Catching Up: Part 3 - Wawa Sunday Fun Day (cont.)

The last post took a look at Wawas #1 - #5 on Wawa Sunday Fun Day. Some may refer to it as Father's Day (don't worry...so did I as well, I just took a 3-hour Wawa-joy-ride in between seeing my father at church and then back at the house).

The journey continues through my hometown Wawas...

#20. Wawa Store #291 - June 20th, 2010 - 11:13am
151 Sugartown & Morris Roads
Strafford, PA 19087
Items Purchased: Mozzarella String Cheese

This Wawa is right off of Lancaster Avenue and I actually don't think I knew about it in high school and had to be told it was there. It's literally a stones-throw from Lancaster Avenue but it's a bit hidden. Also not one of the best Wawas, but it does its job like all the rest. Could do better for a Main Line Wawa though.

#21. Wawa Store #57 - June 20th, 2010 - 11:27am
52 Lancaster Ave-Rt 30
Paoli, PA 19301
Items Purchased: Two 0.5oz Reese cups

Here it is folks. My hometown, likely most-frequented Wawa. I really splurged at this one because I wanted to give back to my hometown. That's right...two 20 cent Reese cups. I'm actually a little disappointed in myself for not doing something a little more at this one. What that would be, I have no idea. Streamers? Balloons? I kid. But seriously - I wish it was more eventful that two Reese cups.

I think a bit of fatigue started to settle in at these Wawas as well as a routine. I just got into the habit of - park, get a picture, get in, get a receipt, get out, get on my way. Onto my other hometown Wawa.

#22. Wawa Store #205 - June 20th, 2010 - 11:39am
5 Matthews Road
Malvern, PA 19355
Items Purchased: Gas

I hadn't hit many Super Wawas and this was the first of the day so I figured I'd fill up a half-tank of gas. This one started to take over as my usual Wawa for awhile as it is a lot bigger and nicer than Paoli's Wawa. It was also usually very convienent for me during college when my parents still lived in Paoli or I would go visit friends from high school. I could back-track a bit to this Wawa, get gas if needed, get a snack for the mini-trip back into the city, and hit Rt-202 which you can pick up right there. This Wawa is also very frequented by the police. They are almost always there, especially late at night.

Now time for a Wawa basically in walking distance of the one I just hit. It is very hidden and does not look like any of the other Wawas.

#23. Wawa Store #238 - June 20th, 2010 - 11:47am
10 Liberty Boulevard
Malvern, PA 19355
Items Purchased: Wawa 0.5 liter water

This Wawa is in a corporate area with many offices. There is this little section with a few small stores and Wawa is obviously one of them. Very unique in setting and not very populated. I'm sure they do a great business in the morning around 8:45am and at lunch rush. But I can't imagine other than that they do much of a business, especially with the Super Wawa right down Rt-29 from them with only Swedesford Road & another gas station in between them. Also, while I was there, there were 4 open parking spots next to me as I parked on an end space. This dude in a huge truck backs into the spot next to me as I'm in line paying. I watch him as I don't feel confident in his ability to not hit my car. He successfully parks as I'm walking out. I give him that "really dude?" stare, except he doesn't look over. I pull out of my spot and while I'm at the stop sign, he pulls out too. Pointless.

On my way to Wawa #10 of the day.

I wasn't sure if I was going to hit the one in Frazer, PA as I was really starting to get tired of getting in and out of my car and I'd been going for about 2+ hours at this point. I got on Rt-202 and made a last-second call on if I'd hit Frazer or not. There is an off ramp on Rt-202 that you can either stay right and get on the 30-Bypass or stay left and go on Business Rt-30. Taking Business Rt-30 (Lancaster Ave) would get me to the Frazer, PA Wawa. I went left.

#24. Wawa Store #208 - June 20th, 2010 - 11:59am

567 Lancaster Ave.

Frazer, PA 19355

Items Purchased: Cheddar Cheese Stuffed Pretzel (w/ coupon)

A couple notes here. I just realized Frazer is the same Zip Code as Malvern. I used a coupon for 50 cents off the cheddar cheese stuffed pretzel I got at the Malvern Wawa that I got gas at. There was a parking lot thing that made the guy in front of me wonder why I was taking a picture.

