The Last Few Days - From Philly to Hockessin

Over the last few days, I have made great efforts to keep plugging along in hopes of making the last days of the challenge easier on myself. I think I am in pretty good shape right now. It is getting a lot harder to plan out where I am going and which Wawas to hit. I've been fortunate where I've had some time and some options to hit Wawas that I usually wouldn't but have been in and around the area.

The Wawas below are from the last 3 days ranging from Philadelphia, PA to Avondale, PA, to Hockessin, DE - or Hochessin as the receipt says.

#35. Wawa Store #269 - Friday, December 17 - 4:50pm
36 Baltimore Pike
Glen Mills, PA 19342
Item Purchased: Lemon lime gatorade

Wawa Store #269 - Glen Mills, PA

#36. Wawa Store #198 - Friday, December 17 - 5:43pm
970 Baltimore Pike
Glen Mills, PA 19342
Item Purchased: Gas

Wawa Store #198 - Glen Mills, PA

So you'll notice a big time difference in 2 Wawas that are very close to each other. The reason for this is simple. I got distracted. By more Wawa. When going to these Wawas, I missed hitting one of them because I was not in the far right lane and could not get over in time in the heavy traffic to stop in. I had to go past and circle around. This was a blessing in disguise. Much to my surprise I see a Wawa sign on the right. However - there is no convenience store, no parking lot, nothing. The sign reads: Wawa Corporate Offices. I forgot that I was going to be right by their headquarters. So I went up the drive, did a quick tour of the facility also known as Red Roof and then headed on my way. I couldn't get great pictures because it was dark out. I will be revisiting though as there is quite a history behind Wawa. So I kept going after the corporate offices & found the dairy farm nearby as well. Jackpot. I will be revisiting this soon, take pictures in the daylight, and have a quick history on Wawa. For now, here is the Red Roof as a preview:

Wawa Corporate - Red Roof

Onto Saturday. Sarah & I planned to go to the Brandywine River Museum in the late morning, early afternoon and then get some Christmas shopping done afterwards. We were planning on meeting at 11am and by the time I woke up I was planning on hitting 1 or 2 Wawas in the nearby area. She called me and told me she'd be late - lets plan on meeting at noon. Plans adjusted. I did some quick research, got directions, and now planned on hitting 4 Wawas. Instead of what should be about a 20-25 minute ride up to the Museum, it turned into about an hour and 45 minute adventure.

#37. Wawa Store #842 - Saturday, December 18 - 10:56am
Millcreek Shopping Center Rt. 41
605 Yorklyn Road
Hockessin, DE 19707
Item Purchased: 20oz hazelnut coffee
Receipt says Hochessin, DE

Wawa Store #842 - Hockessin, DE

#38. Wawa Store #160 - Saturday, December 18 - 11:17am
761 Gap Newport Pike
Avondale, PA 19311
Item Purchased: Sausage, egg, & cheese shorti

Wawa Store #160 - Avondale, PA

#39. Wawa Store #34 - Saturday, December 18 - 11:32am
Cypress & Washington Streets
505 West Cypress Street
Kennett Square, PA 19343
Item Purchased: 1/2 liter of water

Wawa Store #34 - Kennett Square, PA

#40. Wawa Store #8015 - Saturday, December 18 - 11:44am
901 E. Baltimore Pike
E. Marlborough, PA 19348
Item Purchased: Hazelnut coffee grounds

Wawa Store #8015 - E. Marlborough, PA

Sunday brought about a Wawa near my church in Upper Darby between church & work. Then finishing out the Philadelphia Wawas minus the ones in the Northeast after work.

#41. Wawa Store #11 - Sunday, December 19 - 10:08am
460 S. 69th Street
Upper Darby, PA 19082
Items Purchased: 20oz hazelnut coffee, egg and cheese shorti

Wawa Store #11 - Upper Darby, PA

#42. Wawa Store #247 - Sunday, December 19 - 4:04pm
518-520 South 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Item Purchased: 12oz hot chocolate

Wawa Store #247 - Philadelphia, PA

#43. Wawa Store #103 - Sunday, December 19 - 4:20pm
912-916 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Item Purchased: Cheddar cheese stuffed pretzel

Wawa Store #103 - Philadelphia, PA

There you have it. Receipts will come in a later post. We're coming down to the wire on the challenge and I am gearing up to hit Wawa Store #1 as number 50. Follow through the last week as I hit my last 7 Wawas.

