Hi there, Wawa:

So listen. Last week, I was at the corner of 20th and Chestnut and there was a Wawa there. Today, I was at the corner of 20th and Chestnut and there was an Old Nelson there.

Now don't get me wrong. I love me some Old Nelson sandwiches. In fact, I'd venture to say that, as a rule, their sandwiches are better than yours. But, like your advertisements say, sometimes you've Gotta Hava Wawa. Especially when you're broke.

I shouldn't be surprised by this. Johnny Goodtimes reported on it last month. But I was really, really hoping that all those Wawa folks who told JGT they didn't know what he was talking about were telling the truth. That Wawa was alive and well and serving the hungry and broke of Philadelphia. In a word, I was in complete denial.

And so I feel completely betrayed by the sudden rebranding of the space at 20th and Chestnut. It's not even my neighborhood. But it is a neighborhood I'm in frequently. It's a neighborhood near two theatres (The Adrienne and the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival) that make up four of the city's busiest stages. I can't tell you how many times I've thanked God for the Wawa's proximity to these locations, whether I needed a quick bite before a show or a caffeine kick during intermission. It's also, as one astute JGT commenter noted, near to at least two schools (Freire and another one on about 23rd and Chestnut whose name escapes me) whose students use Wawa as a low-price cafeteria. Is it nutritious? Probably not. But it's cheap, and when you're in an urban high school, that's what matters most.

There is much speculation as to why you're closing up shop, but the general consensus is that you need to stop doing it. And that doing it makes you assholes. Sure, less than a tenth of the city's population lives in Center City, but a much greater proportion than that works here. And they're the ones packing the Wawa at 17th and Arch (allegedly scheduled to close later this month) every day at lunch. It just doesn't make sense to us that you'd close the doors of your successful, probably exceedingly money-making locations near Philly's busiest commercial district.

So what we want to know, Wawa, is why. Why are you forsaking us? Will you ever return? I go out of my way to buy your milk (I think it tastes better than the milk in the convenience store downstairs). I've survived many a nasty cold with thanks to your Italian wedding soup. I have a sentimental attachment to your meatball hoagies and your milkshakes. Hell, I've even written you an epic poem. And this is the thanks that I, and other Center City denizens, get?

Screw you too, Wawa. If you pack up and leave, don't expect me to follow.

Unless it's free milkshake day. In that case, you might find me heading out to the suburbs. (But I'll take your free stuff and not give you a cent.)

Image Credit: Flickr user mstorz