Posted in Philadelphia
January 14, 2018
11 Awkward Moments Every Philadelphian Has Endured At Least Once
Living in a big city means you have lots of interactions with other people, traffic, trains, and more. Some of these experiences can be quite weird! Cringe with us as we consider these 11 awkward Philly moments we’ve all had to deal with.
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The rule of thumb is that if it calls itself a "Philly Cheese Steak," it's anything but a Philly Cheesesteak. Once, I asked for onions and the wannabe pizza shop threw raw onions on top.

It's sort of like a slushie, but not. And kind of like that frozen fake Italian ice, but not quite. And it's definitely not ice cream... it's just "wooder ice."

There are a few places in Center City and on the Schuylkill where, no matter how many times you've driven there, you completely forget what you're doing and have to be "that guy" waving your way back in to traffic.

Have you ever gone out for a drink and a bite to eat, then ended up singing "Sweet Caroline" with 250 strangers? If you're a Philadelphian, you've had this experience more than once.

When did the TLA change their line? It must have been years ago that they started sending people around the corner to wait for doors to open, but every time I'm on South Street, I see people lining up out front.

But wait... where are the Herr's chips? Why can't I find ice cream? Do they even make my kind of coffee? Can I order a hoagie?
There's nothing more helpless than a Philadelphian in an unfamiliar convenience store.
There's nothing more helpless than a Philadelphian in an unfamiliar convenience store.

I don't know how this happens so often. You check for your ticket on the train and it's in your pocket, but when you go to pull it out to get through the turnstyle, it's gone. It only reappears when you've checked every other pocket, gotten in everyone's way, and held up the line for a few minutes.

Much like this billboard from Visit Philly, we've all tried a little too hard to make the word "jawn" fit where it just doesn't belong.

Sometimes, it'll be Monday and you forgot that your favorite Italian place is closed... or it'll be a Wednesday, and you'll walk all the way to the bakery to remember that's their day off. It happens way too often, and it's always pretty awkward.

We Philadelphians will never learn that no matter how promising it looks, we'll be eating our words later in the season.

In a city that's constantly being photographed by tourists, I wonder how many of us are photobombing the Liberty Bell or Independence Hall in family photo albums across the world?
It’s all part of being a Philadelphian! We’re proud of our awkward selves, and we’re going to keep living life the way we always have. What other odd experiences that you’ve had that feel universally Philadelphian? Share your thoughts in the comments!
If you love Philly, reassure yourself that it really is the best city in the world, and take pride in these 9 Things You Can Only Brag About If You’re From Philadelphia.