Day: 26
Wawas Hit: 43
Days Left: 4
Wawas Left: 7

-Ford

32 down. 18 to go. 9 days left.

2 more Wawas were hit on Monday. I started the day out by leaving early for work and hitting a Philly Wawa I haven't been to in awhile and then a super-Wawa in Aston, PA on my way home.

I parked in China Town about a block and 1/2 away from the 11th & Arch St. Wawa which is right in the heart of China Town in Philadelphia as well as right by the Reading Terminal Market. I'm sure this Wawa is hit frequently in the AM as the morning rush comes into Philly & the workforce goes out at lunch for a quick Wawa treat. It was fairly big for a city Wawa and I was pretty impressed by it. It had one of the new lottery machines as well which have been in most of the recent Wawas I hit. I will blog about that later.

A unique looking Wawa as most city-dwelling Wawas are.

#31. Wawa Store #171 - Monday, December 13, 2010 - 9:38am

11th & Arch Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

Items Purchased: 20oz hazelnut coffee, 1 banana, low fat peach yogurt

On my way home, I had wanted to hit another Wawa to keep a good pace but forgot to look up which one to go to. I knew there was one in Aston, PA not too far off the beaten path from my way home but wouldn't remember it by heart. So I called the girlfriend, Sarah, to get some quick directions. She gave me the "take the 322 exit and turn right on 452" directions and I was on my way.

I thought these directions simpler than I remember so I was a bit skeptical. Sorry Sarah. But once I made my turn onto 452 I saw this:

A Wawa Truck

The picture does not do it justice (although it did turn out really cool). It was a Wawa truck! Bingo. I was heading in the right direction. So I hit the Aston, PA Wawa (which I had hit on my previous challenge). I got gas - and froze while doing so. It was so cold outside. Oh well. Wawa #32 on the challenge hit.

Aston, PA Wawa - Store #8027

#32. Wawa Store #8027 - Monday, December 13, 2010 - 7:53pm

5008 Pennell Rd.

Aston, PA 19014

Item Purchased: gas

Time to pick up the slack - only 9 days left in the challenge! I need a 2-a-day pace to get it. And remember - Wawa Store #1 will be the final Wawa hit of the 50.

Day: 21

Wawas Hit: 32

Days Left: 9

Wawas Left: 18

-Ford

The Calm Before the Storm

It's been quiet recently on the Wawa front. I've hit other food options. I went grocery shopping and had plenty of food the last couple of days. Birds stopped chirping. There is a lull. A silence.

Which means its time to hit a ton of Wawas today.

Over the latest weekend I had hit 3 Wawas in Philly but that has been the extent of my visits. The details of those visits are below:

#17. Wawa Store #86 - Sunday, December 5 - 10:33am
1707 Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Items Purchased: 20oz hazelnut coffee & a donut

#18. Wawa Store #161 - Sunday, December 5 - 10:43am
2101 Hamilton Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Item Purchased: Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer

#19. Wawa Store #191 - Monday, December 6 - 10:00am
1602-04 South Delaware Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19148
Items Purchased: 20oz hazelnut coffee, low-fat peach yogurt, & a banana

Day: 17
Wawas Hit: 19
Days Left: 13
Wawas Left: 31

-Ford

Wawa Mini-Fails

This challenge would not be a true challenge without a couple of mini-fails along the way. Over the last 2 days (12/1 & 12/2) I attempted to keep pace with my challenge. I would have been in decent shape, but had some setbacks along the way.

So Wednesday, Dec. 1st was a normal day. I left in plenty of time to get to work so that I could forgo I-95 for a little bit and drive up to Linwood, PA to get my breakfast on my way to work. It was pouring & windy out so I got in, got my breakfast sandwich and coffee, and got out. I didn't get to take a picture, so the picture below is from the original challenge.

This is what I wrote about this Wawa in my last blog -

"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."

Picture from the last challenge of Wawa #7 in Linwood, PA

#10. Wawa Store #7 - Wednesday, December 1 - 11:20am

1439 Market Street

Linwood, PA 08360

Items Purchased: Sausage, egg, & cheese on a bagel, and 20oz hazelnut coffee

Onto Thursday, Dec. 2nd and a couple of mini-fails. So I woke up early as I had to be into work for a 10:00am meeting (that is early for me - I work nights and weekends). I was out of my house in plenty of time to go out of my way a little bit to hit the Wawa on Columbus Blvd. in South Philadelphia which I have been to plenty of times over the years. So I go in, get my coffee and head back to my car. I continue on my way to work and about the time I hit the Vine Street Expressway....no receipt. No picture. I have no way of proving to everyone that I hit this Wawa. So in the spirit of the challenge, I cannot count this Wawa and will move on and hit it again at another point to make it count.

