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[ColdPizza]

I love this story. It's become a thing here in Buffalo, NY. It's a long read, but I think it's well worth it.

John Pawlowski admits he's a creature of habit.

Once a week Pawlowski drives from his office in the City of Tonawanda to the same sub shop, Tailgate Deli, in the Town of Tonawanda, where he picks up the same order, a ham and turkey sub with Swiss cheese and lettuce.

The 36-year-old Lancaster man then drives around the corner to Zimmerman Boulevard and parks in front of the same house under the same tree to take a break and eat his sub before heading back to his office. The tree offered shade in the summer and, well, it just became part of his routine.

On a Friday earlier this month, as he was parking back at his office, a car occupied by a couple in their mid-60s boxed him in.

”What are you doing in front of that house all that time?" the man asked.

”What house?" Pawlowski replied.

Then it dawned on him.

The husband, who said they'd been watching Pawlowski for a year, was laid back. His wife was fired up.

”We're checking into you," she said. ”We've got the police notified."

On that day, the couple not only had to follow Pawlowski back from his usual sub-eating spot on Zimmerman, he said, but they had to wait and keep tracking him while he stopped to fill up at a gas station on the way.

more: http://buffalonews.com/2017/04/28/weekly-lunch-break-tonawanda-street-draws-neighbors-suspcions/

John Pawlowski, perhaps the Town of Tonawanda's most famous sub eater, got something extra with his usual order Thursday.

Readers of last week's Off Main Street column learned Pawlowski eats the same sandwich, from the same deli, under the same tree on the same side street once a week, because he's a creature of habit and he likes taking a break before heading back to his office in the City of Tonawanda.

We've got an update. At about 1:15 p.m. Thursday, Pawlowski walked into the Tailgate Deli to pick up his usual order and noticed a town police officer eating inside. Pawlowski said he thought that was odd, but he went on with his routine, parking as usual on Zimmerman Boulevard.

He was there about 15 minutes, and had just finished his sandwich, when he said a police car pulled up behind his car. Pawlowski stuck his head out of his window. The cop walked over.

more: http://buffalonews.com/2017/05/05/police-upend-routine-tonawanda-sub-eater/

The Zimmerman Boulevard submarine sandwich standoff could end after this week.

John Pawlowski has eaten his lunch once a week parked in the same spot for the past 18 months, to the growing annoyance of at least one set of neighbors. Now, he is thinking about changing up his routine and may – reluctantly – find a new tree to eat lunch under in the Town of Tonawanda.

”I am torn," Pawlowski said. ”It feels like an admission of guilt."

The Zimmerman house owner, Barbara Tucker, said she doesn't mind his weekly visits. In fact, she didn't even know about them. It was another couple on the street who followed Pawlowski back to his office to ask what he was doing on their street. And another neighbor later called the police on him.

If you think that's odd, well, this is Tonawanda, where a love of subs and participation in neighborhood watch groups are both strong.

”That's life in the Town of Tonawanda," said Leonard Lenihan, whose political career included 20 years representing the town in the County Legislature.

It all started about a year and a half ago, when Pawlowski started ordering a sub once a week at Tailgate Deli on Delaware Road. Pawlowski always orders the same sub – a ham and turkey sub with Swiss cheese and lettuce, no mayo or oil – then heads north on Delaware Road, turns right on Zimmerman and stops after about 50 feet in front of the same house.

The 35-year-old Lancaster resident said he doesn't want to eat his lunch in the sub shop, and he doesn't want to take it back to his office in the City of Tonawanda. He wanted a nice, peaceful spot where he could park in the shade and take a break for 15 or 20 minutes. Once he found one, he returned week after week.

more: http://buffalonews.com/2017/05/16/tonawanda-sub-eater-may-move-new-street/

John Pawlowski won't return to his favorite tree on his favorite Town of Tonawanda street for his weekly lunch break on Thursday – or for probably the next six weeks.

But it's not because suspicious neighbors scared off America's most famous sub eater. (Yes, we're serious, and more later on how the story of the Town of Tonawanda submarine sandwich standoff has gone viral.)

Instead, Pawlowski ruptured the quadriceps tendons in both of his legs while playing floor hockey earlier this week. He went into surgery Wednesday and said he won't be able to bend either leg for about a month and a half.

That means no trips anytime soon to his favorite deli for his regular sub order, and no stopping to eat the meal on Zimmerman Boulevard for the visits that have made him a minor celebrity.

"I'll be back strong," Pawlowski promised one friend on Facebook who asked about his sub-eating routine.

