Lifestyle
It's winter in Stars Hollow! Stroll through the 'Gilmore Girls' town on this cozy Warner Bros. tour
It’s fall, and for many that means it’s “Gilmore Girls” season.
Though its original run ended in 2007, the series about the mother-daughter escapades of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore has remained a viewing behemoth, often returning to the top 10 of Nielsen’s streaming chart during the autumn and winter months. Consider it a soothing symbol of a less digital, pre-pandemic world centered on convivial small-town life.
A gazebo on the Warner Bros. backlot, often featured in “Gilmore Girls,” will be decked in holiday decorations for the studio’s “Holidays Made Here” festivities.
(Warner Bros. Studio Tour)
Capitalizing on the show’s continued popularity, the venerable Warner Bros. Studio Tour has once again made “Gilmore Girls” a centerpiece of its holiday offerings. From Dec. 18 to Jan. 5, a portion of the studio’s backlot will be remade into the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Conn., with looks at key filming locations and props, as well as costume contests and cookie decorating activities.
The “Holidays Made Here” festivities will be available as part of all studio tour offerings, says a spokesperson, with tours departing between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. daily, excluding Christmas Day. Warner Bros. tours start at $73 but various add-ons and offerings are available for additional fees. Danny Kahn, vice president and general manager of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, said the firm is showcasing properties that embody “the warmth, charm and community spirit that define the season.”
Those who analyze and study the series say it makes sense that fans return to “Gilmore Girls” during this time of year — or begin it for the first time.
“Gilmore Girls,” after all, sometimes appears arranged around the academic calendar, says Rachel Davidson, co-author of “Gilmore Girls: A Cultural History” with Lara Stache, beginning in the fall when the character of Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) is accepted to a prestigious prep school. The show is anchored around multiple generations of Gilmores, following Rory and her mother, Lorelai (Lauren Graham), as they navigate familial challenges, often around the dinner table with Lorelai’s parents.
A scene from the 2023 “Holidays Made Here” event, featuring a Bjork-inspired snowperson from “Gilmore Girls.”
(Warner Bros. Studio Tour)
“The title sequence of ‘Gilmore Girls’ also captures the feeling of fall, with its bird’s-eye view of a small-town scene surrounded by the warm hues of fall leaves,” Davidson says. “The colors and sepia-toned aesthetic of the intro set a cozy, nostalgic tone that aligns so well with the fall season, making it feel like a quintessential autumn show.”
It’s comfort food, says Haley McIntosh, who co-costs the “Gilmore to Say” rewatch podcast with Tara Llewellyn.
“Right now, people are starting to watch holiday movies to get into the Christmas spirit, and there’s a wash of people who get into a cozy spirit by diving into ‘Gilmore Girls,’” McIntosh says. “Everything is very autumnal. Regardless if it’s a spring episode, it will still feel like fall. There’s an emphasis on small-town community and crazy town events, but it’s so cozy. It’s the TV show equivalent of soup season. It’s too cozy to bypass.”
Warner Bros. Studio Tour “Holidays Made Here”
Warner Bros.’ “Holidays Made Here” program will invite guests into the show’s Luke’s Diner for coffee and pastries and highlight pivotal series locales such as the town’s gazebo, the official Stars Hollow sign, Lorelai’s house and Mrs. Kim’s Antiques. Guests are encouraged to come in outfits inspired by the show — Warner Bros. is promising trivia contests and 3 p.m. costume meetups — and key to the “Gilmore Girls” Christmas spirit will be a glimpse of a Bjork-inspired snowperson.
The Bjork sculpture is found in the Season 2 episode “The Bracebridge Dinner,” which also features a snow-laden sleigh ride. “It’s playful and whimsical — perfectly capturing the cozy, festive vibe of the show,” Davidson says.
“The series is all about family, including found family, and that is probably why it feels so appropriate for Christmas,” Stache says.
No word, however, if Warner Bros. will attempt to capture the scent of snowfall.
“Some of the most iconic episodes have been in the wintertime,” Llewellyn says. “Lorelai says, ‘I smell snow.’ That is one of her traits. She can smell when snow is coming. She loves snow. So I understand why Warner Bros. choose this season to zero in on. That’s the season one of the main characters thrives.”
Lifestyle
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Deidre Hall
For half a century, Deidre Hall has taken on every kind of disaster in the drama-packed town of Salem, Ill., as a star of “Days of Our Lives.”
There was the time — actually, it happened twice — when her character, Dr. Marlena Evans, was famously possessed by the devil and even levitated.
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
Or the time a serial killer, who was actually Marlena under hypnosis, seemed to kill several beloved characters. The long-running show’s storylines have become legendary, and in March, while promoting “Hail Mary,” actor Ryan Gosling even gave Hall a shout-out, admitting he was a fan, praising the hard work of soap opera actors and calling her an “OG acting inspiration.”
