An open letter to Western New York dweller John Krasinski

Dear Mr. Krasinksi,

We get it.

You’re on your national tour looking for a place to film your highly anticipated “A Quiet Place” sequel. You’ll stop in Buffalo for about a week, shake a few restaurant owners' hands, kiss a couple babies on the forehead and be on your way, never to be seen again.

But there’s one problem: I want to see you again. Every day. 

And so does the rest of Western New York.

Nothing would be cooler than having a childhood hero hanging out in the 716 for a few months. The last star to grace the 716 was that guy from “One Tree Hill,” and honestly, anybody with three first names pales in comparison to you.

I know my taste in television was beyond my years in the fifth grade, as I was the only kid in my class who had any idea what “The Office” was. I’d walk into ELA class with my screen-printed Jim Halpert shirt and hair gel that I only applied to the hair above my ears. I was 12 years old but looked like a fictional paper salesman. It was every parent’s dream.

And now you can make this dream come true and exploit this wonderful area along with its somewhat creepy atmosphere to make millions of dollars for your next horror film.

Please choose us here in WNY as your first audience for “A Quiet Place 2.” 

I’ve only been a part of this community for two years, but the people I’ve met here have turned into some of my best friends. And the places here might just fit your mold for a perfect movie location. In fact, I can already think of the perfect location to film “A Quiet Place 2:” UB’s 200 acres of unused land east of the Millersport Highway.

It’s cold, murky, smells like nature and it’s a solid place to jog.

There’s not much going on there and it needs a little love after the demolition of its beloved ropes course that sat there for decades until recently.

You, Mr. Krasinski, can be the next ropes course. 

And think about it: this is Erie County and you’re trying to make a horror film. What’s more eerie than Erie? 

You’ve only been here for a few days (and probably left at this point), but you left such a huge impact during your time here.

To show you how much you mean to WNY, I recently reached out to the owner of Akron’s Candy Apple Cafe where you visited last week. And she loved you.

Cheryl Johannes was sitting in her shop when you, the king of office pranks and telling people to be quiet, walked right in.

She referred to your visit as “AMAZING” and said that her Facebook post about you received over 100,000 views and is “absolutely” helping business. 

 “And the owner’s niece, who I spoke with on Facebook, mentioned that Krasinski’s scout was hoping to use the location for a scene in his film.”

When I asked Johannes about your filming location decision, she told me (probably with tears in her eyes) “I absolutely hope they choose Akron.” 

This is your impact, Mr. Krasinski. The people want you here. 

And unlike LeBron, I hope you come back to Akron (the New York one) to stay this time.

Brenton Blanchet is the managing editor and can be reached at Brenton.Blanchet@ubspectrum.com and on Twitter @BrentonBlanchet. 

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