I parked originally to the right of this Wawa, went in, purchased my pretzel and went back to my car. I wanted a decent picture so I drove around the gas pumps to where there are about 3-4 spots facing Lancaster Avenue. A woman was backing out of the pump to the right of the picture and wasn't looking and almost backed right into my car. I honked to let her know I was there and then proceeded to park. The guy in the middle of the picture with the red van was looking at me, saw me take out my camera and take a picture. I'm sure he was thinking I was trying to get an insurance claim or something. False. Just blogging my Wawa adventure, no need to worry big guy.

Now another decent gap in Wawas as I went on the 30-Bypass to my parents and didn't hit one until Parkesburg, PA right at the end of the 30-Bypass.

#25. Wawa Store #263 - June 20th, 2010 - 12:29pm

3711 West Lincoln Highway

Parkesburg, PA 19365

Items Purchased: French Vanilla Creamer

First off, this Wawa was PACKED. I don't know if people were heading out to the outlets in Lancaster, PA or what but there was a lot of people at this Wawa. I definitely like this Wawa though - a lot like the one in Malvern, PA and is in a very good location. This is the one Wawa of the day I had to wait in a decent line for. Then on my receipt, I saw the cashier had rung up a roast beef & cheese shorti for some reason and then took it off, then rung up the french vanilla creamer I bought at my parent's request.

Then I was done. 2.5 hours. 11 Wawas. 1 tired Bryan.

After spending the day at my parents for Father's Day and watching the U.S. Open it was time to go home around 9:30pm. I passed some Wawas on my way home that I haven't hit yet but had called it a day by that point.

Receipts:

   

Next Post: Wawa #26 in Essington, PA - the nicest Wawa I've been to thus far.

Catching Up: Part 2 - Wawa Sunday Fun Day

Sunday was an extremely busy day on the Wawa-front. On my way home church in Upper Darby, PA to my parent's house in Honey Brook, PA I mapped out a plan to hit at least 11 Wawas. I figured I would need to do this probably twice throughout the 30-day challenge to reach the ultimate goal of 50 different Wawas in 30 days. In this post I'll run through my journey with some commentary on each Wawa. Some more breakdowns will come after, such as total money spent & a map of my Wawa Sunday Fun Day.

Note: receipts can be found at the bottom of this post.

15. Wawa Store #213 - June 20th, 2010 - 10:11am
7720 West Chester Pike
Upper Darby, PA 19082
Items Purchased: 16oz french vanilla coffee

That's right. French vanilla coffee. I was looking forward to starting out my 11-Wawa journey on the right foot and having a hazelnut coffee along the way for probably about half of the rest of the trip. However, what kind of an adventure/journey would it be if things went right & according to plan? Hazelnut was out, as I informed the Wawa employee behind the coffee counter. He mumbled something about just filling it up, apologized, and went to brew some more. I asked him how long it would be, got a response of about 5-6 minutes, and decided to go with french vanilla instead of sticking around. Time to move on to Wawa #2, just up West Chester Pike a bit and around the corner.

16. Wawa Store #68 - June 20th, 2010 - 10:19am
Landsdowne Avenue & Manor Road
Upper Darby, PA 19082
Items Purchased: Orbit spearmint gum

Nothing really of note from this Wawa. Got my gum, asked for a receipt (you know, in case someone wants ABC gum and buys my returned gum), and went on my way. Time to go across West Chester Pike making my way towards Lancaster Avenue.

17. Wawa Store #265 - June 20th, 2010 - 10:26am
1000 Darby Road
Havertown, PA 19083
Items Purchased: 0.5oz Reese cup

Time to start being economical. I've got a future to worry about. And it wouldn't be logical for me to keep buying "big-ticket" items such as hoagies and coffees all day. I'd be ridiculously full in addition to broke. This time when I asked for a receipt I definitely got a "are you serious?" look from the high school kid behind the counter. And the woman in front of me who was still gathering her items said something to the extent of "and I thought I was the only one who made Reese pleasure trips to Wawa". Right lady. I really stopped into Wawa to buy a 20 cent Reese cup because I couldn't go on without it and was just craving a piece of candy I don't even think I tasted eating it on the way to my car because it's so small.

Other than that, this Wawa was pretty nice and had a cool exterior. I missed the turn for it though as it sits on the corner at a light and I missed the left-hand turn for it. I had to go up to the next light and make a U-turn (hopefully a legal one) since there was an island in between lanes. For some reason, I also noticed a lot of golfers around this Wawa. Right before I made my U-turn, there was a guy loading his golf clubs into his car and in the Wawa there were a bunch of bermuda shorts and golf polos. Just a quirky, coincidental thing I noticed. Onto Wawa #4 of the day.

