Originally Posted by Bah Humbug

WaWa is cute but no, no chance of comparison.

Actually, the closest thing would be a combination of a very nice Love's and the Blandford rest area on the Masspike. Those rest areas defined what a rest area should be for me, and the move from CT to CO introduced me to "rest areas" that are pull-offs to park in (with maybe a vending machine) and the need to leave the highway for gas and restrooms. Down here in the southwest it's at least usually just a quick hop onto the service road, but just for a junky gas station most of the time. Buc'ees is the exemplar of the ideal.

Most of those "right-sized" (I guess) gas stations also don't have enough off-pump parking, so you wind up being a shower tote one way or the other while you go inside. Terrible all around.