The city of Scranton attracts tourists from all over the world. went on a tour of the city of Ilta-Sanomat, which became known as the site of the cult series.
Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States
Greenland, Polynesian Islands, Brazil, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, India, Russia and Australia.
Among all these places, fans of the TV series The Office (NBC, 2005–2013) travel to Scranton, a small American city in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Kelly (Mindy Kaling, left), Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim (John Krasinski) front row in The Office series The Office. Michael Boss (Steve Carell) is working as usual. Photo: NBC
A world map studded with pins on the wall of Cooper’s Seafood House restaurant shows where tourists have traveled to Scranton. Most buttonholes are located in various parts of the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Finland got its first pin when IS Tv-lehti went to experience the authentic atmosphere of Scranton on a rainy Sunday.
Pins mark places visitors have visited. Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
Finland has also now got its own button pin. Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
is an American sitcom series based on the British series The Office Contour.
The series aptly describes daily open office life in the declining paper business industry using situational comedy. Scranton, a small town in America’s Rust Belt, is a good location for the event.
Cooper’s Seafood House is the complex’s number one attraction for fans of The Office. Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
The office routine is filled with unsettling moments as its boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell) tries to be his employees’ employer, best friend and entertainer all at the same time, but only succeeds in making everyone uncomfortable .
Although the colorful characters in the comedy are exaggerated, they are also very recognizable. The series quickly gained a cult reputation.
The last episode of The Office was shown in the United States in 2013, but the series was still the most-streamed series in the country in 2020. The Office also gained new popularity in Finland during the pandemic and attracted younger viewers as well.
The Pen Paper Tower building is the first image that appears in the opening credits of the series. It was filmed by John Krasinski, who plays Jim Halpert, on his first visit to Scranton. Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
The event comedy series’ placement in a small town of about 76,000 residents is winning the lottery for Scranton, which is located a few hours’ drive from New York. Thanks to this, tourists from all over the world come here to see and experience a range of events.
The series directors made sure that the local atmosphere of Scranton was conveyed. The filming of the series used a lot of authentic menus from local restaurants, bottled water from a local company, and a local radio channel playing in the background.
The fictional Dunder Mifflin is based on a real Scranton Paper Company. Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
In Scranton, you can take a self-guided tour of The Office. Most of the sights are within walking distance of each other in the charming and small historic center area.
Fans of the show can dine on pizza at Alfredo’s Pizzeria, seafood at Cooper’s Seafood House, and enjoy the local pub scene at Poor Richard’s Pub as Jim, Pam and other favorite characters from the show .
At the same time, tourists use hotel services and fans buy merchandise.
Jim and Pam often wonder how the office is doing. Photo: HBO Max
There is surprisingly little in the way of goods, given that Americans generally know how to produce anything.
The main place for shopping is the Coopers Seafood House restaurant shop, dedicated to products from The Office. There you can buy T-shirts, key chains and figurines of Dundee, which are distributed annually in series at the Dundee Gala, conceived by Michael Scott.
Fan accessories available. Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
You can take with you the wisdom of Dwight Schrute’s character about the challenges of working life. Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
Caitlin, a 25-year-old fan shopper, arrived in Scranton on a three-day vacation from Cleveland, Ohio. Caitlin has watched the series in its entirety twice, but she often returns to her favorite episodes. His favorite character is branch boss Michael Scott.
– All the characters are wonderful, and the reason why I watch the series again and again is because of how well the actors play together, says Caitlin.
The interior of the restaurant also features The Office decoration. Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
The pirate-themed Cooper’s Seafood House complex is a former train station. The tracks are now overgrown with tall grass, the station is no longer there, and the Cooper family maintains the popular culture-filled Rook restaurant complex.
Here, Michael Scott and his crush, Holly, the new Dunder Mifflin HR person, have their first lunch to discuss an ethics seminar that got out of hand. Michael Scott describes this place as business-romantic.
Like most of the series, interior scenes at Cooper’s Seafood were filmed in Los Angeles. That’s why palm trees are sometimes visible in the car driving scenes, which are not in Scranton.
Michael, the boss, does his best to make sure the employees get refreshments too. Photo: HBO Max
However, the stars and production of The Office have visited Scranton for outdoor filming.
Maryann Cooper, behind the counter at Fannypuod, praises the entire production and the people there, calling it wonderful.
– They were always very friendly.
The reporter took a selfie in front of the mural. Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
A Dwight Schrute painting adorns the wall of the antique store.
Rainn Wilson, an Amish beet farmer whose biggest dream is to one day become the manager of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, has become a favorite character of many fans.
Colleen, who works at the store, says fans now make pilgrimages to the store because of the mural.
Colleen herself is a fan of the series.
– I love it! It’s funny that it’s set here. It’s good to watch a series when you see familiar places. Many locals find it odd that Scranton is now known around the world.
Colleen, who works in an antique shop, is a fan of the series. Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
The production of The Office has been important to the city in many ways. The stars of the series, among other things, also participated in charity events of the local hospital.
A giant Dundee statue, donated to the city of Scranton in 2020 by NBC Universal, the series’ producers, peeks into City Hall’s air closet. The city received a Dundee Award as “Best Home City of The Office”.
The award was received by the city’s mayor, who said the statue was surprisingly large. A local radio host quickly caught on to Michael Scott’s standard joke:
– that’s what she said! (The woman said the same.)
The city of Scranton got its own Dundee statue. Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
Some of the tourist attractions in The Office are pretty bland, which certainly suits the atmosphere of the series.
Kelly Kapoor’s favorite shopping center, the very simple Steamhouse Mall is almost empty on a rainy Sunday.
Between the gym and gaming machines is the Welcome to Scranton sign seen in the opening credits. It was moved here from the side of the road, as too many tourists stopped to take pictures of the sign and were causing a danger to traffic.
The Welcome to Scranton sign is located at the mall today. Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
Kelly’s favorite The Steamhouse Mall. Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
Alfredo Pizza, a pizzeria located in Perusostar, has Dr. Phil on the TV around the corner. The lodge tables have plastic flower arrangements, which are a bit sloppy.
Alfredo’s advertises itself as “that good pizza, as they say in The Office”.
Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and Michael (Steve Carell). Kuva: HBO Max
The pizzeria became famous for the scene where Michael Scott takes a young pizza driver hostage so he can teach the guy some good business manners. Alfredo’s pizza has a thin crusty base, and it’s pretty decent. However, it’s not so special that you would travel all the way from Finland to chase it down.
As I recover from downtown Scranton, I catch a glimpse of the Electric City mural. Michael’s rap starts playing in my head: Scranton! What! Electric City!
The mural is reminiscent of Michael’s rap. Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
Not all local people have been attracted by the office. My Uber driver says he tried to watch the series but couldn’t get into it.
– Its humor was very dry.
Overall, Scranton is a very typical American small town. So it is fitting for the setting of The Office.
As Pam says in her final line in the final episode of the series: “There is so much beauty in simple things. Is this not the case?”
Photo: Kirsi Jaaskelenen
The Office, shown on the following streaming services: Netflix, Alyssa Wihde Viaplay, HBO Max and Skyshowtime
