I love my school and living in West Chester, but I sometimes miss my hometown of Harrisburg, PA. Here are a few things you’ll know to be true if you’re from the area of the state capitol.
You are 100% Team Sheetz
What’s a Wawa anyway? Sheetz is a way of life in Harrisburg and nothing compares to it. You swear by the snack wraps and mac and cheese bites and a night with your friends isn’t complete without a Sheetz run.
You’ve never been to the Chipotle on 22 without seeing someone you know
Actually, make that anywhere in that shopping plaza. You usually sit in your car for a minute before going in and pray for no awkward high school acquaintance encounters, but they're inevitable.
You go to Ted’s, Arooga’s, and the Paxtang Grille on their respective wing nights
Single wings for less than a dollar can’t be beat! Although you’re sure to see half your high school at any given wing night, you still go for the cheap food and good times with friends.
You say “The Slaps”
I took this piece of Harrisburg lingo to school with me and got stares every time I said it. This saying is used in regards to food, meaning that it's good, for example “Those mac and cheese bites slapped” or “Some wings from Ted’s would slap right now”. I have no idea where this originated, I just say it.
Football season is the best time of the year
Central PA’s high school football talent is amazing, with most teams making it well into the playoffs every year. Every Friday night from the late August to sometimes mid December for the teams that make it to states (Go McDevitt!) is spent at a football game and the rival high school games were some of the best days of the year.
Your mom probably sent you Middleswarth chips at school
Nothing like walking into the grocery store and seeing the big display of Middleswarth chips. This valued snack is only available in certain areas of PA (not including West Chester) so a care package from home while you're in a Middleswarth-less area isn’t complete without a big orange bag of these babies.
You love 3B’s Ice Cream
Again, you’re going to see your entire high school here. But, 3B’s has some of the best ice cream in 717 and there’s no better way to end a summer night than with a huge cone from 3B’s.
You hate Hershey Park
I always tell my friends from school I live right near Hershey and their faces light up as they ask “Do you go to Hershey Park a lot?!” I can’t say no fast enough. Sure, this place was fun as a kid, but growing up most of us ended up working there and realized how touristy, crowded, and overrated it is. You honestly couldn’t pay us Harrisburg kids to go there.
You know what “I Am Harrisburg” means
If I have to explain this, you’re not a 717 native. And don’t lie, you’ve bumped to this song on a car ride or two.
You've tried to line up the Snapchat Geotag of the Capitol Building up with the real place when you go into the city
I threaten to leave my friends downtown for this one.
You took your high school prom pictures at either The Capitol Building, Italian Lake, or Founders Hall in Hershey
This is probably the only time you’re happy to see your whole high school at the same place. These are three of some of the prettiest places in Harrisburg, so what better place to meet with all your friends dressed to the nines to take pictures?
There are at least five kids from your high school are trying to make it big as a rapper
If I had a dollar for every Soundcloud link on my Twitter newsfeed with the tweet “Check out my bro…doing big things out here” I could probably come out of college debt free.
At any given time on your newsfeed, someone has “717” in their Twitter or Instagram handle
This number is super popular in the Twittersphere, being the area code of the Burg!
When I was in high school, I couldn’t wait to get out of Harrisburg. Now that I’m out, I have to say I miss the 717 and all the things that make it home. Harrisburg, and all the things that make it what it is, will always be home to me!
