I only started watching 'Gilmore Girls' in the last year, but I immediately became obsessed. I drank coffee like a Gilmore before I even knew Rory and Lorelai. When a friend approached me on Tuesday afternoon to tell me that there was a pop-up shop ten minutes from campus, I knew the only answer was "Let's go!"
Wednesday, October 5th, 2016 was the sixteenth anniversary of the series premiere of Gilmore Girls, and also a huge promotional day for the revival. Netflix took advantage of that.
We arrived at Mugs Coffee in Charlotte at 6:45am. I parked right in front of the coffee shop and we stepped inside to begin to break Luke's only rule, "No Cell Phones." There were six people ahead of us in line when we arrived, and it was a miracle. We got free coffee in cups decorated with quotes from Lorelai. My cup said, "Coffee, please. And a shot of cynicism." It was said by Lorelai in Episode 16 of Season One. Each cup had a different quote and came in a cozy straight out of Luke's diner. Netflix had their opportunity for promotion as well, with referral codes to free trials and reminders of the revival hidden throughout the store.
As more people began to arrive, my friends and I started noticing how devoted the 'Gilmore Girls' fans can be. A woman behind me looked strikingly similar to Lorelai. There were two girls at the bar in plaid shirts and backwards ball caps who were sipping coffee and watching 'Gilmore Girls' on Netflix on their phones. The fans were obsessed and we loved it.
We hung out for about forty-five minutes, and by the time we left, the line to get in was around the parking lot. We saw some familiar faces in line and a lot more people dressed up like they'd arrived from Stars Hollow, not a suburb of Charlotte. As we left, we blasted the show's theme song, "Where You Lead" by Carole King.
The coffee was just as bitter as Luke always was, but it was free and it was worth it. I usually prefer coffee splashed in with my milk and sugar, but I was happy to make an exception for this once in a lifetime opportunity. I'm more excited than ever for the revival to hit Netflix in just over a month, and I know I'll be binge-watching it just like a Gilmore, coffee in hand.
Just like politics, speculation about Rory's ex-boyfriends wasn't fit for the breakfast chatter. Personally, I'm torn between Boyfriend #2 and Boyfriend #3, but we'll leave that discussion for another time.
'Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life' will be released on Netflix on Friday, November 25th just after midnight. It's a four part mini series aimed to give fans an update from the last time we saw Rory, Lorelai, Luke, and the rest of the gang.
