The Regular

"Sometimes you want to go...Where everybody knows your name,

And they're always glad you came,

You wanna be where you can see, 

The troubles are all the same

You want to go where everybody knows your name."

For as long as I can remember, I've always had this sort of fascination for diners. I love the idea that you can see the same people on a daily basis in small towns. Everyone knows your business, everyone checks to make sure that you're okay, and it just has this really cozy feeling that even if the rest of your world sucks, you have that one place that is considered to be your safe haven. I've always wanted to be a "regular" somewhere, where they know my name, they know my story, and they remember what I order. 

Until I find that special place, I thought I'd give you a list of fictional diner/restaurants that I wish really existed.

1. Luke's Diner (Gilmore Girls):

I don't think there is anything more charming than Luke's Diner in Stars Hollow, CT. It's a town where it's generally always Fall time and the leaves are always an orange/yellow color, Babette and Miss Patty are always gossiping about someone, and the coffee is always brewing. What's not to love about that? I love the fact that the Gilmore Girls went to Luke's for just about every meal, yet you never got tired of it. In fact, some of their greatest moments and best dialogue happened here. The pacing of the diner and Luke's sarcastic, yet gentle personality makes it the kind of place that would never leave you starved for entertainment. Especially when Kirk shows up.

      2. Central Perk (Friends):

One of the most recognizable sets of all time has to be that of the famous coffeehouse from Friends, Central Perk. It didn't matter what time of day it was, you could usually find the gang, just having a cup of Joe, while Gunther is staring at Rachel from behind the counter, dreaming of the day that she'd be his. I love that just by watching an episode of Friends, you feel like you're included in their tight knit group, and that's the genius of it. When you turn on an episode, you feel like you're hanging out with your friends. You're always guaranteed for a laugh! Besides, who wouldn't want to drink out of one of those awesome coffee cups?

   3. Karen's Cafe (One Tree Hill):

Ah, Karen's Cafe. It always just gave that sense of home; you know that as soon as you walk in, things are going to get just a little bit better. Karen was always there with some sort of word of advice, and later on in years, she passed that torch to Haley and Brooke. Tree Hill had to deal with a lot of crap, as I've talked about before, but even if just for a few minutes, you could forget all about your problems, and spend time with some pretty great company. 

     4. Mystic Grill (The Vampire Diaries):

Alright, maybe I don't wish this was necessarily a real cafe, because as much as I love the show, I don't want to deal with vampires in my normal life. But, let's face it, who wouldn't want to run into one of those good looking Salvatore brothers? Or maybe you could have a conversation with Elena, and ask her how she deals with her life. I mean, really, if she can turn into a vampire, while still staying calm, you can pull through whatever it is you're going through. Just to put things into perspective, of course.

What are some of your favorite fictional places that you wish were real? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.

That's all for now,

Shelby :)