Philadelphia: The City of Brotherly Love and the fifth largest city in the United States.
Philadelphians have funny accents, love going down the shore, eating cheesesteaks from Dalessandro's and giant slices of pizza from Lorenzo and Sons. We also enjoy taking a bike ride along Kelly Drive and going to the sports games no matter how much we stink. Our "cuz" is not always our cousin, but our acquaintances and if you do not know how to parallel park, we can show you how. Besides these reasons, there are many others on why we rock.
1. The Best Food
We are the home of the famous Philadelphia Cheesesteak, soft pretzels and TastyKake. What more could you want? These are the best three food groups and there are so many different places around the city that have their own unique recipes.
2. Pop-up Parks
Who doesn't love laying in a hammock with a live band and LED lights hung above them? Harbor Park is located on Spruce Street at Penn's Landing, and has been a huge hit the last couple of summers. The Huffington Post named Harbor Park "one of the best urban beaches in the world" in 2015. If you love drinks, food, games and want to see a giant beach chair, I suggest taking a trip here.
3. The Beach is an Hour Away
Have a day off from work or simply just bored? Well, if you live in Philadelphia you can just hop in your car and drive an hour to the Jersey Shore. Atlantic City is home of some of the largest casinos in the world and is great place to spend all your money! If you cannot wait until summer to take a trip, you can take a dip in the ocean in January during Polar Bear Plunge.
4. The Roots are from Philadelphia
You know that awesome band that plays for Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show? Yeah, they are from Philadelphia. If you are like me and watch his late night show almost every night, then you are familiar with the humor the band brings to the show. In 1987, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and "Questlove" Thompson formed the American hip/hop, soul band in our very own Philadelphia. Our beloved city is the home of many great artists, composers, musicians and actors.
5. Best Sports Fans
We know our sports are not the best teams right now, but we will support them until the day we die. If you ever meet a Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, 76ers fan, I recommend keeping your mouth shut because we will kick your ass! And one more thing, you will never beat our 2008 World Series Phillies Parade.
6. Jay-Z's Made in America Festival.
Made in America is a music festival held in Philadelphia that has several stages that continuously host live music from a wide range of genres including hip hop, rock, pop, R&B, and EDM. Jay-Z is the founding father and held the first festival in 2012. The festival is two days long and takes place in the late months of summer. So, if you want to be a part of one of the largest, most sold out music festivals, come to Philadelphia.
7. We Have A LOT of Historical Landmarks.
We are the home of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, which is cracked and also spelled wrong. The Declaration of Independence was signed here and The Constitution was adopted here too. And how can we forget, we are the hometown of Ben Franklin. If you ever visit Philadelphia, just know that you will be assisted by horse carriages and tour guides dressed as Betsy Ross and Revolutionary War Veterans.
8. "Yo, Adrian!"
Yes, we are the home of the famous Rocky movie, the Rocky Statue and the home of the Art Museum that Sylvester Stallone ran up while "Gonna Fly Up" by Bill Conti, is inspiringly blasting. Just remember that if Rocky can do it, so can you!
9. There is Art, Everywhere!
Besides all of the art festivals held around the city, there is art every direction you look. In the subway stations, on the sidewalks, on buildings, on bridges- literally, everywhere. But the thing is, us Philadelphians do not get mad at these "vandalisms" but embrace them. We are lucky to be the home of many talented artists.
10. We Have The Best Fireworks.
Who doesn't love Fireworks? During concerts, games, New Year's Eve, and the 4th of July, Penn's Landing hosts the best Fireworks show. All of Philadelphia's sky is lit up in beautiful, vivid colors that leave you speechless. There is nothing like driving downtown during a fireworks and everyone stops, gets out of their cars, and sits on their hoods.
These are just to name only a few reasons why Philadelphia is the best city, but to find out more, you just have to visit but beware, because I promise that you are not going to want to leave.
