Emily Orsini, Sports Editor–

On a cold December morning in 2004, I was born with thick curly hair and a comically large, kelly green foam finger on my hand. 

When I was 10 years old, I was wearing a Shane Victorino T-shirt jersey and eating ice cream out of a plastic helmet with my dad in the nosebleeds of Citizens Bank Park.

Stubs from the Wells Fargo Center collected in my desk drawers, and pictures of my brother in Sixers snapbacks covered the fridge. 

Hoagies and Philly Pretzel trays and tomato pies were present at every family function. 

The way I pronounce “water,” the way I can’t resist the urge to yell “go birds” at a nearby stranger wearing a hat or a hoodie, the way I order my Kohr’s Brothers ice cream with chocolate jimmies— Philadelphia doesn’t stay in Pennsylvania, it follows me everywhere I go.

Now that we’re well acquainted, it’s time I explain how Philadelphia isn’t just the city I’m from, it’s the city you should also be from (or at least visit):

1. We (the Eagles) just won the Super Bowl! We’re finally winning! Come join the party!

The Eagles have a rough past of having some of the best talent, but always being one of the worst teams in the NFC East (never worse than the Cowboys, though). At seven weeks old I was at an Eagles Super Bowl party, when the Eagles lost to the dreaded Patriots in 2005. Although I was still sucking on a pacifier and getting pushed in a stroller by my parents, I can still recall the thrill of completing fourth and 26 as if I experienced it today. Consequently, I can still feel the trauma of that loss. The only way to describe that experience: baptismal. I was baptized again two weeks later at St. John Fisher. 

The moral of the story is, we used to be bad, but now we’re good! Come over to the dark side! I swear you’re not a bandwagon— you’re welcome at my tailgate anytime!

2. Cheesesteaks (wit Whiz and fried onions on a seeded roll)

The cheesesteak is a Philadelphia classic, but what most tourists and non-locals overlook is the quality of a seeded roll. Nothing is better than a fresh cheesesteak on a thick, sesame seeded roll. Side note, if you go to get a cheesesteak (at Angelos, Leos, Delassandros, what have you) and get more than three toppings, you’re out of your mind. The beauty of a cheesesteak is its simplicity— shredded steak, a cheese of your choice, and some greasy fried onions to top it off. The only acceptable fourth topping is ketchup, and that only applies to men over the age of 50.

3. Bryce Harper! Kyle Schwarber! The Phillie Phanatic!

Harper, two-time NL MVP winner, and Schwarber, future 2025 NL MVP winner, are all anyone goes to see at Phillies games, and honestly I don’t blame them. It also doesn’t hurt that we have the best mascot in baseball that shoots hot dogs from a four-wheeler in between innings.

4. Wawa!!!

On the outside, it’s a gas station. On the inside, it’s also a gas station. But what gas station has made-to-order Italian hoagies and buffalo chicken quesadillas at the tap of a screen? No, not Sheetz. The Wawa vs. Sheetz debate isn’t even a conversation I’m willing to entertain.

5. Broad Street, and the infamous greasing of the poles.

When the Phillies made it to the World Series in 2022, my most vivid memory isn’t when JT Realmuto hit the go-ahead homerun in the tenth inning in game one, but when that game shortly ended and my social media feed was filled with people crowding Broad Street and climbing any street light or bus stop vestibule in sight. This caused the Philadelphia Police Department to coat any climbable surface (poles and buildings alike) in grease for the remainder of the series, which in typical Philadelphia fashion, we eventually lost. The “grease the poles” mantra became so widespread, that shortly after the Eagles won Super Bowl LIX in Feb of 2025, my teammate from California urged me not to climb the light poles outside of East Hall due to their lack of greasing. 

If that didn’t convince you, the only other way that could even possibly sway you is by going to Broad Street after a Birds win, and experiencing it in real time. Maybe climb a few poles! The Crisco is just an obstacle you have to overcome in order to achieve greatness while looking over thousands of people in Eagles gear, destroying the street in front of them.