It’s New, It’s Huge and It’s Extraordinary

Our stomachs were rumbling and when we opened the refrigerator door all we found was a bottle of ketchup and a can of tuna fish. We were desperate and knew that the time had come; we had to make a trip to the grocery store. Our mailbox had been filling with coupons and store specials from some new comer to the area and we decided oh what the heck lets check them out.

So off we went for what we thought would be a simple run to the grocery store. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot I was ready to run the other way. But I was outvoted and in we went. It was HUGE. I'm talking MEGA. And it was crowded. I can't remember the last time I saw that many people at the grocery store at one time. Especially on at noon in the middle of the week. Don't these folks have jobs somewhere?

Could I find goat cheese? Yes about 10 varieties. Could I find seafood? Absolutely and some of it was not anything I had ever seen in this part of the world before. Vegetables including the "dreaded" tomatoes, with "it's okay to eat these signs", were front and center. The list of what you could find or not because the store is so big is incredible.

Despite my protests we managed to spent time checking out what we might want to eat should we want to get a bit more exotic than our easy and light summer cooking. The thought did cross our minds to pull up a chair at the seafood bar and have some oysters but we grew up with the mindset that you don't eat oysters in a month without an "r" in it so we passed. Plenty of other folks were filling up the chairs both at the seafood bar and at the outside patio with prepared sandwiches.

So what is this new and extraordinary addition to Prince William County? It is Wegmans. Part of the new and upscale stores planned for the Shops at Stonewall situated between Route 1 and I-95 off of Nebesco Road. If the crowds at Wegmans are any indication of how long the residents of Prince William County have waited for the store to open, then the county planners have made the right decision.

It might take me a little while to get up the courage to fight the crowds again. In the meantime we have enough food to keep us happy for awhile.