Boldly Go Solo

Raise your hand if you're a fan of "The Office." The American version. The one about the Dunder Mifflin company, whose Scranton, Pennsylvania, office is led  by the sublime dunderhead, Michael Scott, played by actor Steve Carell.

If you're a big fan, you can now take a peek around the gritty Scranton sights seen in various episodes.

I admit, this is a stretch as a concept. But it's also funny and the day itself could be a hoot. The four-hour tours, running on the next two Saturday afternoons in August, and the second Saturday of each month starting in September, begin at the Mall at Steamtown and end at Poor Richards Pub.

Are these familiar to you? Would you like to visit them? (I admit, I'm only an occasional watcher.) It's the kind of thing that would seem to be easy to do alone.

You join a tour and have a guide and companions. And you have something in common to talk about with your tour mates – your love of the show. "Hey, remember that time Steve Carell embarrassed the employees?" Oh wait. That's every show.

You'll visit locales that served as inspiration for the paper company and the watering holes in the program, including Farley's, The Bog and Paper Magic.

Okay, maybe the tours won't attract the numbers of, say, the Lord of the Rings ones in New Zealand. Which I think brought in hundreds, maybe thousands of people from around the world. But, those were based on a total of three feature-length films shown worldwide.

Fans of The Office are no less worthy of a location tour of their television show. And might enjoy seeing the familiar spots for real, and learning new trivia about the nut-case atmosphere that reigns.

You can buy tickets for $35, (or for $25 if you're under 21 and not drinking.) Some of the show's stars have showed up for the Saturday tours (they've been running since July), including Melora Hardin (Jan) and Ray Shafer (Bob Vance).

So check to see if a star is scheduled to join when you go.

Photos: Tom Bonomo, Times Shamrock.

1. A tour group. 2. Cooper's.