March 1st marks the first year Blogiversary of “Globetrotting Grandpa.” To celebrate this milestone, I am rerunning some of the most popular posts of the last year based on your likes, comments, and views. I hope you enjoy them. GG.
One of the most iconic American television shows of the 2000s was “The Office.” The office was a workplace comedy based on the British hit comedy of the same name. The comedy revolved around the fictional paper company Dunder-Mifflin which was headquartered in New York City but had a branch office in Scranton, Pennslyvania.
Throughout its nine seasons, the show made reference to several local businesses and locations within the city. Those of us who were superfans of the show remember hearing about all these places and on a trip out to visit a friend near Allentown PA, I decided to make the trip to Scranton and check the city out. Here are several of the locations that were mentioned on the show.
One of the disappointing things I learned was that while they did make mention of Scranton landmarks, most of the exterior shots weren’t actually shot here but in a mock-up location in LA. So many of the sites appear much different than they did on the show.
This is the Pennsylvania Paper Company which served as the basis for Dunder-Mifflin. This building appears in the first shot of the opening credits.
This is the same sign used in the opening credits. If you visit Scranton today, you may be disappointed to know they are now using a different welcome sign today. This sign has been relegated to the Steamtown Mall where it is available for photo-ops.
In one episode Dwight and Michael do a rap about Scranton. They mentioned that Scranton is known as the “Electric City.” Scranton acquired that name by being the first city to have an electric trolley back in 1886.
Scranton is proud of its moniker.
One of the favorite after-hours hangouts for the Dunder Mifflin crew. The real Poor Richard’s Pub is at the Southside Bowling Alley and looks nothing like its television counterpart.
While filming in Scranton, “The Office” cast did hang out here and even filmed a sequence here, but it never was aired. The scenes from “Poor Richards” in the show were filmed in LA
The Producers gave Poor Richards a “Dundie” for being such good hosts.
The gang mentioned getting Pizza at “Alfredo’s” several times on the show.
Michael Scott took Holly on a date here to Cooper’s Seafood. I didn’t get to eat here, but it looks like a fun place. I definitely hope to try it on a return trip.
Coopers is known for its eclectic interior design.
References to the mall abound in “The Office.” Michael took all the female employees here for a girl’s day out. They spent a lot of time at the food court. Although the mall does have a food court. It becomes very apparent that the sequence was shot a location in LA, as the mall interior is very different.
The mall had a running “Office” theme although much of it in just a couple of unused store spaces.
The mall has suffered the same fate as many malls throughout the US. While some businesses operate there, the mall is mostly empty.
If you are a fan of the show and you happen to be in eastern Pennsylvania, Scranton is worth a visit. While sometimes the show and some of the locations didn’t match up with the real Scranton, overall much of the city enjoyed their time in the spotlight. And Dunder Mifflin is a survivor company. Despite all the hardships, mergers and near-bankruptcies, the office lived on and so does Scranton.
