Fall is here, and Downtown New Haven has been Gilmore-fied. Each year, as our leaves crisp and the air cools, Rorys and Lorelais emerge from the woodwork in search of cable knit sweaters, strong coffee, and Yale merch. Gilmore Girls is a seven-season dramedy series that ran from 2000 to 2006, with more than a few of those years bringing the city of New Haven to the big screen as one-half of the show’s mother-daughter duo studied at Yale University.
Yale’s moniker as “home of bulldogs” is not the only Gilmore-ian thread sewn through our city. The beloved series left a legacy marked by small-town charm and a quiet coziness that is ever-associated with New Haven and the broader state of Connecticut. Just last year, we welcomed a traveling journalist from Bustle, who explored Downtown New Haven through the lens of Gilmore Girls.
Whether you’re a nostalgia-stricken visitor entering our city for the first time or a lifelong local looking for autumnal energy, look no further. Here’s how you can embody a Gilmore in Downtown New Haven this fall.
Consider a takeout tour, ala Lorelai Gilmore, in the second episode of the series’ fourth season, “The Lorelais’ First Day at Yale.” It’s been 21 years, so here’s the recap. As Lorelai moves her daughter Rory into her dorm room at Yale, she organizes a hall-wide tasting experience, ordering takeout from all of the nearby restaurants and ranking them accordingly. Her method of evaluation? The quality of the food, plus the cuteness of the delivery boys. To arrange your own takeout tour, consider our “Big Three” apizza icons, or look into our collection of restaurants previously hailed as the best in the state.
Become a bulldog, even if just for a day. The Yale Visitor Center offers tours for prospective students and curious visitors, deep diving into the history and architecture of the Ivy League outpost. If you’re a bookworm (like Rory Gilmore), you can’t miss the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, which houses one of the world’s preeminent collections of rare materials, including the Gutenberg Bible.
Shop small and connect with the community. One of the most charming aspects of Gilmore Girls is the community created in the fictional Connecticut town of Stars Hollow, where Rory grew up before enrolling at Yale. Fans of the series know that the town’s business owners, restaurateurs, and troubadours are as central to the stories as any Gilmore. In Downtown New Haven, we feel the same, and we work to connect visitors and locals with the people who create commerce, connection, and life in this city. To learn more about specific community leaders, check out the business spotlights on our blog. Or better yet, get out there, explore, and mingle – we don’t bite.
From all of us here, where we lead, we hope you’ll follow.
