Although I could write a book about the reasons I would love to live in this small fictional town in Connecticut, I narrowed my list down to 10. I grew up watching Gilmore Girls wishing I could hide my CD's under Lane's floorboards or try some of that Founder's Day punch. This list includes some of my favorite events, episodes and characters from Gilmore Girls.
(Note: No spoilers for "A Year in the Life" are included, but if you haven't seen it yet, are you really a true fan?)
1. Bid On a Basket
This tradition heightened the rivalry between Dean and Jess for Rory's love. It was also the beginning of Lorelei and Luke's budding romance. Who doesn't want to make a basket of delicious food (or leftovers if you're the Gilmore Girls) and have some nice man buy it and take you out? Isn't that just the definition of romance?
2. The Dance Marathon
This 24 hour event is a highlight of Star's Hollow. Try as they might, no one could ever beat Kirk, but they sure knew how to hide his trophy. Between Lane's stale sandwiches, Jess causing trouble with Dean and Rory, Loralei's heel breaking and Sookie and Jackson fighting over how many children they will have, this event is one for the books. Just don't touch Taylor's bullhorn.
3. The Bracebridge Dinner
Sookie spent days making food and setting up decorations for an Elizabethan dinner, when the Bracebridge group gets snowed in. Any other town might just cancel the dinner and cut their losses, but not Stars Hollow. Jackson dresses up in tights, everyone books a room at the Inn, and the residents of Stars Hollow are ready to party (with terrible accents, I must add).
4. The Winter Carnival
The town square has been home to many events: Dean and Lindsey's wedding, the giant hay bale maze, and my favorite, the Winter carnival. If watching Taylor dress up "incognito" and attempt many (very terrible) accents to disguise himself wasn't entertaining enough, who wouldn't love to have your fortune told by, "The Amazing Doggy Swami" aka Paul Anka?
5. Luke's Diner
Luke's was like a second home to Loralei and Rory. Although they occasionally ordered take-out Chinese from Al's Pancake World and even went cake tasting at Weston's, Luke's was always a staple in the Gilmore Girls' diet. Whether it's coffee, Santa burgers, or chocolate chip pancakes, you could guarantee our girls would drop by to enjoy Luke's backwards baseball hat and break the "no cell phone" policy daily.
6. Babette and Miss Patty
The ladies of Stars Hollow are unforgettable. Whether you need to know who is hiring in town, who is dating who, or what happened on Luke and Rachel's cruise, Babette and Ms. Patty are your girls. They know everything about Stars Hollow and are always willing to share.
7. Rory's graduation party
The town may have missed Rory's graduation from Yale, but you can bet they will throw a reenactment party that beats the real deal. Rory may have landed a job on Obama's campaign ruining the original plans, but Luke wasn't going to let anything get in the way of Rory's big day, even with rain in the forecast.
8. Town Meetings
Whether it's the weekly meeting or an impromptu one in the middle of the night, a town meeting in Stars Hollow is never boring. No matter what topic is on the table (Luke and Loralei's relationship, the town troubadour, or whether or not to kick Jess out of town), these meetings are sure to keep you entertained and informed.
9. Kirk...enough said
Whether he is selling mailboxes, dressed as a giant hot dog, or hanging in a box over the town, Kirk sure knows how to keep it interesting. You never know what he is going to do next (or what is going to come out of his mouth). He's pretty much the Sheldon Cooper of Stars Hollow. Life just wouldn't be the same without him.
10. Those Gilmore Girls
Witty banter, movie references, and large amounts of junk food and coffee are only a few of the traits I love about these ladies. This mother-daughter pair stole our hearts from the very first episode. From living in a shed outside the Dragonfly Inn, to creating a life in Stars Hollow, Loralei and Rory taught us many valuable life lessons. From teaching us that if you're going to throw your life away for a boy, he better have a motorcycle, to teaching us that no matter how old you are, you will always need your mother.