Philadelphia Culture

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you had one of those crop-duster airplanes, and filled it with rust remover, and flew over Philadelphia and sprayed it, I’m fairly certain the entire city would just disappear.

I'm always saying this.

Because it’s not a plastic city filled with fake people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go Lancers! Now that’s a true Philadelphian right there - dear old Central High for the win.

TYVM.

- 243

I see you!

-247

[Anonymous]

This used to be the classic example of Philly sports fans

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Eagles_Santa_Claus_incident

but I'm partial to

https://gothamist.com/news/phillies-fan-allegedly-...himself-to-vomit-on-young-girl

[Anonymous]

There are signs at intersections that say “wait for green.” Like the stop light isn’t enough to tell you that??

[Anonymous]

It's an interesting city. We lived there briefly and my grandfather grew up in Philadelphia so we had cousins there as well, although everyone seems to have moved away by this point.

My observation of Philadelphia is that it's a city time passed. It hit its prime circa 1900, remained one of the great American cities into the 1950s, and ever since then it's faded into a rather overlooked, often forgotten city in a quiet part of the country (despite the location on the Bos-Was corridor), living primarily off past glories. As a consequence, it's fairly static and filled with the old social-cultural dynamics of the past. It seemed like everyone we met in our time in Philadelphia was from Philadelphia or the surrounding region, and already had entrenched social networks of family and friends and very few outsiders. And there are rigid social barriers between the different subcultural groups. The WASPS of Chestnut Hill and the Mainline live a world unto themselves, the South Philadelphia Italians also live a world unto themselves. There's a big working class Irish heritage presence as well. Even the "newcomers" seem to join the city's scene by repeating the same dynamics. The Vietnamese in South Philadelphia, the Russians and Latinos in the far Northeast. A lot of working class pride that was ridiculous at times but there's also tremendous cultural resources and quiet and aloof gentry pride too. Philadelphia is *old* in ways you don't even see in New York, which is nearly as old.

Center City is delightful and there are great neighborhoods with stunning architecture. My grandfather grew up in one of the big stone houses on the border between Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill and we used to cycle around Chestnut Hill, Mount Airy and Germantown, marveling at the great architecture, and as a child I remember visiting cousins who had restored a house in Society Hill, another fabulous area. There's also enormous stretches of deprived neighborhood too, including some sad once lovely neighborhoods with big old houses going to ruin.

All in all, it's a great city to live in, but it's also hard for someone from the outside to move in and find friends.

[Anonymous]

I've been to Philly a few times (couple of days each time) and I like the down-to-earth feel and mentality of the people. Some the neighborhoods with row houses are lovely.

[Anonymous]

https://youtu.be/qaKZi6p6sxg

[Anonymous]

They call Philly a "city of neighborhoods" and it is very true. A lot of local pride in the little part of the city you are from. Catholics will say they are from St. Whatever parish before anything else, even if that church closed decades ago. However this also makes it harder for outsiders to break in. I hated it as a single guy out of college for this reason and quickly moved down here.

I always love hearing Sun-dee, Mon-dee, Toos-dee and hoawww-gees. Look up Tina Feys SNL bits for the best Philly accent.

[Anonymous]

The poster who said "don't call it Philly" is clueless. All the locals call it Philly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Learn about jawn.

Not OP, but I just learned something!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m from north Wilmington and my parents grew up in blue collar Philly neighborhoods (they always called it Philly, not sure why that is a no-no).
As noted above, wooder=water and quooder=quarter. There is also a weird long “o” in home or throne (or just the word Oh) - not sure how to type it, but it’s like “heooome”. We drop words. For instance, “I’m done my soup” is perfectly acceptable, whereas uptight DMV types insist on extra words I.e. “I’m done with my soup.” All of my relatives are far more direct than people typically are in the DMV. I get told a lot that I am “very genuine” - by which I suspect people here mean rude or blunt.

Tastykakes are the best! Wawa is the best!

both of which are readily available elsewhere.

Yeah, but there's a difference. It's like the people who work the counters at Wawa in the DC area take three times as long to do something as people at a Wawa counter in PA/NJ take, and are probably a different ethnicity, too. It's just not the same experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's an interesting city. We lived there briefly and my grandfather grew up in Philadelphia so we had cousins there as well, although everyone seems to have moved away by this point.

