The story behind the images
Why the Serena and Blair photo shoot matters
In Season 1, Episode 4, Blair expects to model for her mother Eleanor Waldorf’s fashion line. The campaign instead puts Serena in front of the camera, reopening the insecurity and competition already straining their friendship. It is a classic early-series collision: Blair wants control and recognition; Serena attracts attention without appearing to seek it.
The memorable release comes when the formal campaign gives way to something that belongs to the two friends. Dressed in Eleanor’s blue and orange-red designs, Serena and Blair run through the streets, pose with a yellow taxi and make exaggerated faces at Pulitzer Fountain. The photographs feel candid because the scene is about friendship rather than approval.
Fashion carries the story. Their contrasting dresses make each character instantly distinct, while the matching belts and playful poses pull them back into one frame. Grand Army Plaza supplies everything the show does best visually: Fifth Avenue polish, The Plaza, Central Park, yellow cabs and a public landmark turned into a private Upper East Side memory.
On Screen vs. In Real Life
On screen
Serena and Blair use the fountain, nearby streets and a classic yellow cab as their set. The looseness of the poses is the point: this is their shoot, not Eleanor’s polished campaign.
In real life
The fountain remains recognizable, so friends can reproduce the raised-leg, kiss-and-pout and shoulder-to-shoulder poses without needing a studio or special access.
Where was the Serena and Blair photo shoot filmed?
Pulitzer Fountain, Grand Army Plaza
Fifth Avenue between 58th and 59th Streets, Manhattan — outside The Plaza Hotel and beside Central Park’s southeast entrance.
This is not Bethesda Fountain. The easiest visual check is Pomona, the bronze figure above Pulitzer Fountain, with the Fifth Avenue skyline behind her. Visit early in the day for more room to frame the shot, respect the fountain barriers and keep pedestrian paths clear.
See it in Manhattan
Recreate the photo shoot on a Gossip Girl tour
Grand Army Plaza fits naturally into a route linking The Plaza, Central Park, the Met steps and other real Gossip Girl filming locations. Tell us the photo shoot matters to you when booking so your guide can plan the stop when access and traffic allow.
Keep exploring Gossip Girl’s New York
Place this scene on the wider map with our guide to Gossip Girl locations, compare the best Gossip Girl tours, or follow the character stories of Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf.