In My Footsteps Podcast Episode 35: Restaurant Storytime III, Hershey PA, Old School PSA's, Top 5 1980's Fads, and more.

 

In My Footsteps: Scranton, PA

     Synonymous with the classic television show The Office the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania gives fans glimpses into the world of Dunder Mifflin. However there is much more to this city than just Michael Scott’s hangouts.

     Incorporated in 1866 Scranton is nicknamed ‘The Electric City.’ It lies among the Moosic Mountains and is the sixth-largest city in Pennsylvania. Part of Lackawanna County one of the city’s top attractions is the Lackawanna Coal Mine.

     Located as part of the more than 200-acres of McDade Park the complex contains the actual coal mine first opened in 1860. The mine was in use until 1966 when it closed and remained abandoned until 1978. It was at that point that $2.5 million in federal money was granted to convert the property into a museum.

     Typically open from April through November the Lackawanna Coal Mine gives tours where people can take a trip 300-feet underground in a mine car down the Slope #190 tunnel. It is 53-degrees year-round in the mine so appropriate clothing and footwear is recommended and the tour is just over an hour.

Entrance to the Lackawanna Coal Mine tunnel.

     The Anthracite Heritage Museum, which provides education about Scranton’s history in coal and its related industries, is also located on the grounds of the Lackawanna Coal Mine. One such related attraction is the Iron Furnaces located about 3 ½ miles east of the museum. Started in 1840 as Scranton, Grant, & Company it had the country’s largest iron production capacity by 1865. McDade Park and the Lackawanna Coal Mine are basically a package deal and you can enjoy both at the same time.

     Near the Iron Furnaces site is the Steamtown National Historic Site. This National Park celebrates railroad transportation, specifically steam-engine locomotives. There are historic trains as well as active trains located on 40 acres of the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. First opened in 1986 the park grounds are open year round. At the other end of the grounds is the Electric City Trolley Museum. They are not owned by the same group though, the trolley museum is run by Lackawanna County. The trolley museum celebrates the fact that in 1887 Scranton became Pennsylvania’s first city with a trolley line. This earned Scranton the nickname the ‘Electric City.’

Steamtown National Historic Site

     For fans of The Office though Scranton provides a chance to see and visit places made famous from the show’s 9 seasons. Only walking distance from the Steamtown National Historic Site is The Marketplace at Steamtown. Part of a plan to revitalize the downtown area it was opened in 1993 as the Mall at Steamtown. It was routinely referred to as the Steamtown Mall on The Office. It was purchased in 2015 and rechristened The Marketplace at Steamtown. Inside of it is the 'Scranton Welcomes You' sign seen at the beginning of The Office opening.  Though there is no actual Dunder Mifflin company located close to The Marketplace at Steamtown is Mifflin Avenue.

On the second floor of The Marketplace at Steamtown

     The two most popular Office locales in Scranton though have to do with food and drink.

     First is Alfredo’s Cafe. This restaurant was known for being the home of the ‘good pizza’ on The Office. Inside the restaurant are several reminders of this fact and the pizza is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to food and atmosphere.

     Second is Poor Richard’s Pub. Inside Idle Hours South entertainment complex this spot was a frequently mentioned hangout on The Office. It is possible to stop in for a drink and also check out the actual Dundie award located behind the bar. There are also Office-inspired drinks typically on the menu.

The Dundie Award at Poor Richard's Pub

     One of the largest cities in Pennsylvania Scranton has mountains, coal mines, historic trains, a renewed downtown district and all of the Office sites one could hope for.

Check out my YouTube video featuring Scranton:  In My Footsteps: Scranton, PA

If You Go:

1. Lackawanna Coal Mine Museum – Bald Mountain Road/McDade Park
2. Steamtown National Historic Site – 350 Cliff Street
3. Electric City Trolley Museum – 300 Cliff Street
4. Alfredo’s Cafe – 1040 S. Washington Avenue
5. Poor Richard’s Pub – 125 Beech Street

Helpful Links:

1. Anthracite Museum
2. Steamtown National Historic Site
3. Electric City Trolley Museum
4. Alfredo's Cafe
5. Poor Richard's Pub

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My 5th book, Cape Cod Nights, is on sale at Amazon.com and through Arcadia Publishing

View my previous blog posts: In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Cape Cod Bank and Trust

Travel Tuesday #3 - Race Point Lighthouse

                              

Cape Cod Sunsets 2020 Calendar available at Zazzle here: Cape Cod Living Store

Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com

Road Trip Day 2 - The Office, Chocolate, and Battlefields

     My second day on the road saw me wake up in Scranton, Pennsylvania.  I had a few more sites to see including the 'Welcome to Scranton' sign from The Office located in the Marketplace at Steamtown.  Unfortunately being a Sunday the mall did not open until 11, meaning I had to get a later start than I'd have preferred.  I visited the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour at McDade Park.  The tour wasn't open yet so I walked the grounds for a bit, it is a nice wide open area with underrated views of the Moosic Mountains.  Before visiting the mall I stopped at the Steamtown National Historic Site only a stone's throw from the mall.  It is a railroad museum with many old locomotives outside and actual live trains running as well located at the site of the former Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad .  At the other end of the parking lot is the Electric City Trolley Museum, kind of a cousin to the railroad museum.  

     Technically there is a sky walk to get to the mall but it was locked so I had to drive the few yards to park underneath the mall which is neat.  I was going to take the elevator up but a screaming child changed my mind, high-pitched voices echo quite loudly in a parking garage.  The Marketplace at Steamtown is pretty big but it has a lot of empty storefronts.  It has a Crunch Fitness near the Scranton sign and a few big stores I've never heard of in New England like Boscov's which is a department store.  After getting a photo taken of me at the sign it was time to leave Scranton behind.

     Next up was a visit to the sweetest place on Earth, Hershey, Pennsylvania.  It definitely feels like something created in a dream.  The street lights are topped with Hershey Kisses, the buildings even look like thy're made of chocolate.  The Hershey Park amusement park was pretty busy for mid-November, the screams of people on the rides could be heard even on Chocolate Avenue (their Main Street).  I made sure to pay a visit to the Hershey Story Museum and the store inside because of course I would.  The friendly lady that rang me up wished me a 'sweet day' which was fitting.

     Time began to be an issue as I flew from Hershey to the state capital of Harrisburg.  Luckily I wanted to visit the State Capitol building first and since it was Sunday there was nobody working.  I was able to park and take a walk around the few blocks surrounding the capitol.  I crashed wedding photography on the steps of the capitol, but they were almost done so I just stayed to the side, although they might be in part of a video I shot.  The view from the steps of the Capitol Building gives a great view of State Street out to the Susquehanna River.  I had wished I could have stayed longer but I had one more important site I wanted to visit before it got dark.

The Pennsylvania State Capitol 

     It was about 45 minutes to get from Harrisburg to Gettysburg, specifically the National Military Park Museum which I'd wanted to visit for years.  I love history as you can tell if you've read my blogs before, and the Civil War is fascinating to me.  There are several sites related to the battle located near the museum and you can actually do a driving tour to the sites, or you can walk like I did.  It was a fine walk out to the battlefield and soldier's cemetery.  What I thought were squirrels foraging for food in the brush ended up being close to 10 deer, yes I finally saw live deer in Pennsylvania compared to the 2 dozen or so I'd seen as roadkill.

     The battlefield at Cemetery Ridge is dotted with memorials of the units who lost their lives.  It is considered the most important battle of the Civil War, and the bloodiest with 23,000 Union soldiers, and 28,000 Confederate soldiers (more than 1/3 of Robert E. Lee's army) losing their lives in July 1863.  It was exciting for me to be there but definitely tempered with sadness looking over the rolling fields knowing how many people had died there fighting for what they thought was right.  I visited the Gettysburg National Cemetery a few yards from Cemetery Ridge, it is the final resting place of more than 3,500 Union soldiers, many of whom are known simply as a number on small stones.  It is also on these grounds where Abraham Lincoln gave the legendary Gettysburg Address.

Gettysburg National Cemetery

     After staying on the cemetery grounds well past sunset, trying to get my camera to work right, I had to walk nearly a mile back to the museum parking lot which made me wish I had driven.  Originally I had wanted to drive well into Virginia to find a place to stay for the night, however I really wanted to visit Harpers Ferry, West Virginia so I compromised.  

     I stayed in Hagerstown, Maryland, only about 1/2 hour from Harpers Ferry.  I got to watch a raccoon stealing trash from the hotel dumpster which was fun, but overall it was a relaxing night.  I had dinner at the nearby Hagerstown Family Diner, it was very quiet there on a Sunday evening but the staff was friendly.  The food was great, Country Fried Steak, and I was lucky to get to watch the Patriots playing, of course I had to keep quiet about that since everyone else in there kept talking about how much they hated them.  Sorry they beat your Eagles everyone.  I also stopped into a Weis supermarket which I'd never heard of until tonight. It was good too but I noticed they don't have marshmallow Fluff down here, not that I wanted any, just a curiosity. 

     It was a slightly shorter day, less than 250 miles total but just as many great places to see.  Day 3 starts with Harpers Ferry and we'll go from there!

Road Trip: Day 1 - Into the Wild

     

     The first day of an epic travel journey began before 9am.
Luckily it was sunny although cold, only got up to about 35 at best during the day.  Although I wanted to stop and shoot photos and see as many sites as possible, I also wanted to get far enough away from home to feel like this was an adventure.  I drove more than 3 hours to the town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts out in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.   

At the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge

     I thought it might be a quick stop over to get my feet wet but it ended up being a few hours which is not a bad thing.  I highly recommend the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy.  It is a religious spot, but even if you are not religious it is filled with beautiful photo ops which is what I focused on.  The people who run it are so friendly and make you feel welcomed even if you're not there to attend mass with them.  

     If time allows, and you should make it, take in the Norman Rockwell Museum which showcases his illustrations.  It also is home to his studio and the amazing view of the mountains which lay outside of it for inspiration.  Before leaving I took a walk down the quaint Main Street of Stockbridge.  It has the classic feel of a mountain town and makes you want to stick around a while.

     I continued west into Upstate New York and the town of Hudson, routinely considered one of the best small towns to visit in the United States.  Wanting to stretch my legs after so much driving I took in a pair of parks, Promenade Hill Park and neighboring Henry Hudson Riverfront Park.  It was at the latter that I spotted the Hudson Athens Lighthouse out on the river.  Wanting a closeup photo I ran down the railroad tracks and found the perfect spot.  Luckily the train that was coming passed while I was a safe distance away.

     If beautiful homes are your thing definitely stop at the Olana State Historic Site just west in Greenport, New York.  It was the home of noted landscape painter Frederic Church and holds incredible views of the Catskill Mountains and Hudson River from high up on a hill.  By this time it was unfortunately closing in on sunset just after 4pm.  I decided to drive the back roads rather than the highway in order to find a perfect sunset spot.  

Sunset on the porch of Olana with the Catskills and Hudson River in the background.

     By sheer dumb luck I saw a sign for Saugerties Lighthouse in the town of the same name.  I hustled down to the Hudson River to get a shot not realizing that it is more than a 1/2 mile walk to get out to it.  It was after sunset now but the colors and solitude at the lighthouse were worth the cold and increasing darkness.  The lighthouse is also a Bed and Breakfast but I had no intention of staying.  I wandered back along the path in the dark and cold, surprisingly when I returned to the parking lot there was another couple just getting ready to trek out to see the lighthouse.  I did not feel as crazy.
  
     My end for the day was Scranton, PA.  Home of The Office. I have been a huge fan of the show since it originally came out so getting to see some spots mentioned in the show was a no-brainer.  Just an odd side note.  While driving south through New York I saw lots of deer everywhere, running, eating along the side of the road, just like squirrels.  Once I crossed into Pennsylvania I still saw lots of deer, only now they were all roadkill.  

     I got to Scranton after 7pm and after checking into my hotel headed right back out.  I had intentionally not eaten all day so I could have pizza at Alfredo's, the 'good pizza' from The Office for fans of the show.  It was worth it, though I burned my mouth on it.  The place was packed as it was a Saturday night but I sat at the bar and got to people watch, and listen, especially to a pair of ladies sitting next to me that could have been a reality show on its own.

     After Alfredo's I stopped for a beer at Poor Richard's Pub, a frequently mentioned spot on The Office.  It's actually a smaller part of a bowling alley but they definitely embrace their Office connection.  I outed myself as a fan when I bought a souvenir cup which prompted the friendly bartender to bring over their own Dundie award to show me.  That was the perfect cap to a long day, over 400 miles of driving and so many fun places I saw for the first time.

The Dundie award at Poor Richard's Pub

    
     Day two starts by finishing off my time in Scranton, and then heading south! Stay tuned!