/ / /

The Office Gives Scranton Something to Live For

June 26, 2007 at 4:21 PM | by | Comments (2)

Creators of the American version of The Office admit they selected Scranton, Pa. as its locale because they wanted a city that exemplified bland, non-descript Middle America. On the show, the city hosts a regional office of fake paper supply company Dunder Mifflin. In real life, Scranton embraces its depiction as Anywhere, USA.

Mayor Chris Doherty flies the company banner outside City Hall, and you just know Scranton officials are not-so-secretly thinking "cottage tourism industry" with this one.

The show's creators enjoy inserting real Scranton references into dialogue and on the set. There's even a blog dedicated to tracking these occurrences and a fan convention coming up in October. Here are a few places to put on your visit list, all of which have made cameos on the show.

The Office Pilgrimage Guide

Where to Eat:

Farley's Restaurant
The restaurant has a picture on its website of when Rainn Wilson, a.k.a. The Office's creepy brown-noser "Dwight," stopped by (we're not exactly sure why, since the show is filmed in Los Angeles). "I want to be to 'The Office' what Monk's Restaurant was to 'Seinfeld,' " said Bill Young, owner of Farley's, in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article. He plans to add a Michael Scott burger to the menu in the fall.

Where to Drink (coffee):

Outrageous
The lone few hipsters who got lost taking an ironic trip to the Poconos and wandered into Scranton can hang out at The Coffee House at Outrageous, a mural-covered café on Center Street that sells both jewelry and coffee. The owners love the show, although Michael wouldn't be caught dead at such an artsy fartsy place. He prefers accosting waitresses at Hooters and Chili's, or dining on authentic Italian at Sbarro's.

Where to Hang Out:

Steamtown Mall
If you're 14, we hear from our blogger source that this is the place to be. Jitterz, on the second floor of the mall, is particularly cool with the pubescent set, and landed a specific shout-out on the show. Behind the mall is the Steamtown National Historic Site, which offers train rides (to nowhere) and a demonstration of the inner workings of a steam locomotive.

The Office Travel Info:
·Hotels in Scranton [HotelChatter]
·Scranton Insider [lifeintheoffice]
·The Office Convention [theofficeconvention]

Comments (2)

Post a Comment

Beach games?

what beach can we walk across hot coals on? does scranton even have a beach?

The Secret

I just read the guy responsible for "the secret" is from the University of Scranton. A) They have a University there? Who knew. B) Office script writers are you listening. This is a perfect show plot for 2008, isn't it?

Join the conversation!

Not a member? .