If there’s one thing the original Gossip Girl lacked, it was a central NYC location for its core crew to hang out. Sure, the ladies of Constance Billiard enjoyed a yogurt on the steps of the Met (the new crowd prefers turmeric lattes) but they didn’t exactly have a club where their biggest scandals were most likely to go down. Gossip Girl 2.0., on HBO Max, is changing that. The popular, wealthy NYC prep school teens sip drinks at DUMBO Hall, an exclusive social club with luxe couches and plenty of hidden entryways for a clandestine hookup, should the moment arise.
So — can you visit the real DUMBO Hall? Eh, not exactly. It’s not a real place, but it is seemingly based on one: DUMBO House, an offshoot of the members-only club Soho House. It’s located at 55 Water St. in Brooklyn, which is particularly funny because just nine years ago, Blair Waldorf scoffed at the mere thought of hanging out in an outer borough. Now, a private club in Brooklyn is the hottest spot for the Constance and St. Jude’s crew.
For the record, no, Gossip Girl didn’t film inside DUMBO House — but it’s certainly no coincidence that the names are so similar. The real DUMBO House is just as elite as the one Julien and company hang in, with a membership fee of more than $2,100 a year — which is petty change, FYI, for this crowd.
One thing that’s unclear is if, technically, this under 18 crew would be welcome in DUMBO House in real life. While money certainly talks, these kids are minors. However, Soho House does offer discounted memberships to keep their clientele young and chic — so maybe the fictional DUMBO Hall is just really doubling down on that initiative.
While DUMBO may seem like an unusual place for the gang to hang out when they go to school on the Upper East Side (it’s far, no?) this version of Gossip Girl is a bit different from the original in that the crew is scattered across the city. Obie, the wealthiest of the crowd (his parents are big time real estate developers) actually lives in DUMBO, in a swanky modern apartment building that belongs to his family. Others also live closer to Brooklyn, with Julien living in a TriBeCa penthouse.
If there’s one thing this DUMBO Hall hangout spot tells us about the Gossip Girl revival, it’s that this isn’t Blair Waldorf’s NYC anymore. Brooklyn is cool now, and honestly? Always was.
Images: HBO Max