July 7, 2011

On Being Cheesy: A Michael Scott Weekend

there was a period in my life where i did not watch tv. i don’t know if i thought i was too good for it, or if i wanted to find more creative ways to bide my time, or because i knew that as soon as i gave in i would be hooked. i think i just hadn’t discovered the true value of sitting on the couch for hours on end and blankly staring at a square box that keeps showing me pretty colors [not unlike the space inhabitants in the movie Wall-E].





however, that was all y e a r s ago and i am proud to say that i have now seen the light, crossed the line, surrendered, and succumbed to one of life’s greatest pleasures besides food and shopping… television. once again, the power of being easily influenced.

what, may you ask, made me let down my pretenses and give up all i know only to cross to the dark side?

Michael Scott and his crew at Dunder Mifflin spoke to me like no other tv show had. Michael taught me how to watch tv. who knew selling paper could be so entertaining??

fast forward seven years and i can quote you exact phrases from the show and which season the exact phrase came from and who said it and who it was said to and who it was said about... you get the picture. The Office is my go-to-bored-out-of-my-mind activity.





i think having magnets on the fridge really solidifies my relationship with the show. i mean, its kinda like putting a quirky bumper sticker on my car, or buying a $300 purse just because it says ‘Coach,’ or wearing a hoody that says Harrisburg Area Community College. well, maybe not the last one. by the way, i guess its also time to admit that i am a Twihard, as evidenced by my Edward and Bella magnet. seriously, guys, it’s a good story.

so partially because .a. and i love The Office, and partially because we only have one more year left in the Jerz to complete our east coast bucket list, we decided to take a weekend and head to Scranton… home, birthplace, and origin of The Office. now we aren’t dumb enough to think that it was actually filmed there [well, ONE of us wasn’t that dumb] but we knew there were a few hotspots around Scranton that are incorporated into the show.some may call us cheesy, but we had a blast. so have a look!

[disclaimer: if you don't watch the office then this won't mean a thing to you. just deal.]

first stop is Coopers Seafood House. relatively gross and dark and grungy on the inside. also, andrew's seafood platter sucked for a restaurant advertising seafood as its specialty. even i could tell and i absolutely refuse to eat sea inhabitants. they need Chef Ramsey to come and host a Kitchen Nightmares episode at the joint. on the upside, i ordered a bacon cheeseburger without the patty which was decent. not bad for being fresh off the Sysco truck.








"hangin' round, downtown by myself..."



street portrait.



this is the only time i got mad on the trip. i was totally excited to find this tower because it is a focal point in the theme song opening. man, i was furious when i realized they replaced the words  "Penn. Paper" with "PA PAPER." what gives??????






at the Mulberry Street intersection shown in the opening theme song.




can everyone say STEAMTOWN MALL, whoop whoop!


the mall definitely played it up.


behind the mall, there was this old train yard slash state park. the view was absolutely gorgeous.


there's just something about the old brick against the new green of the trees. i couldn't take my eyes off of the view. the camera can't do it one ounce of justice.


there was this loooonnnnggg boardwalk around the trainyard. the perfect day, the perfect view, the perfect company!



poor, poor richards. how disappointing. this was another one of my anticipated hotspots. who knew that it would be a dumpy bar down a side street in a BOWLING ALLEY! we couldn't even go in because it looked super sketchy. guess it was our fault for attempting to go there at 11pm!



next stop? Alfredo's Pizza Cafe.


looks delicious, right? wrong. think mushy soup that sticks to your teeth. they need to learn to bake the crust BEFORE they put 10 pounds of cheese on top. the pizza expert (me) gives it a D-. Maybe a D for effort.


another favorite spot. .a. and i spent hours trying to figure out what an "anthracite" is. thanks to google i have now added 'anthracite' to my daily vocabulary. i'll let you look it up. the best kind of learning is hands on. so now, you too, may add 'anthracite' to you vocab selections.

 "Scranton, WHAT? The E-LEC-TRIC CITY." go here to see the Lazy Scranton video featuring this museum (i know, it's poor quality video but its the best i could find.)



remember this one? Michael sitting in his car wanting to take his peeps on a crazy "ride"??



the exterior shot of the office changes between season one and two. although this isn't the building they use in season one, it looks very close.



we stayed at The Radisson for Friday night... where Dwight's infamous speech took place. it was beautiful on the inside and out.




again, the famous Mulberry Street intersection from the opening shots.




Coopers at sunset. the deck dining was about the only thing it had going for it.




oh, and though having nothing to do with Scranton, i decided to include this because i love my sisters and mom!. this was at my sister's baby shower (middle). she's got five boys with two more on the way. so, uh, yeah, she needed a baby shower this time around. it was garden-themed and we made everyone wear tissue-paper flowers somewhere on their person (as evidenced by Krista's necklace). it was a blast!

ps- much love goes out to .a. for being a good husband and helping me make the flowers while watching his Red Sox games. you da bomb.






. . .


.with love.
.with hope.
(m)



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