SCRANTON, Pa. — President Joe Biden made another stop in his old neighborhood on Wednesday morning before leaving the area.
Zummo's Cafe along Marion Street in Scranton is typically busy in the morning, but on this morning, it was a crowd the staff could have never imagined.
"So, I was here, we were all working, and we noticed some guys walk in and order some food. Then, someone approached me and asked if the president could come in for a cup of coffee, and I said, 'He absolutely can!'" said Lindsay Joyce, the café's general manager.
About 20 minutes later, President Biden, his staff, and photographers from media outlets around the country stopped at the cafe just down the street from where Biden attended grade school.
The president introduced himself to customers, telling one, "I'm Joe Biden. I went to St. Paul's," referring to the church and school he attended as a boy.
"We're all very shocked, very excited. It was very sudden. I'm kind of glad it happened that way; we didn't get as nervous," Joyce said.
After a coffee and a sandwich, the president and his motorcade were on the road again, this time to the Scranton Veterans Memorial Park outside Scranton High School. There, he joined Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti to honor his uncle, a Scranton native killed in World War II.
"I wanted to see where my uncle, Ambrose J. Finnegan, was memorialized. It's a World War II memorial built for those who lost their lives in World War II, and when D-Day occurred the next day on Monday, all four of my mother's brothers volunteered to join the military. Three of them made it; one of them couldn't go. Ambrose Finnegan, we called him Uncle Bosey; he was shot down. He was Army Air Corps," said Pres. Biden before departing on Air Force One.
The president's travel put all other city traffic in the area at a standstill.
"The policeman said, 'You can't go that way.' I said, 'Can I go the other way?' He said, 'No, you have to stay right here and park.' That's why we're here," said Lou Pilch.
Lou and Jean Pilch made the best of the delay in their day, taking in a sight not everyone gets to see.
"Leader of the free world right here," Jean said. "The scrappy guy from Scranton, and we're always proud of him."
Air Force One landed at the airport on Tuesday afternoon before Biden made his way to the Scranton Cultural Center.
The president made a campaign speech about his plan to reform the country's tax code.
Biden also visited his childhood home on North Washington Avenue and stopped by Carpenters Union 445 on Pear Street for another event before retiring to the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel in Scranton.
For the next leg of his trip through the Keystone State, the president will meet with steelworkers in Pittsburgh before speaking at the United Steelworkers headquarters.