#18. Wawa Store #54 - June 20th, 2010 - 10:34am
33-35 Eagle Road
Havertown, PA 19083
Items Purchased: Wawa 0.5 liter of water

Starting to get parched, needed some water. This was a pretty big Wawa, and not just because it's address spans apparently 2 addresses. It was also very crowded and a lot of in-and-out traffic in the parking lot.

Now a little bit of time til my next Wawa as I had to come up to Lancaster Avenue and then down past Villanova. I apparently missed a Wawa right after my turn onto Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore. Either I blanked on knowing there was one there or I just missed it. There was also another in Bryn Mawr, right off of Lancaster Avenue, but I didn't know about it. So I missed a possible 2 more on this journey - but oh well.

I start getting into my "hometown" Wawas now. The ones I used to frequent as a lad and especially through my high school & college days when I learned to love Wawa and appreciate everything it has to offer.

#19. Wawa Store # 257 - June 20th, 2010 - 11:05am
215 West Lancaster Avenue
Wayne, PA 19087
Items Purchased: 1 banana

A couple things of note here. First, I purchased my item at my birthday time (11/5). Second, I wanted to be a bit healthy and went with a banana. Third, this is one of those few Wawas that has an entrance in the front AND back. I enjoy that for some reason. Fourth, I have been to this Wawa on numerous occasions.

Receipts from 4 of the 5 above Wawas. For some reason I put the Eagle Road Wawa in Havertown on the next batch.

Next Post: The rest of Wawa Sunday Fun Day.

Catching Up: Part 1

I haven't posted in almost a week now but definitely not due to a lack of going to Wawas. I didn't have much time to blog due to being at Wawa so much as well as Father's Day this past Sunday and then getting a flat tire last night, which hindered my plans to hit a Wawa or 2 after work.

I had a huge day of Wawa in the morning of Father's Day, but before I hit that, I had 1 each day on Thursday, Friday, & Saturday. I apologize as I did not take pictures at 1 of them, but I have the receipt to prove me being there. I will try to get pictures at each of them if I have time to go back to them.

Also - a few people have requested me to take the "Facebook-style" picture of the Wawas with me in them. I will start doing that if it doesn't look creepy for me to do.

Before my big day on Sunday, the 3 Wawas I hit were:

12. Wawa Store #30 - June 17th, 2010

Chichester and Maltesta Ave.

Boothwyn, PA 19063

Items Purchased: Chicken Caesar Salad, Chicken Cheese Steak

I don't remember much about this Wawa and I only have a cell phone picture from it. I do remember that I actually wanted to attempt at being somewhat healthy and buy a salad there. The chicken cheese steak was for the roommate.

13. Wawa Store #86 - June 18th, 2010

1707 Arch St.

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Items Purchased: 16oz hazelnut coffee

This was "my Wawa" when I lived in Center City Philadelphia for 2.5 years. I went right after the height of the morning rush in Center City, but it was still pretty busy. Regardless, was good to get back to that one. I didn't take a picture at this one either because I was trying to navigate the other morning-rushers. I will likely get back to this one though to take a picture.

14. Wawa Store #801 - June 19th, 2010

Philadelphia Pike & Parkway Ave.

Wilmington, DE 19809

Items Purchased: 16oz hazelnut coffee, egg & cheese junior sandwich, Philadelphia Inquirer

This one is an interesting tale. I woke up and drove down Philadelphia Pike, knowing that there was another a couple miles down from my new current Wawa in Claymont, DE. I apparently looked more for the big sign for Wawa than looking for the actual store because I drove well past it. I realized this once I got into the heart of downtown Wilmington and knew I had gone way too far. But by now it was too late. I was stuck for the time being. I tried to maneuver my way out of the city but any road I turned on resulted in a dead-end, ended up putting me on a one-way the wrong way, or just didn't get me in the right direction. I even ended up driving through the Brandywine Zoo. A nice little unexpected tour of a city I didn't want a tour of. I'd throw a map up of the round-about route I took, but I have no idea which roads I was on.

I finally found my way out after navigating through the Zoo and got my bearings straight. Found the Wawa, and got what I needed to. Almost.

