Gilmore Girls & Luke's Diner Came to Seattle!
A few days ago, I found out that a pop-up Luke's Diner was coming to Seattle and I could barely contain my excitement. Luke's Diner didn't just come to Seattle, though. There were pop-up diners all over the country, in all 50 states!
If you're unfamiliar with Gilmore Girls, please watch all seven seasons of the show on Netflix ASAP before the four new episodes are released on November 25th! You won't regret it! It's a show I fell in love with instantly (remember the WB!?) and I've returned to it time and time again over the years and somehow adore it 100 times more each time. It's just wonderful. It means so much to me, as I'm sure it does to all of the other die-hard fans who made the trip out to find Luke's Diner early yesterday morning in their own states.
Adam is a total trooper and got up early with me so we could leave the house in time to get to Stone Way Cafe before 7am. (We currently live about 30 minutes away.) The shops were all giving away free coffee from 7am-12pm, and we both had places to be in the morning, so we figured the earlier we got there, the better. "There won't be that many people there, right?? It's too early, right??"
Well... Ha! We were wrong. The line was already wrapped half-way around the block at 6:45, and even though I didn't have a rain jacket or an umbrella (way too excited to think logically this morning), I decided to stick it out and shiver my way to free coffee. Unfortunately, the line barely moved after they opened the doors at 7:00, and after an hour and a half of standing around without making much progress, Adam decided he had to take off and head to work. (He was able to find an umbrella in the car for me before leaving, though! Oh, happy day.)
As time ticked on, people seemed to (reluctantly) be dropping like flies. Most people still grabbed a photo with the Luke's Diner sign before leaving, though. I made a friend in line and had fun listening to the various Gilmore Girls-related conversations around us. I loved how many people were wearing flannels! It was also entertaining to watch everyone driving by look totally confused by the giant line so early in the morning.
"Oh! There's the sign! I'm getting closer!" This, of course, was not entirely true, but it still gave me hope. It was around this point that my new friend also had to leave for work. We had been standing in line for over two hours!
But hey, I'm not complaining! Don't get me wrong. If I had plans of bailing, it would have happened long before this point. I was all in. Even after I was all alone and awkwardly annoyed the girls in front of me by accidentally hitting them in the head with my umbrella a few times.
It was fun watching everyone leave cheerfully with their Luke's Diner cups. Girls would walk by the line and say, "IT WAS SO WORTH IT!" which made us all cheer up a bit. I couldn't wait to get inside!
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A post shared by Stone Way Cafe (@stonewaycafe) on Oct 5, 2016 at 9:31am PDT
Here's the video the barista was making. I'm near the beginning! She looked so cute in her Luke's hat and apron; I couldn't resist asking for a photo. :)
Heeeyyy, I made it! I expected the cafe to be insanely packed and crazy inside, but surprisingly, it wasn't. It was super chill, fairly empty, and the guy taking orders was cool as a cucumber.
I think that added to the experience, too. I appreciated not being rushed through. I had time to take plenty of photos and soak in the Gilmore Girls experience. It definitely made the long wait worth it.
Ahh, success. What's funny about this whole thing is that I don't even drink coffee that much, haha. I've only recently started drinking lattes, so I was able to get free drip coffee in the Luke's cup, but then decided to pay for a vanilla latte, so as I left, I walked out holding two coffee cups, in true Gilmore style.
"Everything in my life has something to do with coffee. I believe in a former life, I was coffee." - Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life)
Adam texted me later in the day, around 3:30, saying this. The little sneak found another coffee shop in another part of the city still giving away free coffee in the Luke's cups! It made me laugh, but I still don't regret waiting in line with everyone. It was a lot of fun, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. :) Big thanks to Netflix and Gilmore Girls for making this happen! We love you! (Also, did you know Luke actually showed up at one of the pop-ups? So cool!)
I'm so so so excited to find out what the future holds for the Gilmore Girls and am counting down the days until we find out! Is it November 25th yet!?