- "Welcome to New York City"s Upper East Side, where my friends and I all live in huge, fabulous apartments and go to exclusive private schools. We aren"t always the nicest people in the world, but we make up for it in looks and taste." "The Gossip Girl" series is the ultimate in glamour and cool. Set in New York"s glamorous Upper East Side, the narrative follows the thrills and spills of its richest and most beautiful teenage residents (with Jimmy Choo shoes and shopping at Barneys mixed in along the way). In this second novel, they are interviewing for college (Ivy League only, naturally).