To recap: For the past 18 months or so, once a week, Pawlowski has ordered the same ham, turkey, lettuce and Swiss sub from the Tailgate Deli in Tonawanda. He then takes his sub and drives around the corner to Zimmerman and parks under the same tree to take a lunch break before heading back to his office in the City of Tonawanda.

Everything went fine until about a month ago when a couple followed Pawlowski, 36, back to his office and confronted him about what he was doing on their street. They weren't convinced that he was just eating a sub. One week later, when Pawlowski returned, two town police officers showed up.

The Buffalo News started writing about this, but Barbara Tucker, the owner of the tree, didn't know anything about Pawlowski's lunch breaks or the brouhaha they had caused until a reporter told her.

Stories about Pawlowski have attracted the attention of Buffalo area readers, but the tale of the sub eater really took off after Kate Nocera, the Washington, D.C., bureau chief for BuzzFeed, tweeted a link to it on Sunday and praised it as a classic example of local news.

The tweet from the well-connected Nocera, whose husband is from Lockport, alerted reporters and news organizations in Washington, New York and across the country, who retweeted the story in turn and brought it to tens of thousands of new readers around the U.S.

People who read and shared the story said they were struck by how it captured life in a small town, by Pawlowski's straightforward desire to find a good place to eat a sub, by the confrontation with the first set of neighbors and by the welcoming response from Tucker.

...


He said he was playing floor hockey and was trying to backpedal to keep up with an opponent when he felt a pop in his right leg and then a pop in his left leg. He said he went down in a heap and couldn't get up on his own.

It turns out he has a fully ruptured left quadriceps tendon and a nearly fully ruptured right quad. As Pawlowski prepared for surgery Wednesday, he said his Zimmerman Boulevard lunch spot wasn't his highest priority. But he did say he was avoiding subs at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital to stay "faithful" to Tailgate Deli.

Pawlowski's mother, LuAnn Stevens Londos, thought it was important to let Tucker know that he wouldn't be returning to Zimmerman anytime in the near future. So she drove over to Tucker's house and gave her the news about Pawlowski's injuries.

Tucker got Pawlowski's number and called him to wish him well, a gesture that Pawlowski appreciated. "She seems like the nicest lady," he told The News.

Tucker said she would have worried about Pawlowski, so she was glad to find out what happened.

"When he comes back," Tucker said in an email, "I think there should be a celebration."

more: http://buffalonews.com/2017/05/25/sports-injuries-not-nosy-neighbors-keep-sub-eater-favorite-tree/

tl;dr: So this guy for the past year made it a habit to order the same sub on his lunch break, go around the corner in his car, and park under a tree to eat in peace. Nosy neighbors were suspicious of him so they followed him to his office and confronted him. They've even called the cops on him.

The person who lives in the house where he parks turns out to be the sweetest old lady you'd ever meet, and invites the man to park there as he likes, or even eat on her front porch in a nice chair.

He injures himself playing floor hockey so he won't be getting subs and parking in front of her house, so the guy's mom drives over to notify the sweet old lady and she said that she would have worried about him, and that there should be a celebration when he returns.


Esquire did a Q&A with him: http://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a55211/buffalo-subway-guy-interview/

 

[GhostBed]

How do stories like this even appear online? I would think this wouldn't even appear in the local paper.

On topic: nosy neighbors in small towns are the worst. No such thing as privacy.

 

[Nepenthe]

You'd think if the neighborhood watch were that nosy, they'd have seen with their own eyes that he hadn't tried to do shit in over a year, and maybe- just maybe- he was a dude who'd found a nice lunch spot to relax.

Asses.

 

[ColdPizza]

How do stories like this even appear online? I would think this wouldn't even appear in the local paper.

On topic: nosy neighbors in small towns are the worst. No such thing as privacy.

The sub eater posted his story on FB and his friend who was a journalist decided to run with it, lol

 

[Lord Fagan]

The sub eater posted his story on FB and his friend who was a journalist decided to run with it, lol

That sounds like the Buffalo News, alright.

 

[ColdPizza]

That sounds like the Buffalo News, alright.

Don't get me started on their sports reporters...trash-tier.

 

[Deleted member 20415]

This is great. I love everything about this.

Nosy ass neighbors/people are high on my pet peeve list.

If you want to check the guy out to make sure everything's alright - ok... but don't harass him once you figure out what the deal is.

I hope he makes a recovery soon and can return to his sub-eating ways!

 

[Ottaro]

You'd think if the neighborhood watch were that nosy, they'd have seen with their own eyes that he hadn't tried to do shit in over a year, and maybe- just maybe- he was a dude who'd found a nice lunch spot to relax.

