In every college Facebook group to orientation ice breakers, an extremely general and annoying term has been sweeping the nation: "I'm from right outside of Philly". It seems as though everyone you meet is from "outside of Philly", but somehow they're not from any town you've ever heard of. So, here I bestow upon you people who have either heard the phrase, or even worse, said it, a list of thoughts everyone has towards anyone that claims to be from "right outside of Philly".
1. If you live more than 25 minutes outside of Center City Philadelphia, you are NOT from "right outside of Philly".
Yeah, I know you want to sound cool/normal on your newly admitted students Facebook page by saying you're from a well-known, trendy, major city. However, you're not, and you're a dirty, dirty liar. Yes, it can be helpful to give Philadelphia as a reference point for where you live, but if you're from Downingtown or Newtown Square and try to tell people you live IN Philly, I and everyone else from right outside of Philly will call you out. Stop lying to yourselves and others. That's no way to make friends. Honestly, guys, the whole tri-state area cannot be from "right outside of Philly"
2. Not Everyone that's actually "from right outside of Philly" is from the Main Line
If I have to explain this to one more person I'm going to lose my mind. After explaining to people where I am from (right outside of Philly, of course), they always assume I'm from the Main Line. Well, newsflash people I'm not, and the same goes for a lot of other people.
There are SO many suburban neighborhoods outside of the city. The Main Line, contrary to popular belief, does not account for all of them. Other neighborhoods include Cheltenham/Abington, Chestnut Hill, even Blue Bell (a little far, but I'll give ya "outside of Philly" because I have friends here). So congrats to all you Main Line betches for being from one of the few areas outside of Philly people from other states sometimes even recognize.
3. Some people from Philly have accents, but a lot don't.
Not everyone pronounces water as wuder, the Eagles as iggles, or you guys as youse. But, hey, some do. Don't try to tell me that I have a Philly accent. I know that I do not. I wouldn't care if I did, but let me introduce you to some people that really have one and that'll teach youse something. Either way, stop getting really close to my face trying to listen for it. That's weird.
4. I don't want to talk to people not from Philly/"right outside of Philly".
I probably won't understand you, and if I do, I will think the way you speak is stupid, because it is. Hoagies are hoagies. I don't know what a sub is, and a sandwich is made with two square pieces of bread, not a roll. I don't know what Sheetz is, but I'll drive you to Wawa to get hoagies. I'm not even going to start the discussion on "Jawn". You either get it or you don't.
5. Being from outside of Philly is better than being from outside of any other city ever because I said so
and so do a lot of other people, too. Living in the suburbs and being a quick train ride from famous and trendy restaurants, the best shopping, tons of concert venues, and of course, the amazing city sights offers the best of both worlds. Living "right outside of Philly" growing up offers kids a way to grow up in a neighborhood where they can make friends with the neighbors, run around and ride their bikes in the streets, and have a small-town feel. But when you're looking for some fun and extra excitement you have the greatest city ever practically in your backyard. When you live in close proximity to Philadelphia, your Philly pride is as strong as anyone's living in the city. There's tons of amazing schools in and around Philadelphia, too. U Penn, Drexel, Temple, Nova, SJU, the list goes on. S/o to all the Inter Ac schools outside of Philly too. Except GA, not you. On another note, you get to experience tons of diversity in people, food, languages, and music. You're exposed to a lot, and hopefully you take advantage of the access to different cultures to grow as a person. All these different people unite under the idea of our trademark brotherly love, and love for Philly... (and our losing sports teams). This is a very, very, very condensced paragraph on just a few reasons why I'm so glad I can honestly say that "I'm from right outside of Philly".
