Even though I like to think I have a taste that craves only the finer and more rarefied creations of mankind, I still love the show Gossip Girl. Or rather, I love how all the critics rave about Gossip Girl, critique it and pull forth the most amazing motifs, themes and other literary morsels that take the soap drama from, well, soap drama, to high art. My most favorite dissection of the show happens here, if you need a good read.

But anyway, the lives of the characters in the UES are much to be envied: They’re filled with fabulous clothes, people and fun. What to do on a Saturday or even school night? Why grab the clique and run off to some hotspot club in which you’ll be photographed in your fabulous designer dress, later to be displayed on Page 6!

When long-separated friends Serena van der Woodson and Georgina Sparks wanted to go out and have fun, they tossed on their slinky dresses and strappy shoes and made their way over to a bar where they were not carded, were hit on by attractive men and had the confidence that I never knew teenage girls could have in such a setting.

So, how does this take us back to the fabulousness of the O.C.? Well, the creator of Gossip Girl is also the creator of the O.C. Obviously, he wanted to put some of the magic fabulousness of his West Coast drama back on TV but in the East this time. However, my weekend in the O.C. once again proves that TV doesn’t necessarily capture the truth of a location.

This is what I mean:

I made plans to meet up with an old friend in the O.C. for a friendly catch-up chat. (Because we’re talking about Gossip Girl here, let’s call my friend S). As I don’t live in the O.C. anymore, I asked S to name a meeting point. S mentioned some sort of yogurt place, which I had to decline because I had a cold and couldn’t eat dairy. We passed a few more generic names between us, and then we landed on the only possible solution:

Target.

That’s right: We hung out at Target because a) it was the only thing we could agree on, b) it was a place we both knew the location of and c) S needed some stuff anyway.

It actually worked out well. S and I wandered up and down aisles, I tried on a pair of pumps I would never buy in real life, S bought some razors, and then we ended up sitting in the Starbucks located inside the Target. I ordered a cafe mocha. S declined any beverage as he had already satiated his hunger with yogurt. Oh yeah, S met me via public transportation. (Scandalous!) He used the bus to meet me. I took my car. We separated after a respectable time, around 4 PM. S went home and so did I. I went to bed at 10 that night.

Crazy times in the O.C. baby! And that’s the anatomy of this blogger’s post.