"Day 372. The parked man still has done nothing... but maybe today is the day. And if not today... maybe tomorrow."

 

[John Rabbit]

This story has everything I could want. Assholes getting a comeuppance. Sweet old ladies. Delicious sandwiches. Relaxing on porches.

 

[Aselith]

Fuckin busybodies

 

[balladofwindfishes]

People who read and shared the story said they were struck by how it captured life in a small town

He lives in a suburb in the second largest city in New York State...

How is Buffalo a small town?

 

[old manatee]

I eat places every day and no one celebrates me.

 

[Snkfanatic]

Love the homeowner, saying she thinks they should have a celebration when he returns haha. She sounds awesome.

I couldn't imagine this being your 15 minutes of fame lol, "there is an article about me all over the internet, it's about me eating subs"

I eat places every day and no one celebrates me.

You are still in the observation phase, be careful to check anyone glaring at you, ready to report you to the proper authorities.

 

[Kayhan]

“We’re checking into you,” she said. “We’ve got the police notified.”

Everything wrong.

 

[Christian]

Love the homeowner, saying she thinks they should have a celebration when he returns haha. She sounds awesome.

I couldn't imagine this being your 15 minutes of fame lol, "there is an article about me all over the internet, it's about me eating subs"

"It's about me eating the same sub over and over once a week for the past year and a half."

 

[Alucrid]

that's a lame hoagie to be eating

 

[compo]

Don't get me started on their sports reporters...trash-tier.

It's funny you should mention that. I grew up in the WNY area, and a lot of the jocks from my high school now work as freelance sports writers. I have no idea how they all manage to support themselves like that, but it explains the dumpster fire of sports stories.

This Pawlowski story is nice, though. I'm out of WNY now, so I never heard of this. I have to admit that I laughed a little bit at the picture in the last article. I wasn't expecting to see the dude in a hospital bed.

 

[NeoGold123]

I think the real problem here is these neighbors are obviously in need of quality entertainment. If they've got nothing better to do than stare out the window all day then they're truly dead inside.

 

[ColdPizza]

This sub shop has gotten some good free publicity from this. They should deliver his favorite sub to him in the hospital.

 

[super-famicom]

He lives in a suburb in the second largest city in New York State...

How is Buffalo a small town?

Article says he is in Tonawanda

 

[Stinkles]

My mailman does roughly the same thing every day, but instead of (just) eating lunch he plays with a he man action figure and one of these:

http://www.toysyouhad.com/Rom.htm


Nobody believed me so I filmed him doing it.

He still does it.

 

[CHC]

OK I read the whole story and honestly it's really fucking boring.

 

[daviyoung]

They sure like writing Tonawanda

 

[cjp]

I loved this story. Thanks OP.

My mailman does roughly the same thing every day, but instead of (just) eating lunch he plays with a he man action figure and one of these:

http://www.toysyouhad.com/Rom.htm


Nobody believed me so I filmed him doing it.

He still does it.

And this has just made the thread even better.

 

[John Rabbit]

My mailman does roughly the same thing every day, but instead of (just) eating lunch he plays with a he man action figure and one of these:

http://www.toysyouhad.com/Rom.htm


Nobody believed me so I filmed him doing it.

He still does it.

That's amazing, do you talk to him about it? Sounds like a pretty cool dude.

 

[Akuun]

Those nosy neighbors really had nothing better to do, huh?

 

[SoundLad]

This story has everything I could want. Assholes getting a comeuppance. Sweet old ladies. Delicious sandwiches. Relaxing on porches.

Pretty much this. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside, what an adorable story.

 

[SecretMoblin]

No mayo or tomato or anything on that?

Nope, nothing. I'm a pretty plain fat guy.

lmao

tbh if there was a burly dude in shades parked on my street for a while I'd be weirded out, but if he's just chillin on break eating a sub for a few minutes once a week then I can't imagine what the neighbors think he's up to

 

[GhostBed]

My mailman does roughly the same thing every day, but instead of (just) eating lunch he plays with a he man action figure and one of these:

http://www.toysyouhad.com/Rom.htm


Nobody believed me so I filmed him doing it.

He still does it.

Now that's a story.

 

[Pastry]

My mailman does roughly the same thing every day, but instead of (just) eating lunch he plays with a he man action figure and one of these:

http://www.toysyouhad.com/Rom.htm


Nobody believed me so I filmed him doing it.

He still does it.

So where is the video?

 

[Nepenthe]

My mailman does roughly the same thing every day, but instead of (just) eating lunch he plays with a he man action figure and one of these:

http://www.toysyouhad.com/Rom.htm


Nobody believed me so I filmed him doing it.

