Most of my friends from college have all these great stories about how they can just go to the city and maybe hit the bars if they are lucky that night. They tell me how great their town is and how they always find new people they have never met. Their graduating class was full of unfamiliar faces. Sometimes these stories sounded so appealing considering the town I grew up in.
Sports are a lifestyle. You best believe if it was a Friday night we would drop anything we had just to be at the football games supporting our school no matter how bad our team was. We would plan our work schedules around the sporting events going on just to spend more time with friends. Being an athlete in a small area was such a huge thing and we had such an impact on our community around us. Students would get a small taste of fame by being in the local paper making the headlining pages and making their school proud.
Everyone knows everyone. Trust me. You would never be able to get away with doing anything bad because trust me somehow your parents are going to find out. Their are plenty of times kids would go to parties and we would hear about how much trouble they got in with their parents the next school day. I remember when I was in middle school and I went on my first date without my parents' permission. I lied and said it was going to be just a bunch of friends. My dad found out a couple days later that what I said wasn't the case. Instead, I went to a movie and got caught making out with a boy in the back of the theater by one of my dad's friends. Needless to say my ass was grass for lying and going on a date.
Hometown restaurants are the bomb and there is nothing like it. Sure chains like Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse are great, but nothing beats the little places that have been around since our parents have been kids. Restaurants like that are hometown staples and are partly what they are known for! I have no idea what my town would be like without our famous hot dog shops and the best old school drive in diner we have. All the mom and pop stores make small towns feel like home.
The friends at home are the people you've known your whole life. When you come home on college breaks it is a small blessing in disguise. You don't realize how much you've missed all your friends until you see them again. These people know you the best. I mean it took you almost 18+ years to grow these friendships, so it would be hard to forget them all and not miss them.
The big towns and large cities sound fun and all. Sure you get to meet new people all the time and can go into a city easy. But nothing beats that hometown charm. Although I may complain about it sometimes, I would never trade the place I grew up in for the world! Love you, Hanover, PA... Stay golden.
