Elks Lodge

MRS. KIM: Reception at Elks Lodge. Two hundred guests. Food goes fast. Let’s move.

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City which borrowed rites and practices from Freemasonry. They focus on social activities, charitable causes, and patriotic events. Until 1973 they were an all-white orgnisation, and they only admitted women in 1995.

In real life, there are numerous Elks Lodges in Connecticut, including one in Hartford [pictured] – which you really can hire for weddings. I think this one is meant to be in Stars Hollow, which maybe seems a little small to have an Elks Lodge.

Shahaela Lodge and Spa

ALEX: Uh huh. I made lunch reservations at the Shahaela Lodge and Spa afterward. Think she’ll like that?
RORY: She’ll love that.

A fictional inn and spa near one of the lakes around Stars Hollow. In real life, there are a couple of spas on lake shores in Connecticut, although not very close to the general location of where Stars Hollow is meant to be. It feels like another fictional version of the Mayflower Inn and Spa in Washington Depot.

Peru and the Surgeon General

ALEX: Ready to try another? I hear there’s one from Peru that comes with a Surgeon’s General warning.

Peru, a country on the west coast of South America. Despite Alex’s warning, Peruvian coffee is said to be mild and light in flavour.

The surgeon general of the United States is the operational head of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States. The US surgeon general is nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate.

In 2003, the Surgeon General of the US was Richard Carmona (born 1949); he was in the post from 2002 to 2006. In 2014 he wrote a book called 30 Days to a Better Brain, where he actually promoted coffee as a healthy drink that could improve mood and memory.

Sumatra and Colombia

[Lorelai is sitting at a table as Alex walks over with two little coffee cups]
ALEX: Okay, now this is the Sumatra blend. It’s supposed to be a little sharper than the Colombian.

Sumatra, one of the Sunda Islands in Indonesia. Sumatran coffee is considered one of the world’s top speciality coffee, with an intense flavour.

Colombia, a country in South America which is one of the five biggest exporters of coffee in the world. Their coffee is said to have a mild, smooth flavour.

Office Depot

TAYLOR: Luke, this is business. It needs to be done properly and legally.
LUKE: It’s a standard lease form, Taylor. I bought it at Office Depot.

Office Depot, office supply company headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. It was founded in 1986 and has 1400 retail outlets and annual sales of over $11 billion.

There was an Office Depot in West Hartford in 2003, and others in surrounding towns where Luke could have bought the lease forms – the store really does sell them.

Uzbekistan

RORY: I learned my seven continents on Hug-a-World, don’t you remember? We used to squeeze it as tight as we could and then wherever our pinkies would end up, that’s where we were going to go together when I grew up.
LORELAI: Yes, many a trip to Uzbekistan was planned that way.

Uzbekistan, a country in Central Asia which is part of the Turkic world. It is a doubly landlocked country, being not only landlocked itself, but surrounded by other landlocked countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan. It’s capital is Tashkent, and the city of Samarkand in the country’s south is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world, with a fascinating history, part of the Silk Road route. It’s been a drawcard for adventurous travellers since at least the 19^th century.

Ramada

LORELAI: [on phone] Oh, no, sir, I’m afraid we don’t offer a complimentary breakfast … Uh, yes, sir, I realize the Ramada does.

Ramada is a large multinational hotel chain, and the first Ramada hotel was opened in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1954. The name is literally Spanish for “branch”, but ramadas (“porches, arbors”) were temporary open-air structures, popular in Arizona at harvest time. The company translates their name as “shady resting place”. It is now owned by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.

There are two Ramada hotels in Connecticut – one in Windsor Locks, just north of Hartford, and the other in Groton, where Lorelai’s relative once lived. Presumably the customer is considering remaining in Windsor Locks [pictured], which is at the airport. It’s a modest budget-priced two and half star hotel, and in reality they don’t offer a complimentary breakfast – they don’t serve breakfast at all, some days. It’s obviously nowhere near the luxury and charm of the Independence Inn.

Michigan

[Lorelai walks up to Michel at the front desk]
LORELAI: Okay, so you’ll come in early and set up the conference room for the group from Michigan.

Michigan, a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwest in the US. It has a population of over 10 million, and is the largest by area east of the Mississippi River at 97 000 square miles (250 000 square km). Its capital is Lansing, and its largest city is Detroit, among the nation’s most populous and largest metropolitan economies. The name Michigan derives from a Gallicised variant of the Ojibwe word mishigami, meaning “large water” or “large lake”.

Rory Meets Francie in a Parking Garage

[Rory walks through an empty parking garage. She hears a noise, and turns to find Francie]
FRANCIE: Good, you’re here. We need to talk.

This scene is based on the Watergate investigation by Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, who secretly met a contact known as “Deep Throat” in a parking garage between 1972 and 1973. Their information would help lead to the uncovering of the greatets scandal in US history, and the eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon.

In 2005, attorney Mark Felt would out himself as Deep Throat, after which Bob Woodward told everyone exactly where they had met – Space D3 in The Quotidian Underground Parking Garage beneath the Oakhill Office Building in Rosslyn, Virginia [pictured]. It has since become a tourist attraction.

Leavenworth

RORY: Paris, the cafeteria workers serve hundreds of students a day. A little gravy spillage is natural.
PARIS: I see. So I should just sit quietly and shovel in whatever slop they throw my way like some inmate in the chow line at Leavenworth doing twenty to life? I don’t think so.

The United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth (USP Leavenworth) is a federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas that was the biggest maximum security prison in the US from 1903 to 2005, after which it became a medium security prison.