He still does it.

That is adorable.

You should buy your own He-Man and play with him.

 

[Fuchsdh]

You'd think if the neighborhood watch were that nosy, they'd have seen with their own eyes that he hadn't tried to do shit in over a year, and maybe- just maybe- he was a dude who'd found a nice lunch spot to relax.

Asses.

Yep. What's the likelihood a guy eating a sandwich in the same spot for a year with nothing else going on is somehow some bad hombre?

Glad there's a happy story at the end.

 

[Korigama]

My mailman does roughly the same thing every day, but instead of (just) eating lunch he plays with a he man action figure and one of these:

http://www.toysyouhad.com/Rom.htm


Nobody believed me so I filmed him doing it.

He still does it.

I've enjoyed both of these stories. Been needing to read about something lighter lately.

 

[Stinkles]

So where is the video?

If anyone knows how to find archived videos on Facebook tell me and I'll see if it has any personally identifiable qualities.

 

[Rest]

So some old people stalked a guy who was minding his own business on a public street, and the police took their side?

 

[Patryn]

While I find it weird to park in front of a random house to eat your lunch, if the person who owns the house doesn't care then whatever.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

If anyone knows how to find archived videos on Facebook tell me and I'll see if it has any personally identifiable qualities.

Go to your profile and click 'videos'. Mine was buried under a 'more' at the top.

If it's a thing you shared to a friend's wall/timeline/feed/whatever-the-fuck-it's-called now you can find it by going to their profile and clicking the '...' on the right and then 'see friendship'.

 

[Sapiens]

I love this guy. How soon before someone mines his social media for Ken Bone type stuff?

 

[Link]

So some old people stalked a guy who was minding his own business on a public street, and the police took their side?

They're just living up to their street name.

 

[commedieu]

Lucky things didn't escalate.

 

[Kickz]

Damn I am this guy, except I park in an outlet mall parking lot for lunch.

Old people really have nothing going on do they..

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

Someone I knew was a witness in a public indecency case— the defense attorney asked them on the stand if there was any chance the accused wasn't masturbating and instead eating a sub.

I'm sure it's common to mistake the two.

 

[youbastards]

On a Friday earlier this month, as he was parking back at his office, a car occupied by a couple in their mid-60s boxed him in.

“What are you doing in front of that house all that time?” the man asked.

“What house?” Pawlowski replied.

Then it dawned on him.

The husband, who said they’d been watching Pawlowski for a year, was laid back. His wife was fired up.

“We’re checking into you,” she said. “We’ve got the police notified.”

 

[Zoe]

If anyone knows how to find archived videos on Facebook tell me and I'll see if it has any personally identifiable qualities.

Go to your profile and click 'videos'. Mine was buried under a 'more' at the top.

If it's a thing you shared to a friend's wall/timeline/feed/whatever-the-fuck-it's-called now you can find it by going to their profile and clicking the '...' on the right and then 'see friendship'.

Also: https://www.facebook.com/help/community/question/?id=10205342021456914

 

[Erheller]

Nosy neighborhoods are the absolute worst. I live in one.

A week ago, I had to do some errands before picking up a friend to see a movie. I finished my errands early, so I had an hour to kill. Instead of going back to my house, I found a tree in cul-de-sac, parked underneath it, and started playing Star Fox 64. There weren't any houses on the side of the street I was on.

45 minutes later, a police officer pulled up in front of me and started questioning me. I specifically asked him if I was doing anything illegal, and he said I wasn't, just that someone had called about a suspicious car.

 

[Poodlestrike]

This feels like a Prairie Home Companion bit to a T. Are we sure that it didn't actually take place in Lake Woebegone?

 

[ReAxion]

those shitty neighbors need to pay a fine

 

[Blargonaut]

Subpar Sublimating Suburbanites Subdue Sub-Subsisting Subject for Subterfuge, Insubstantial Subtext Subsides Substitution

 

[Alexlf]

Subpar Sublimating Suburbanites Subdue Sub-Subsisting Subject for Subterfuge, Insubstantial Subtext Subsides Substitution

Bravo.

 

[Eusis]

You'd think if the neighborhood watch were that nosy, they'd have seen with their own eyes that he hadn't tried to do shit in over a year, and maybe- just maybe- he was a dude who'd found a nice lunch spot to relax.

Asses.

Or knocked and asked him who he was and why he always showed up there. Though I guess they'd fear him being armed or something.

But yeah, just overzealous, probably old grumpy people. Fuck them.