When I am asked where I am from, my answer almost always begins with 'right outside of Philadelphia,' followed by an extremely detailed description of my actual town and it's name. Lucky for me, many people have often heard of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, as well as the town, Langhorne. However, those from other parts of the country and other regions are not as familiar with the area, and thus do not know those kinds of details. For these people, hearing the name Philadelphia immediately gives them a sense of direction.
Growing up, Philadelphia has been nothing more than a 25-30 minute drive away, and this made it easy for me to feel right at home in the city. I consider myself a true 'Philadelphian' as do my friends, who also live in the suburbs of the city. Not only Philly, but other cities around the country, give people the opportunity to say that they are from these well recognized places, without truly being from the heart of them. This comes with many perks, as well as the ability to know all of the details of the major city as well as the small towns that surround them.
Being from the suburb of a major city has given me the opportunity to experience life in the city without the daily hustle and bustle that comes with living in it. I am a short drive or train ride away, and now that I am able to roam on my own, it makes it very convenient for my friends and I to spend a Friday or Saturday night walking around the streets within the city. We have an enormous amount of pride for Philadelphia and everything that comes with it (especially cheesesteaks, I am an avid supporter of Tony Luke's!) When my friends come to visit from out of town, the first place I bring them to is the steps of the Art Museum, as well as the Rocky Balboa statue. Often times, I will also take them to the Franklin Institute or the Museum of Modern Art. However, these are just a few of the many places that make Philadelphia truly special, and each city across the country has their own special details.
Being from 'right outside of' a major city allows us to experience life outside of the city, which is usually much calmer. When we don't want to head to the bars in Philly, we frequent a local bar nearly within walking distance. We head to community pools, the shopping mall, and restaurants by the dozen, all without having to worry about crowds of people everywhere we go.
Life 'right outside of' a major city offers us the best of both worlds, and while we may not be from the actual city itself, we consider ourselves to be members of it, just like anyone else. We enjoy the time that we have outside of it's hectic streets, but also thrive on the crowd aspect that we experience when we are there. Being from a major city is pretty cool, but being from 'right outside of' a major city is pretty awesome.