But Hall’s real life in Santa Monica is much quieter than her character’s, and she likes it that way.
“When I bought my house in Santa Monica, I didn’t realize how great it would be to live near Montana Avenue,” says Hall, 78, about the popular shopping spot. Every day, she walks to the main street with her golden retriever, Riley, and enjoys Pilates, art and good food along the way. “The owners of the Farms Market even keep dog biscuits, so guess where the dog wants to go every time we walk — the Farms, of course,” she says, laughing.
When she isn’t filming the daily soap opera, which airs on Peacock, Hall enjoys raising monarch butterflies, exploring the shops and restaurants on Montana, and hosting movie nights at home with her two sons.
Here’s what a perfect day in L.A. looks like for her.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
7 a.m.: Breakfast and dog walk
I usually kick off my day with a protein shake, feed our golden retriever and take her out for a walk. She’s a phenomenal girl. When we adopted her, her name was Riley, but I did think about naming her after Mrs. Hughes from “Downton Abbey.”
10 a.m.: Church and garden time
After I walk the dog and go to church, I like to spend some time in my yard. I’m not a natural gardener, but I really enjoy it. I started raising monarch butterflies because my identical twin sister, who played my twin on the show, planted a butterfly garden. Monarchs are amazing because they are transitional. Every year, they travel from Mexico to southern New England, but it’s getting harder for them. Their numbers have dropped by about 80%. To help, I plant milkweed, which is what they need to survive. I buy my milkweed from the Staghorn Garden on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. Julie, who owns the nursery, is delightful and has a wide variety of milkweed. The monarchs always seem to find my garden. Julie was raising some caterpillars too, and she cared a lot about them. We talked about how important it is to help the butterflies. That’s why I do this. Sometimes I get milkweed with eggs already on it, and Julie knows her butterflies are going to a good home.
1 p.m.: Walk to Montana Avenue for some lunch
I live near Montana and love taking long walks, going to Pilates and trying out the great restaurants nearby, like R+D Kitchen and La La Land. I’m a big fan of the waffles at the Courtyard Kitchen. Just a few days ago, I had a chicken salad on raisin bread with an Arnold Palmer, and it was delicious. It is right on Montana and has a nice outdoor seating area. It’s one of my favorite spots. La La Land always has a long line in the morning, which is perfect if you want coffee. They serve coffee, doughnuts, croissants and avocado toast. There’s plenty of outdoor seating, and you can even bring your dog.
2 p.m.: Peek inside a clock shop
There’s a small clock shop on Montana Avenue that’s closed on Sundays, but if you walk by, you’ll see all kinds of clocks — standing, table and wall clocks. The owner is great at fixing them. Once, I bought a wall clock from MacKenzie-Childs, but it didn’t work. And I was really upset because it matched everything else on my countertop. I brought it to the owner and said, “I love this, but I can’t make it work.” He fixed it right away. His name is John, but I call him Geppetto. And we all know why. He really does have a magic touch.
2:30 p.m.: Visit a neighborhood art gallery
Ten Women Gallery is run by 10 artists, all of whom show their work there. I was drawn to some watercolors there, bought a few cards and spoke with one of the artists. She told me, “You seem to love watercolors,” and mentioned that the artist who painted them, Pamela Harnois, lives in Los Angeles and teaches nearby. I got Pamela’s name and found out she taught at the Brentwood Art School. I was so inspired by her gift that I started taking private lessons with her on Saturdays. That gallery is where I discovered my love for watercolor painting.
3 p.m.: Grab some ice cream at Rori’s
The other day, my longtime girlfriend wanted to get ice cream and told me, “We are walking to Rori’s Artisanal Creamery.” It’s a small shop on Montana near Lincoln. They make everything themselves, using local ingredients from grass-fed cows with no added hormones. The place is family-owned and probably has the healthiest ice cream you’ll find. They switch up their flavors often, but my favorite is the salted caramel.
6 p.m.: Family dinner and movie night at home
R+D Kitchen is always packed, so my sons, who are 31 and 33, do the cooking. They come over, and together we make salads and cook dinner. There’s a neighborhood grocery store called the Farms, off Montana, a small family-run place that has everything we need. Everyone knows each other there, and people bring their dogs. We try to have movie night every Sunday. Sometimes the day changes, but we always make sure to have one night a week where we cook a meal and sit down as a family. Keeping that tradition has become really important to us. My sons are great cooks, which is funny because they definitely didn’t get that from me. [Laughs]
9 p.m.: Take Riley for one last walk and visit neighbors
After dinner, I take my dog for a walk. It’s a great way to meet neighbors. We always go around the same block. We’ve met so many people, and since she’s a golden retriever, she loves meeting everyone.
10 p.m.: News, knitting and bedtime
I am a news junkie, so I usually watch whatever is on the news before I go to bed. I have a long-standing passion for knitting. Lately, though, the news would make me drop a stitch.
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