Wawa (Parsippany, NJ)
350 New RoadWelp, my New York adventure was over and it was time to drive home.
I drove to New York by myself and met my co-worker there. She had just returned from another long road trip and wanted an extra day to do some laundry and just relax. She found a late afternoon flight to Newark and opted for that instead of getting in the car with me early in the morning for an 11 drive to NYC.
She was supposed to come home with me but since our trip was cut a couple days short, she opted to stay in New York and fly home later. She had friends and family there and wanted to take advantage of being in the area.
That meant another 11 hour car ride solo. And I was perfectly fine with that. I found a bunch of pro wrestling podcasts with interviews of guys from the Attitude Era and listened to them the whole way home.
The last time I had filled up my tank was in Youngstown, OH on the way to New York. I had a little over 100 miles left in the tank and decided to get out of the city before I stopped.
My plan was to pull off at the first Wawa I saw so I could also grab something tasty for breakfast.
My GPS took me a little different route than when I came in. I ended up on I-95 to I-280 to I-80 instead of taking US-3 to US-46 to I-80.
The first Wawa I came across was just before I-280 got to I-80 in Parsippany, NJ. The gas station was right off the highway at the New Road exit. It was a little confusing to get in to though. Both entrances directly in to the gas station said “Do Not Enter.” I was from the eastbound lane. I went down the road a little bit to an office building to turn around but they had signs directing you through the parking into a back entrance for the Wawa/
Wawa is a pretty famous east coast convenience store chain with headquarters in the Philadelphia area. I had never been to a Wawa until a couple of years ago when I was in Tampa for work. We left our job site pretty late at night and the Wawa was still open. I had stopped for gas and to get a couple of Pepsi’s when I found their food. Since it’s an east coast chain with no locations in Michigan or even near Michigan, I haven’t been back since.
The gas pumps are separated from the building and I’m pretty sure it’s frowned upon to park at a pump and go in….I’ll get to that weirdness in a second…so I parked in front of the store, went inside to grab a couple of drinks and some food before getting the gas I desperately needed.
Wawa looks like any other gas station you’ve ever been in and if you’re familiar with Speedway’s Speedy Cafe’s around here, you’ll recognize the Wawa set up.
There’s a kitchen near the back of the store that’s surrounded by plexiglass walls so you can see in to the kitchen with a couple of gaps for the pick up area.
Ordering is done on a touchscreen kiosk in front of the kitchen. They had breakfast items but I really liked their cheese steak the last time I ordered it. It came up as an option I could select so I ordered myself a cheese steak with jalapenos…at 9 AM.
After ordering, it kicks out a ticket to take to the register. I grabbed my two drinks and a pre-packaged soft pretzel then went to pay. I was going to bring the pretzel home for L because she loves soft pretzels but she ended up going to a sleepover that night. J saw it sitting and there and asked if she could have it. I probably should have bought like five of those things.
Unlike Speedway, you don’t have to get the ticket stamped. Once you’ve paid, the kitchen gets a notification that they can give it to you so you just grab your food and go. The cost for the two pops, the sandwich, and a pretzel was a little under $15.
I went to the car and unwrapped. It’s a pretty simple sandwich. I just got mine with meat, cheese, and jalapenos. The contents of the sandwich are wrapped up in a crispy French roll. There is quite a bit of meat in the sandwich which makes it pretty filling…especially at 9 AM. I should have went with a liquid cheese option..it was a little dry but that was fine. I was eating in the car and it made enough of a mess from the crispy bread. There were a lot of jalapenos on the sandwich which was just fine with me. Nothing mouth scorching but still something to give it some heat.
I ate the first half in my car then drove over to the gas pumps. I was well below a quarter of a tank at this time and had to get gas…but have you ever gotten gas in New Jersey?
You can’t pump your own gas in New Jersey. There are attendants that have to pump it for you.
I remember this as something I knew when I first pulled up but I was confused and anxious about the protocol here. Do I stay in my car? Do I get out and talk to someone? Do I tip? I had no cash on me so I couldn’t tip.
As I was playing through all of these scenarios in my head, an attendant appeared at my window. I handed him my credit card and he asked how much and what grade. I told him to fill it up with regular. He swiped the card, handed it back, filled up the car and left. So, I guess, no tip.
Anyway, it was a weird experience and if I could have made it to Pennsylvania before I needed gas, I probably would have…but I couldn’t.
Oh yeah, I finished the second half of my sandwich while someone else was pumping my gas.
I really like Wawa’s sandwiches. When I was in Tampa, I think I stopped there like three times because it was quick, cheap, and delicious. That’s still the case. I didn’t want to stop somewhere for breakfast because I had a really long drive home. I had to stop for gas anyway…and a Pepsi…so killing four birds (also had to pee) with one store is the best way to do things.
SW Michigan Dining 