FILE – In this Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018, file photo Philadelphia Eagles’ Zach Ertz catches a pass in front of Minnesota Vikings’ Andrew Sendejo during the first half of the NFL football NFC championship game in Philadelphia. The Eagles and the New England Patriots are set to meet in Super Bowl 52 on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Perez, File)
This weekend, I’ll be returning to my hometown of Philadelphia to see my Eagles beat play the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. It’s about a five-hour bus trip from Hartford to home, but going back home is worth it. No matter how you feel about the football team that represents it, everyone should appreciate the wonderful city of Philadelphia, the greatest place on Earth.
For one, the Philadelphian metro area has a unique accent that you need to be enveloped in to fully appreciate. It’s a perfect cross between Charlie the Unicorn and Bam Margera. I’ve done my best to bring a taste to UConn this year and beyond being teased for asking where the “wudder fountain” is a few times, the reception has been warm. Thank you Huskies! On top of the slurrish patois, Philly has as much slang as it does cheesesteaks (cheesesteak sidenote: they’re outstanding, but don’t get sucked into the Pat’s vs. Geno’s debate down in South Philadelphia; the best steaks are at Dalessandro’s in Northwest Philly and Jim’s on South Street).
Here are some of my favorite slangs: Jawn can mean literally any noun. Anything. Some examples that I’ve used this year are (from memory) “Do you want to take the jawn (Orange Line) to Blaze?” and “What did you get on the jawn (sociology midterm)?” Both times I had to explain what I meant. Another neat word you can toss into your vocabulary is drawling, meaning acting out of character. Example: “stop drawlin’, seriously.” Careful though, if you use words like these too often you’ll have no choice but to transfer to Temple.
If you aren’t convinced by the people, the architecture will blow you away. The morphing of old historical buildings into booming skyscrapers is something to behold. For every relic of America’s history baked into the bustling downtown, there’s a metal and glass marvel shooting up into the mid-Atlantic sky.
Philadelphia was ranked the sixth-best food city in America by the Washington Post, ahead of New York and Chicago. I already mentioned cheesesteaks, but there is just so much more to explore. I only have 500 words for this article so I can’t name the hundreds of places around the city that I’ve cherished throughout my 20 years residing there, but feel free to hit me up if you’re going to take a trip down south. You won’t be left hungry (or disappointed).
The culinary crown jewel of Philly has to be Reading Terminal Market in Center City. Oh my God. In short, it’s a massive farmer’s market with every food you can imagine. I don’t think I’ll get a chance to go this weekend so I won’t torture myself by writing too much about it, but if you visit make sure to bring tissues for your eyes and your drool. Seriously.
I love my city, and I hope I convinced you that you should too. I look forward to taking the train downtown Sunday night after the Eagles win and tearing it apart. GO BIRDS!
Daniel Cohn is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at daniel.cohn@uconn.edu.