The Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA

In 2001, I made my first journey to the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza for a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey game. The Arena has since become one of my favorite places to be, whether it's for hockey or for a summer concert. So if you want to make the journey for an event in Wilkes-Barre, check out what Wachovia Arena has to offer.

The Arena holds a little over 8,000 people for hockey and arena football (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers) and almost 10,000 for concerts. It also hosts trade shows, a job fair, college fairs, home shows, and area graduations. Event tickets can be purchased at the arena box office and you are able to put them on hold and pick them up at the Will Call office the day of an event. Ticket prices vary by event; so call the box office or check Ticketmaster for more information.

For those looking to host a group or upgrade for their night out, the Wachovia Arena offers premium seating options such as luxury suites and club seating. Luxury suites can be rented for corporate groups or parties. When you purchase one, you receive 12 tickets to all Penguins home games and the privilege to purchase additional standing room tickets; as well as tickets to other events. Your event is catered by ARAMARK, the arena's food and beverage provider. If you only buy a suite for one game, you still receive 12 tickets, but food and beverages are not provided.

Club seating is available in the lower level; in designated sections 116-118. Club seats are in high demand and can be purchased for a one, three, or five year contract. When you purchase them, you have seats for all home hockey games and the option to purchase your same seat for other events. Club seat holders also have access to a special lounge in the arena. Although the seats are more comfortable and have closer access to regular concessions, the problem with them is that not all of the holders show up for all 40 Penguins home games. This leads to complaints from Penguins fans who want tickets to high demand games but can't get them partly because corporations buy seats that usually just go empty.

As for the rest of the public, I don't believe there is a bad seat in the arena. Even if you are unhappy with your seats, there are almost always empty ones in choice locations at sporting events. Therefore, you are usually able to move if you desire. There are ushers assigned to every section that are friendly and helpful if you cannot find your seat. They are not usually known to be strict unless Penguins fans are trying to access the scratched players in their luxury box. Otherwise, I have visited friends sitting in other sections of the arena without being questioned by the usher about my ticket.

The parking lot is an issue that many patrons want to see corrected. A paving project has begun, but for some reason, the other half is still gravel. Also, the parking attendants sometimes park you so far away that it's more worth it to park in the neighboring Wyoming Valley Mall. Nothing is worse than being parked by Pole X and facing a long, long walk to the arena. The walk usually isn't too bad but if it's cold, snowing, or raining, then you have grumpy sports fans and concert goers on your hands.

There are several food stands offering snacks such as personal pizzas, chicken tenders, hot dogs, and popcorn. There are also souvenir areas for event memorabilia. Unfortunately, the food is always expensive ($4.00 for a souvenir soda, $6.00 for chicken tenders, and $3.25 for a cup of ice cream, just to name a few) and rarely of good quality. I found the popcorn to be salty and the pizza to be not that warm and just generally of poorly cooked quality. I do recommend the chicken fingers, though, even for their high price. The tenders are well cooked and a nice size, even though you only get three of them.

The souvenir stands are always well stocked, but again, high prices can deter some. For example, hooded sweatshirts can cost upwards of $40.00 and t-shirts may be in the range of $15-20. I once purchased a stuffed Tux penguin (Tux is the Penguins mascot) and it cost $20. While there is no shortage of people in line to buy the souvenirs, maybe lowering the prices would bring more people. However, the service and quality of product beats the high prices. One time, I wanted a shirt but the stand I went to was out of my size. The woman at the counter talked to someone at another stand through a walkie talkie and within minutes, I was on my way to the second stand and able to purchase my shirt.

The arena has plenty of restrooms available, but the one with the most stalls and lowest wait time can be found outside section 210. That restroom seems to be a well kept secret because every time I have used it, there has barely been a line. If you go to a restroom outside another section, you can be prepared for a long line that warns of creeping outside and into the already crowded concourse. No matter where you relieve yourself though, the restrooms are kept very clean.

The biggest problem I have found is the arena's concourse. With a full crowd at a hockey game or concert, it's hard to be able to walk if you leave your seat at an intermission. The madness leads to jammed up aisles, making it extremely hard to move anywhere. It is too bad that nothing is being done to make it a little wider. I have seen other arenas that seat more than our own and I have no difficulty walking in those aisles.

The sound system needs an upgrade as well. During events, the public address announcer is near impossible to hear. Furthermore, if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, the music is downright deafening. We are not that old of a building and I don't see why better speakers or microphones can't be installed. It would be nice to actually hear a starting line up or a penalty call instead of asking ten people around you if they heard what the announcer said.

Although I will never give up going to Penguins games or arena concerts, there needs to be some changes made to the building. I don't believe I am asking too much of the arena authority, but sometimes, the issues make the arena going experience an unpleasant one. We voice our complaints, but we feel like the people who can make changes just don't listen. In the meantime, we can wish but we will still pour our money into a not so old building that has a lot of revenue going for it.

Overall grade: B-