What followed was an informative and enjoyable three hours, full of fun facts, insider secrets and stops at some of NYC’s most fabulous spots. And now, I will spill all of the juiciest bits. Consider me your own personal gossip girl.

Gossip Girl is one of the few shows that is actually filmed on location in Manhattan. Many shows set in NYC are actually filmed on sets in Los Angeles (ahem… Friends) but Gossip Girl is the real deal. In fact, 80% of all scenes are shot at the actual spots in New York and not in a studio. We saw the fountain by the Plaza Hotel where Blair and Serena indulged in an impromptu photo shoot, and sat on the very MET steps where the Constance-Billard girls dine every day.

We visited the Constance/St. Jude’s schools, only to learn that the campus is filmed in three different spots throughout the city. We viewed the luxurious apartments of our favorite Upper East Siders, only to learn that Nate’s is the only one that is shot in the actual apartment (one of the third most expensive apartments in the United States.)

As we passed each location, Lindsey would play a clip from the show so that we’d know exactly where we were. We took field trips to Dylan’s Candy Bar (the biggest candy store in New York), shopped around in Bendel’s (home of Blair’s iconic headbands) and sampled some delicious frosting from the bakery where Dan bought his Thanksgiving pies.

But, the coolest part for me was learning some trivia that I never would have known. Are you up on your Gossip Girl facts? On the tour we would win a second serving of frosting if we got a trivia question right. If you knew any of this trivia before, consider yourself the recipient of a metaphorical frosting cup:

Trivia fun facts:

-          Leighton Meester (Blair) was born in a prison. Her mama was a drug smuggler. Far cry from the Upper East Side, right?

-          Penn Badgely (Dan) was named after Penn tennis balls.

-          It costs ten to sixty thousand dollars per day for most of the GG locations.

-          Originally The OC’s Mischa Barton was wanted for the part of the evil Georgina. She turned them down for the show The Beautiful Life. Have you heard of it? Yeah, we didn’t think so. Bad choice, Mischa.

-          Each character’s wardrobe is given careful consideration. Blair’s is inspired by her idol Audrey Hepburn, while Serena’s draws inspiration from Sienna Miller and Kate Moss.

-          Leighton Meester is originally blonde. She wore a brunette wig for a number of episodes in the first season before dying her hair brown.

-          A totally different actress played Blair’s mom in the first season than for the rest of the series.

-          Our tour guide gave us some fun Gossip Girl slang. “Mangs” means, man bangs as in Nate’s bangs. “Serenate” is a cute fan name for the Serena/Nate pairing.

-          Lily Van Der Woodsen was originally supposed to be named Darla.

-          Lindsay Lohan was offered the role of Blair in a movie version of Gossip Girl way before the show even started. We’re so thankful that didn’t happen.

-          The guy who plays Eric, Connor Paolo, was the only native New York actor.

-          Blake Lively never wanted to be an actress. Chace Crawford fell into the role by chance; he had never planned to be an actor either.

-          Leighton Meester was originally going to audition for Serena; Ed Westwick was originally considering the part of Nate.

-          British actor Ed Westwick was the perfect Chuck. The only problem? He didn’t have a work visa. But, the producers loved him so much that they postponed shooting until his visa came through. And, we’re so glad they did!

And, there you have it. The best scoop I got from the NYC Gossip Girl locations tour. If you’re in New York and you love the show I highly recommend checking it out (www.screentours.com) And, if you’re looking to spot celebrities, here are a couple of tips: scout out museums on Mondays and keep your eye out for bright yellow fliers on the streets of NYC. That means that GG is filming there. Finally, if you want to stalk celebs all around the country visit www.onlocationvacations.com for all information about filming.

If this just got you in the mood for some serious Gossip Girl, have no fear. The show returns on September 13th at 9/8c on The CW.

You know you love us.

XOXO, Today’s Teen Online.