During work I hit one of my normal Wawas - the one on 36th & Chestnut Street - as it is the closet one to where I work. I got my dinner and also got it for a co-worker  and went back to work. Nothing special here, it is your typical Wawa.

#11. Wawa Store #55 - Thursday, December 2 - 5:51pm

3604 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19104

Items Purchased: Hot turkey bowl, 32oz lemon lime gatorade (w/ 50 cents off coupon), pretzel M&Ms, & an Italian classic hoagie.

Onto mini-fail #2. I got into my car when leaving work and the gas light popped on. I needed gas before I left to come back to Delaware. I had thought I planned it out that I could get home last night from work without getting gas and would get it this morning on a little morning-adventure for Wawas. Now I need to adjust my morning and try to hit a few for my breakfast.

I am now going to hit those Wawas as I plan to hit 3 Wawas to get 3 different items.

Day: 9 (yesterday)

Wawas Hit: 11

Days Left: 21

Wawas Left: 39

-Ford

You Learn Stuff

After Thanksgiving I had enough turkey, stuffing (2 kinds!), mashed potatoes, & green bean casserole to last for quite awhile. Over the weekend, I had to combat that with some sugar.

On Saturday I met up with the girl (she loves when I refer to her as 'the girl'), AKA Sarah, and we went to Firecreek in Downingtown, PA with my sister and brother-in-law, Kim & Andy. On my way there, I stopped for a quick sugar-fix as I had been sitting around the house watching tv and reading. I got my Mountain Dew & Peanut Butter M&M's at the Wawa on Carpenter Road near me and continued on my way. Looking at the receipt just now, I realized that Delaware has gotten me again.

We all know Delaware as one thing: a tax-free state. Well, they have their 'hidden' costs and they get their money. The ol' bottle deposit charge trick. Pennsylvania residents - you know when you see on the labels of your bottles (beer, soda, etc.) you can return for 5 cents in certain states? Delaware, Maine, Hawaii, etc. Well, everyone who buys one of those bottles pays 5 cents more for that bottle. So if you don't save your bottles and return them - you are essentially paying a tax on those bottles you buy.

I just did a little research (thanks Google) and according to www.bottlebill.org the Delaware bottle deposit law will suspend on December 1, 2010 and refunds will cease on February 1, 2011. I'm kind of torn on that. While I'm glad I won't be spending 5 cents per bottle that I'm too lazy to save and take back, it is a good practice.

#6. Wawa Store #809 - Saturday, November 27th - 4:06pm
2300 Carpenter Road
Wilmington, DE 19810
Items Purchased: 20oz Mountain Dew, Peanut Butter M&Ms

So after making one of my last deposits to the bottle deposit law in Delaware, the four of us hung out at Firecreek for a little while. Sarah & I then went to the new P.J. Whelihans in Downingtown to meet up with her friend Joey and then we went to Victory to meet up with her friend Kelly and a few others. After trucking around and meeting up with everyone she rewarded me with a Wawa stop. And by rewarded me, I mean I paid.

We stopped at one of the Downingtown Wawas and got a gatorade, pretzel m&m, & 2 reese's peanut butter trees. Back in PA, I was forced to pay a little thing called tax. There was also quite the display of Coke & Diet Coke 12-packs. I was tempted to purchase a 12-pack of Diet Coke just to test my Jenga skills.

#7. Wawa Store #245 - Saturday, November 27th - 10:31pm
100 Boot Road
Downingtown, PA 19335
Items Purchased: 20oz Lemon Lime Gatorade, Pretzel M&Ms, 2 Reese's Peanut Butter Trees

Onto this morning. Nothing exciting, just went to one of the Wawas on the University of Pennsylvania's campus on my way into work to grab a coffee & breakfast sandwich. They do have a unique set up for the coffee station though which is unlike other Wawas. Most have their coffee stations as an island and then the coffee pots or whatever the new things are by the counter where all the food is prepared. This Wawa has their coffee station against the window on Spruce Street. I liked it just because it is different.

#8. Wawa Store #179 - Saturday, November 28th - 10:34am
3744 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Items Purchased: 20oz hazelnut coffee & sausage, egg, & cheese on a bagel

Day: 5
Wawas hit: 8
Days left: 25
Wawas left: 42

-Ford

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.

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