Problem is, apparently all sausage has been recalled at all Wawas. I really wanted a sausage, egg, and cheese on a bagel but that doesn't work when sausage has been recalled. Sigh. And oh yeah, I guess Hoagie Man visited this Wawa because it was Hippie-fied and, well, just look...

There was also a banner the left of this picture towards the counter. And the sign that is under the window and above the couch said something about Hippies entering through the back door; or something to that extent. It was odd. It was a bad attempt at the Hoagie Fest thing. Oh well, made for something interesting though and out of the ordinary. 

UPDATE (6/23 - 9:03pm): Receipts below for the 3 Wawa visit's above.

Next Up: I'll take a look at the Wawa explosion that was Sunday morning. Spoiler Alert: I hit 11 of them. I'll take a look at the map of my adventure, a list of the random items I bought, a hidden Wawa in Malvern, PA, and tell you why some random guy is staring at me in my picture from the Wawa in Frazer, PA.

Wawas of Today - #10 and #11

Today's Wawas are a bit scattered over the map. As you saw in my last post, this morning was a mini-adventure in trying to find two supposed Wawas that the official Wawa map had as being right next to each other in Prospect Park, PA. This was obviously not the case.

The Wawa in Prospect Park on Lincoln Avenue was your typical Wawa, except for the outside. It had a nice red roof to go along with the mini-stretch of 1 or 2 other shops in the parking lot. Nothing too exciting about the inside of it. Here is the picture of the Prospect Park Wawa and the accompanying receipt:

10. Wawa Store #235 - June 16, 2010

917 Lincoln Ave

Prospect Park, PA 19076

Items Purchased: 16oz hazelnut coffee

 

I wanted to hit another Wawa on my way home from work to keep up a good pace for the 50 in 30 as I don't want to fall behind early. I found one not too far out of my way in Linwood, PA off of I-95. I didn't have high hopes for it being a decent Wawa because of the area. However, once I walked in...pretty impressed. Nothing extraordinary, but the layout of the Wawa was very well done and there was a lot of space between aisles and around the coffee station and touchscreens.

And it is #7 on Wawas list of stores. With the numbering system, it jumps to #3 as there is only #1 & #6 ahead of it. If I am correct in my assumption of how the numbering for their stores works (based on conversations with some other people) it is the 3rd oldest store still in existence for Wawa. I will post within the next few days about some theories on the numbering system.

11. Wawa Store #7 - June 16, 2010

1439 Market Street

Linwood, PA 08360

Items Purchased: Italian shorti

Note: the reason there is a coverup on the receipt is due to a credit card purchase and that info obviously does not need to be posted.

 

4 days down. 11 Wawas down.

46 days to go. 39 Wawas to go.

-Bryan

Wawa Map Fail

So when I post later on the 2 Wawas I hit today, you might be wondering why Prospect Park, PA is one of them. I've hit some of the ones around home in DE, hit some in Philly around work, and some while driving out and back to the Downingtown & West Chester, PA area.

This morning I decided to try to hit a double. According to this map on Wawa's website, there are 2 right next to each other, conceivably across the street from one another. I had to try it.

Disappointment quickly hit while driving. I didn't bring a map or directions of the above, which was obviously my fault, and I drove from memory. I came down Rt. 420 from I-95 and proceeded to turn right on Rt. 13 (which as you can tell was incorrect anyways). I drove down a bit, then turned around and came back to Rt. 420, turning north. Bingo. Wawa.

However, according to the map above, there shouldn't be one. The Wawa I hit was closer to where the green arrow is. Hmm....

So from memory, I drove back towards Rt. 13 and turned the opposite way on Rt. 13 (where the above map shows 2 Wawa's). I drove down only a couple of blocks but did not see a Wawa, turned around and went back to I-95 and on my way.

The lesson of the day: Get directions & maps. I should have gotten the addresses and plugged them into Google Maps to get directions and a better feel for where these Wawa's are. Oh well.

Other lesson of the day: Do my homework. I was so close to Store #1. Yes, the first ever Wawa. In the upper left hand corner of the above map is the first ever Wawa, located in Folsum, PA.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

I want to open this up to the 2 people who read this. Should I hit Wawa Store #1 soon, or should I save it and make it #50 of 50 Wawas in 30 Days?

-Bryan

#8 and #9

Nothing too exciting today. I got #8 and #9 out of the way however. There is also some talk about my visit #4 not counting because I didn't buy anything personally. More on that in another post.