My observation of Philadelphia is that it's a city time passed. It hit its prime circa 1900, remained one of the great American cities into the 1950s, and ever since then it's faded into a rather overlooked, often forgotten city in a quiet part of the country (despite the location on the Bos-Was corridor), living primarily off past glories. As a consequence, it's fairly static and filled with the old social-cultural dynamics of the past. It seemed like everyone we met in our time in Philadelphia was from Philadelphia or the surrounding region, and already had entrenched social networks of family and friends and very few outsiders. And there are rigid social barriers between the different subcultural groups. The WASPS of Chestnut Hill and the Mainline live a world unto themselves, the South Philadelphia Italians also live a world unto themselves. There's a big working class Irish heritage presence as well. Even the "newcomers" seem to join the city's scene by repeating the same dynamics. The Vietnamese in South Philadelphia, the Russians and Latinos in the far Northeast. A lot of working class pride that was ridiculous at times but there's also tremendous cultural resources and quiet and aloof gentry pride too. Philadelphia is *old* in ways you don't even see in New York, which is nearly as old.

Center City is delightful and there are great neighborhoods with stunning architecture. My grandfather grew up in one of the big stone houses on the border between Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill and we used to cycle around Chestnut Hill, Mount Airy and Germantown, marveling at the great architecture, and as a child I remember visiting cousins who had restored a house in Society Hill, another fabulous area. There's also enormous stretches of deprived neighborhood too, including some sad once lovely neighborhoods with big old houses going to ruin.

All in all, it's a great city to live in, but it's also hard for someone from the outside to move in and find friends.

My family has deep roots in Philadelphia - more than 150 years since arrival from Ireland and England - and I spent a lot of time there and OCNJ. I absolutely love Philly for everything that Washington is not - it's working class vibe, the old buildings, the food, Fairmount Park. I would even move there. It's a place I would choose to live rather than have to love b/c my job is there. I still have two cousins and an uncle there - Center City, Ambler and Lansdale. Sadly, all else have died or moved away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it very hard to tell of people are mad at each other or just having a friendly conversation. Philly people pride themselves on being blunt but to me it often sounds like someone is just being super nasty and rude.

This strange Philadelphian way of communication is extra stressful if you are communicating via zoom bc it’s like “what is happening…are they mad at me? Did I insult them somehow?” While the philly person is happy, unperturbed on the inside thinking like “yeah I’m keepin it real up in this jawn, should I wear my eagles jersey to get my hoagie at the fancy Wawa or will that jinx the game this Sunday?”

I can tell you that not every Philly person talks like this, for example I grew up in Chestnut Hill and we could speak properly thank you very much! We all aren't Rocky.

I don't think OP is dealing with people from your circle of Philly (although "Don't call it Philly" person, here's more evidence that everyone calls it Philly)

[Anonymous]

The other side of Philly:

https://www.assemblyball.org/about-us

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m from north Wilmington and my parents grew up in blue collar Philly neighborhoods (they always called it Philly, not sure why that is a no-no).
As noted above, wooder=water and quooder=quarter. There is also a weird long “o” in home or throne (or just the word Oh) - not sure how to type it, but it’s like “heooome”. We drop words. For instance, “I’m done my soup” is perfectly acceptable, whereas uptight DMV types insist on extra words I.e. “I’m done with my soup.” All of my relatives are far more direct than people typically are in the DMV. I get told a lot that I am “very genuine” - by which I suspect people here mean rude or blunt.

Tastykakes are the best! Wawa is the best!

Ha ha, this is the first post that rings true without being terribly rude or classist.

I live here. I don't love it. I don't hate it, either. It grows on you. VERY parochial -- most people who live here now grew up here. A lot of people identify you or stereotype you by a.) where you went to high school and/or b.) "your parish." It used to be extremely Catholic, less so now, so people really are judged by the parish in their neighborhood.

That being said, it's pretty in some parts, amazing history, good food scene. Much lower cost of living. You can have a nice life here. But some of the things other people said are true. It is dirty and a little weird, LOL.