Unless you come from a handful of communities across the Northeast, chances are you have yet to discover the glory of Wegmans.
The grocery store, which has a location in Johnson City (yes, there is a bus to it), is a cross between Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s. Wegmans — or Weggies, as you might like to call it — has almost every food imaginable. It boasts a huge candy selection, a variety of prepared foods (including sushi), a coffee bar, fresh bagels, a veritable organic and natural foods section and a great kosher and international section. But how does one begin to navigate such a vast cornucopia of groceries? Don’t worry, Pipe Dream has you covered.
When you enter the Johnson City Wegmans you’ll find yourself first among the fruits and vegetables. Look for things the dining halls don’t have in particular. You’ll find almost every type of mushroom you can imagine, but honestly, unless you love vegetables, you’re better off turning to the right when you enter and exploring the prepared foods section. The hot food bar and sushi selection make Wegmans one of the best places to find a cheap dinner out, but few students dare to order the subs. Wegmans has a super tasty chicken finger sub — it’s just chicken fingers on a sub with honey mustard and iceberg lettuce — but it is embarrassingly good.
After the prepared foods, head toward the registers, but turn right when you get to them. This is the store bakery. The trick here is to go early and go often. Don’t buy huge amounts of the funky sugar cookies or doughy bagels, because they’ll get stale quickly. Instead, buy a couple at a time, scarf them down, and pine away for them until your next trip. Also if anyone asks you what kind of cake you want for your birthday — get one from here. They aren’t that much more expensive than other local grocery stores’ cakes, but they are way better.
Once you have passed through carb heaven, you’ll be by the deli and the butcher. Both are good, but nothing special. If you have a knack or interest in flower arranging, turn around toward the floral area, as they have all sorts of flowers to mix and match. Beyond the meat and flowers, on your left is the organic section. At the back of this section is a hidden wall of bulk natural foods. “Natural foods,” according to Wegmans planners, also includes tea and if you are a tea drinker, there is a giant variety to choose from.
If you keep going along the path we are keeping you on, you’ll eventually see the snack aisles, international sections and various others to your left. Suddenly — in the distance you’ll see a rainbow. Don’t fight the pull toward the light — you have found the candy section. Wegmans features a wide selection of candies as well as large bulk bins of your favorites. Of particular note is the selection of Jelly Belly jelly beans which allows you to select only the flavors you want — no more unwanted popcorn flavors in your bag.
Exiting the candy section will take you by the frozen offerings. Wegmans makes excellent frozen appetizers, so if you are hosting friends to watch a game or having a fancy party, these are a must. Beyond that, Wegmans frozen fruits are also a good bet, featuring many hard-to-find frozen fruits, including mangoes, which are perfect for smoothies.
Once you leave the frozen section, you’ll see the familiar cash registers. You have completed your journey, young Bearcat. You have trekked into the unknown world of one of the most amazing establishments in the Greater Binghamton area. If you lost your way this time, do not worry. This will be the first of many, many trips during your four years here.