8. Wawa Store #809 - June 15, 2010
2300 Carpenter Road
Wilmington, DE 19810
Items Purchased: 16oz hazelnut coffee

 

A fairly small, townie Wawa. But had the new upgrade with the new coffee. It claims to be Wilmington, DE - however it was even more north of my home so I don't see how it is considered Wilmington. Oh well.

9. Wawa Store #25 - June 15, 2010
2 East Rhoads Avenue
West Chester, PA 19380
Items Purchased: .5 liter Wawa water

 

I apologize for the cell phone picture, but I forgot my camera when I went out. Another small, old-school Wawa - this time in West Chester, PA.

First off, get used to seeing the 16oz hazelnut coffee. I love it. You will see it on multiple receipts throughout this journey.

Secondly, I need to know more about the store numbers. I thought for awhile that they corresponded to when the store opened up. For instance, store #1 in Folsom, PA being the first Wawa ever opened. #25, the one I visited in West Chester today being the 25th Wawa opened.

There are some concerns with my theory on this. One being that there are gaps in the numbers - there is no #2, 3, 4, or 5. #6 is in Media, PA. Now this could be because 2, 3, 4, & 5 were closed down at some point. The biggest concern with my numbered store theory is that while searching for Wawas on http://www.wawa.com/ there are some stores in the 8,000's. From my knowledge of all things Wawa, there are approximately 500-600 stores. This immediately negates my numbered store theory.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

-Bryan

The ones you missed

As I said in my first post, there were 6 Wawa's I had already hit which are being credited to me along this journey. The first 6 along with details of the 7th again. The items may be a bit off, but they're close enough.

1. Wawa Store #854 - June 13, 2010
2621 Philadelphia Pike
Claymont, DE 19703
Items Bought: 16oz hazelnut coffee, 1 chocolate glazed donut, 1 chocolate frosted donut with sprinkles & Sunday Philly Inquirer

2. Wawa Store #170 - June 13, 2010
721 Naamans Creek Road
Chadds Ford, PA 19317
Items Bought: 20oz Lemon-Lime Gatorade, 1 bowl of mixed fruit

3. Wawa Store #226 - June 13, 2010
100 Wallace Street
Downingtown, PA 19335
Items Bought: 1 liter of water, cheesesteak shorti, & a cheddar cheese stuffed pretzel

4. Wawa Store #245 - June 13, 2010
100 Boot Road
Downingtown, PA 19335
Items Bought: None personally. Was with someone who purchased gas.

5. Wawa Store #179 - June 14, 2010
3744 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Items Bought: 16oz hazelnut coffee, 1 banana, 1 peach yogurt

6. Wawa Store #55 - June 14, 2010
3604 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Items Bought: Chicken Caesar Wrap, 1 bowl of mixed melons

7. Wawa Store #816 - June 14, 2010
301 Ridge Road
Claymont, DE 19703
Items Bought: Chicken cheesesteak shorti, Lays potato chips, Italian shorti (not mine)

-Bryan

From the beginning...

Friends give out challenges on a daily basis to each other. "Dude, you would never do that", "I dare you..." and there is usually someone to willingly accept the challenge with an empty promise. This is not one of them. Hopefully.

Yesterday, I went to 4 Wawa's in 1 day. It was just one of those things that naturally happened. I went to Wawa in the morning for coffee, a bagel, and the paper. Later in the day on my way out, I stopped at another Wawa for a snack on my car ride. Then later came dinner at a Wawa in Downingtown, and then stopping for gas after the night was over. 4 Wawa's, 1 Day. Good times.

Then I decided to keep it going. On my way to work, stopped at a Wawa in Philly for breakfast. Then it became a thing. Went to another Philly Wawa for lunch. While talking - to those who will remain nameless for now unless they want some recognition - gave me a challenge. We talked out the challenge and decided on me having to visit 50 Wawa's in 30 days. The reward? A Wawa giftcard of course...

And it was on.

After work a little bit ago, I went to another Wawa by home at Ridge & Naamans Road in Delaware. #7 out of the way. A shorti chicken cheesesteak and chips for me, and an italian shorti for the roommate.

Along the way, receipts and pictures are necessary to complete the challenge and I will post about the adventure along the way.

 

2 days in. 28 days to go.

7 Wawa's down. 43 Wawa's to go.

-Bryan

Next up: The Wawa's hit so far.