Hollywood doesn’t understand much. I get a chuckle when they try to duplicate or allude to the realities of New England, especially the asshole we call the Nutmeg State. When Who’s The Boss was on the opening montage used to have me rolling on the floor. It was supposed to be set in Fairfield and since I lived in Fairfield for a few years before moving to Stars Hollow I can assure you there is exactly NO part of Fairfield that looks like that. Westport or Greenwich maybe, but not Fairfield.
Fairfield is actually a kind of gritty and depressing place dominated by Strip Malls, Metro North, and I-95. The houses are teeny tiny crackerboxes perched on quarter acre or smaller lots so close you can pee out your bathroom window and hit your neighbor’s wall.
Well, after a few beers you can.
There are lots of misconceptions about Stars Hollow too. Oh sure, the exteriors are all supposed to look like they came out of Washington Depot (a real place, I’ve had dinner there, it’s not particularly nearby) but the real model is supposedly Wallingford where you’d need a six pack but is otherwise utterly lacking in charm or amenities. There’s 3 blocks of Main Street in typical New England Mill Town mode but it’s well hidden and all the action is along Rt. 5 which is a hideous gash of Big Boxes, Parking Lots, and Strip Malls (I really don’t like Strip Malls).
At least in Wallingford you don’t have Hot Sheet Hotel Boulevard where you can rent by the Hour, Day, Week, or Month punctuated with Tattoo Parlors, Liquor Stores, Strip Clubs, and Dive Bars.
That would be Meriden, the next town over.
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