It’s impossible not to talk about the Super Bowl if you are in Philly this weekend.
“Go Eagles” signs hang in the windows of South Philly row homes. The night sky glows bright green from Boathouse Row to Center City all the way to Camden. People, decked out in Eagles gear, offer “Go Birds” as a greeting on the streets.
The truth is that about a year ago, I started to think about leaving Philly. I grew up about 45 minutes outside of the city, and I had spent the last 3 years living in South Philly. There were so many other places around the world and in the United States that I wanted to explore.
But then something completely unexpected happened. The Phillies made it to the 2022 World Series.
People weren’t sure if the Phillies were even going to make it into the playoffs, and then they had a Cinderella story run all the way to the World Series. The potential for another championship victory gave this city new life, and most importantly, reminded me what makes Philly so special. Red October 2022 was one of my favorite months living in this city.
Philadelphians have a lot of pride for their city. I get it, we’re not the only ones like this. If you ask any New Yorker where they’re from, they’ll be sure to let you know. But more recently, I’ve been seeing people on TikTok talk about Philly in a way that is almost poetic, highlighting the better aspects of the city. Here are two examples: @court.money and @em.stephens.
Philly has its problems. It’s dirty. Gun violence is rampant. The opioid epidemic has hit certain neighborhoods particularly hard, exacerbating homelessness in the city. Those things cannot be overlooked, and it’s a bit jarring to see people on TikTok romanticizing certain elements of Philly when there are so many existing issues. But at the very least, those short little TikTok videos give me hope to know that people really do love this city.
The Greeks have four words for love:
That last one—Philia—is the ethos of the city. The name is a combination of two Greek words: “Philia” (love) and “Adelphos” (brother), literally translating to Brotherly Love. And there’s no better reminder of this than when our teams are competing for a Super Bowl championship. For one day, the city is unified.
As much as I have grown to love this city, there’s a good chance that I won’t live in Philly forever. I’m reading The Lord of the Rings right now, and even Bilbo and Frodo had to leave the Shire. The call to adventure will come eventually.
But regardless of what happens today, win or lose, I love this city and I love this team. And most importantly, I’m happy that I will always have Philly to call home.
Go birds 🦅
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It’s impossible not to talk about the Super Bowl if you are in Philly this weekend.
“Go Eagles” signs hang in the windows of South Philly row homes. The night sky glows bright green from Boathouse Row to Center City all the way to Camden. People, decked out in Eagles gear, offer “Go Birds” as a greeting on the streets.
The truth is that about a year ago, I started to think about leaving Philly. I grew up about 45 minutes outside of the city, and I had spent the last 3 years living in South Philly. There were so many other places around the world and in the United States that I wanted to explore.
But then something completely unexpected happened. The Phillies made it to the 2022 World Series.
People weren’t sure if the Phillies were even going to make it into the playoffs, and then they had a Cinderella story run all the way to the World Series. The potential for another championship victory gave this city new life, and most importantly, reminded me what makes Philly so special. Red October 2022 was one of my favorite months living in this city.
Philadelphians have a lot of pride for their city. I get it, we’re not the only ones like this. If you ask any New Yorker where they’re from, they’ll be sure to let you know. But more recently, I’ve been seeing people on TikTok talk about Philly in a way that is almost poetic, highlighting the better aspects of the city. Here are two examples: @court.money and @em.stephens.
Philly has its problems. It’s dirty. Gun violence is rampant. The opioid epidemic has hit certain neighborhoods particularly hard, exacerbating homelessness in the city. Those things cannot be overlooked, and it’s a bit jarring to see people on TikTok romanticizing certain elements of Philly when there are so many existing issues. But at the very least, those short little TikTok videos give me hope to know that people really do love this city.
The Greeks have four words for love:
That last one—Philia—is the ethos of the city. The name is a combination of two Greek words: “Philia” (love) and “Adelphos” (brother), literally translating to Brotherly Love. And there’s no better reminder of this than when our teams are competing for a Super Bowl championship. For one day, the city is unified.
As much as I have grown to love this city, there’s a good chance that I won’t live in Philly forever. I’m reading The Lord of the Rings right now, and even Bilbo and Frodo had to leave the Shire. The call to adventure will come eventually.
But regardless of what happens today, win or lose, I love this city and I love this team. And most importantly, I’m happy that I will always have Philly to call home.
Go birds 🦅
