Pocono Talk

Well,  since I last posted the Sonic on 611 is up and running!  The shopping center (strip mall) next to it opened up over the summer as well.  It has a Verizon Wireless Kiosk Store, a puppy store, Moe’s Mexican Grill, Dunkin Donuts, Hair cutting place, and a Hibachi place.  Personally my 2 experiences with Sonic have not been that great, I’ve been told its what you order but for 2 adult meals and a kids meal that came to $35 I’d rather go to Olive Garden and do their $7 soup/salad lunch.

Across from Lowes is the newest construction going up on 611 – the much needed Giant – the produce in this area is HORRIBLE.  Here is to hoping that their fruits and vegetables have an edge on the competition, and honestly it wouldn’t take that much.  We personally will take the time to drive up or down(Carbondale or Easton) to Wegmans for their fresh produce.  I’d kill to get one in the area!  The majority of fruits/vegetables I get from local supermakets goes bad literally within a day or two of getting it.  Wegmans produce…lasts literally 10 times longer.  Even their bagged potatoes/apples are so far superior.  What is “odd” is some of the products are even made by the same manufacturers.

Anyway, so yes, a Giant Supermarket is going in on 611 where the truck stop (Crossroads) use to be.  Also going in is a Red Lobster(not a seafood fan so I’m not too pumped), and what appears to be a variety of additional stores.  I’ll keep you updated.

I know I know, if you like Olive Garden you’re darn excited, if you don’t then you’re probably thinking “seriously, another eatery?”.  It opens this Monday, March 23rd at 4pm in Stroudsburg in the Best Buy/Old Navy/Panera Bread shopping center.  For the first week it will only be open for dinner starting at 4pm, the following week they should be open for their regular lunch/dinner schedule.

Just a few years ago the strip of 611 from the Crossroads to Main Street Stroudsburg was a lot quieter.  Crossroads (not to be confused with the crossings) use to be a highly trafficked area for truckers as an active truckstop/rest area.  Over the past few years the area across from the main truck stop has become a retail center that contains a Lowes, Kohls, Chilis, Red Robin and Longhorn Steakhouse. In process where the truckstop there is a Red Lobster, AT&T and Giant supermarket going in.

Heading towards Stroudsburg there’s a strip mall going in on the left that so far just contains a Dunkin Donuts(imo you can’t go wrong with a few more DD’s).  If you keep going you’ll see that where there use to be trees(if you haven’t visited in awhile you’d probably be shocked) there’s clearing after clearing making way for who only knows…When you get almost into town that’s where the Olive Garden is going – it’s a relatively new shopping center with an Old Navy, Borders(I think), Best Buy, Five Guys Burgers, Panera Bread and Five Below.  Due to the economy both the Starbucks and Linens and things are already gone.  Sidenote – KB toys and Waldenbooks in the Stroud mall have also fallen to the times.

Personally, I like having the options and would love to see an Outback Steakhouse go in as well(I know with Longhorn and Texas Roadhouse opening not too long ago it’s not that needed but I still love me some Outback).

The way I see it is the Poconos are changing – they had their shining moment years ago of resorts and celebrities and over the years that has greatly faded.  It feels like the area is getting overcrowded at times, which honestly I think it is, but if it’s going to build up I’d rather see some larger companies coming in then just strip malls of lousy stores.  Extra people means extra traffic, extra crime(the shootings lately are getting more absurd/frequent), and less trees…but in the economic downfall we’re going through should anyone really complain that there’s more jobs being created and more tourists coming which in the end means more money all the way around.

Panera Bread
Today we had lunch catered from Panera Bread in Stroudsburg which is part of the new set of stores located on Route 611.  If you haven’t driven by recently the new shopping center consists of Panera Bread, Best Buy, Borders, Old Navy, Petsmart and…I forget the other one :\

Anyway, lunch was terrific – it was a meal for 5 but could easily feed 10 people – their sandwiches are huge and made with fresh bread, the salad was extremely fresh, the unsweetened ice tea was a great drink choice(I know personally I’m trying to shy away from soda), and they provided all cups, plates, utensils, etc.  I have had their bagels before(which were great) and didn’t know about all of the other food options they had so I was happy to have a new local place with healthy and fresh food.  They also have a wide variety of other food options including soups, cookies, frozen coffee drinks & smoothies, pizza and more.  If you’re looking for a new place to try I definitely give Panera Bread a thumbs up.  You can visit their website at http://www.panerabread.com or just http://www.panera.com for locations, menus, information on catering and more.

Another Shopping Center to mention
If you haven’t been down 611 in a long time you might be shocked to see that the truck stop(crossroads) is gone and across the street a new shopping center with a Lowes, Kohls(I think), Red Robin, Longhorn Steakhouse and Chilis has gone in.  I can’t find anything to confim this so don’t quote me on it…but a little birdie tells me that an Olive Garden and Red Lobster will be going in soon down the road soon enough as well.

Personally if I could pick and choose what goes in I’d love to see a Wegmans, an Outback Steakhouse, a Papa Johns and an Olive Garden…but that’s just wishful thinking   We do already have plenty of eateries in the area and you can reach any of those by either heading up to Scranton or down to Allentown/Easton.  With the way things are getting built up now adays I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few or all of them pop up soon enough.

 One last place to mention…a Texas Roadhouse went in by the Stroud Mall not to long ago – so there’s something else to check out!