Serena van der Woodsen is played by Blake Lively, and her home on the show is the van der Woodsen residence at the Palace Hotel — the Lotte New York Palace, 455 Madison Avenue at 50th Street. Her other key addresses are Grand Central Terminal, the Met Steps at Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street, and the Constance Billard exterior on Fifth at 103rd.
She opens the series by stepping off a train at Grand Central and never really stops making entrances. Her New York is the most glamorous map in the show — and almost all of it is visitable.
Grand Central Terminal
89 East 42nd Street. The pilot begins with Serena's return to the city, shot in the main concourse under the celestial ceiling. It is free to walk through and still the best opening scene the show has.
The Palace Hotel
Serena and Lily live at the Palace — the Lotte New York Palace on Madison Avenue at 50th Street. The courtyard entrance is one of the most photogenic Gossip Girl locations in Midtown.
The Met Steps
Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street is where Serena's friendship with Blair is negotiated, broken and repaired across six seasons. Free, public, and the stop guests request most.
Constance Billard
Her school exterior is the Museum of the City of New York at Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street, where Serena's uniform — always worn slightly wrong — became a costume-design landmark of its own.
Central Park
Bethesda Terrace, the Bow Bridge and the Conservatory Water all appear in her storylines and sit minutes apart inside the park.
Why her locations photograph so well
Serena's scenes were staged in the most open, most architectural spaces in the city: a Beaux-Arts concourse, a hotel courtyard, a museum staircase, a park terrace. They were built to be looked at, which is why they still work as photo stops.
Following Serena's route
Grand Central, the Palace, Central Park and the Met Steps run in a straight line north — the same order our guides use, so you can explore our NYC tour routes and follow Serena's map in one afternoon.
