10 Things Only People From Philadelphia Understand

1. It’s Not Bad Sportsmanship, It’s Called Passion

If you ask any Philly athlete they’ll tell you that there’s no other city that compares when it comes to fan loyalty. But if you ask the national media, they’ll tell you about how rough fans are because we boo our own players and yes, Santa Claus got snowballs thrown at him during an Eagles game. Let’s set the record straight. Philadelphians live and breathe for their teams and show up and shell out our hard-earned money year after year to cheer for our teams, win or lose. If they put their heart into every game we’re fans forever, no matter who they go on to play for (We love you, Dawkins!) If not, don’t let the door hit you on the way out (This means you, Werth!) We don’t always expect our teams to win, we just expect players to give us what we give them.

2. Everything We’ve Learned In Life We Learned From Rocky

If you think it’s silly to take life advice from Rocky perhaps you need a history lesson because it’s a proven fact that Rocky IV single-handedly ended the Cold War. Rocky is more than a boxer from Philly. He’s the ultimate underdog. And when you grow up with Rocky as part of your culture, you can’t help but learn a few things along the way. Rocky taught us to fight for what we want and believe in ourselves when no one else will. Rocky taught us there’s nothing more important in life than love, loyalty, and perseverance. But most of all, Rocky taught us that life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes you won’t win and eventually you’ll get hit hard. But “it ain’t about how hard you get hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.” And that’s the Philly way.

3. Cheesesteaks Aren’t Actually That Big Of A Deal

Anywhere you go in this country, if you say you’re from Philly the automatic response is “Cheesesteaks!” Then you hear about how they had a steak from Pat’s or Geno’s 10 years ago on their way to Manhattan. They get it. Philly is known for cheesesteaks. And everyone likes a good cheesesteak and everyone knows the best place to get one (it’s not Pat’s or Geno’s.) But the jury's still out on why they get such a massive amount of attention. Hoagies, pork and roast beef sandwiches, Philly soft pretzels, Tasty Kakes, Philadelphia Cream Cheese… all just as good as any cheesesteak out there, if not better. Where’s all that love? Don’t even get me started on that Geico Cheesesteak Shuffle song.

4. This Reaction Is Automatic When...

…You overhear someone from South Jersey say they’re from Philly. …You hear someone order provolone on their cheesesteak. …Your friend asks you to pick them up from the airport as a “quick favor.” …A friend asks you to help them move in South Philly. …Delaware drivers. Sigh. …Your roommate eats the last of your Herr’s chips. …Wait, Ryan Howard gets paid how much? …Hurricane Schwartz predicts a warm winter and we get record snowfall. …Wait, Hurricane Schwartz gets paid how much? …Your mom still thinks she’s funny when she tells you that your punishment is “moving in with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air.”

5. Waking Up With Preston & Steve Is A Part Of Your Routine

Rush hour commutes in Philly can be enough to send a nun over the edge of the Ben Franklin Bridge. Talk radio provides a bit of relief, and Preston & Steve are the most popular morning crew in the city. Preston and Steve date back to the days of the now-defunct WDRE (gone but never forgotten) and have carried over from Y100 to their home on WMMR. Their show was named “The Best Morning Show” by Philadelphia Style magazine and “Personality/Show Of The Year” in the rock category by Radio & Records magazine. The popular duo and crew are known for crazy publicity events throughout Philly, like dumping 10,000 marbles down the art museum steps to commemorate the Phillies’ 10,000th franchise loss. Love 'em or hate 'em, it wouldn’t be a morning in Philly without a Wawa coffee and Preston & Steve.

6. Forget Apps, There’s A Wawa For That...

In Philly, Wawa is the fix for everything. Need some coffee? Go to Wawa. Want to grab a quick lunch? Get a Wawa hoagie. Forgot to pick up milk at Acme? Wawa. Wawa's more than a convenience store in Philly. It’s part of the culture and a downright necessity. For a lot of people a day doesn’t pass where a Wawa stop isn’t made—maybe even two or three. It’s got everything they want, the coffee is the best in the area (don’t even try to argue, Dunkin’ Donuts), and the food is delicious. Where would Philly be without you, Wawa?

7. ...And A Roger Wilco For Sundays

It’s Sunday, late afternoon. The Eagles game is on. You’ve got a house full of guests decked out in green. Suddenly, you realize that, horror: You’re out of beer. If you’re in Philly, your only option is a trip over the bridge to Roger Wilco’s in Jersey. Pennsylvania has some of the craziest liquor laws in the country. There’s no such thing as buying alcohol in a supermarket. You can only buy beer from a designated beer distributor, and if you also want a bottle of wine you have to go to a liquor store. Most of those stores are closed on Sundays. That’s why people in Philly often make the much dreaded trip to New Jersey to megastores like Roger Wilco that specifically cater to Philly folk looking to stock up on Yuengling and whatever else will satisfy their alcoholic needs.

8. No One Should Have To Pay To See Great Art

Philadelphia is easily one of the artsiest cities in the country and so much is completely free. From statues and sculptures to murals and free days at the art museum, there’s no shortage of art and culture in the city. Along with over 3,600 murals beautifying Philly, The Smithsonian has more than 700 public artworks and dozens of sculptures are scattered around the Philadelphia Art Museum. Speaking of the art museum, every first Sunday is Pay-What-You-Wish-Day for admittance. When Philly is your landscape every day it’s easy to take these things for granted. Until you travel to another city and realize just how exceptional we are when it comes to the arts.

9. Wooder Ice Is A Philly Anomaly

“Yo, d’youse guys ea’jyet? We’re goin’ for some wooder ice,” in Philly translates to “Did you guys eat yet? We’re going to get some Italian ice,” to the rest of the country. Everything you’ve heard about the Philly accent is true. And we famously refer to our Italian ice as “water ice,” which when spoken in Philly comes out “wooder ice.” Why we call it water ice is kind of a mystery, but mostly everyone agrees the water ice in Philly is different from everywhere else. Places as far as Texas market their Italian ice as “real Philadelphia Water Ice.” That doesn’t mean everyone knows what water ice is. Usually if you leave the Philadelphia area and ask for a “wooder ice,” you’re going to get more weird looks than if you order a “hoagie.”

10. Don’t Bother To Thank Us For Getting The Ball Rolling, America

The America you know really happened in Philly. The Constitution and Declaration of Independence were signed right here. Betsy Ross pieced together the American flag in her Philly home, and Benjamin Franklin’s legacy is around every cobblestoned corner. Despite that, the city is consistently underrated, undervalued and unappreciated and the bad headlines are all that ever get noticed. But that's okay. People from Philly take the good with the bad. Everyone else can say what they want because it doesn’t change the fact that Philly isn't going anywhere. They might be the underdogs, but they’re a force to be reckoned with. They learned it from Rocky. And they also have high hopes that someday the rest of the country will realize what they already know. That one they learned from you, Harry. Feature Image Source: Philadelphia Phillies Facebook