Philly Flip!

Home is where the heart is, or so they say. I’ve lived quite a few places. My mom has an active career, and it has had us live in Philadelphia, Maryland, Illinois and New Jersey. But, if you were to ask where home is, I would say Philadelphia. My roots are here, my family is here and my love for a specific city is here.

Philadelphia has long been the city of “neighborhoods” (Fiedler, 2014), to me this means experiencing all types of diverse people that also include all the allure and love for a big city. The sights, sounds and smells are a combination of good food, garbage (on bad days) in the Spring and Summer, fragrant flowers. There are nearby community gardens, skyscrapers and a plethora of historical nuggets to represent the country’s first capital. The sounds diverse music and great conversations can be heard all over and they can include politics, modern folklore, sports (GOBIRDS) and stories of before we were born. Philadelphia is a unique city in every way. It can feel like a really big city at times, but also feel like a cranky old town depending on the day.

Philadelphia is home, I was born here. My Mom and Dad met here, fell in love and then married here, they also divorced here. My family has been here for generations. I’ve also lost family members to murder here, which has caused over time, feelings of anxiety, angst and sadness. So, I guess you could say that in a way, I have grown into a person with pretty thick skin for getting through the loss of loved ones. My interactions with friends and family make Philadelphia home, however, living in different cities and vacationing in pretty places has also caused me to have feelings of angst when I have to return home. In that way, Philadelphia has been a home filled with both joys and sorrows.

I would want people to know that Philadelphia, despite its reputation at times is a city that can completely transform you. Our sports, (Gregory, 2023) our diverse people, and our history makes us a place you would want to get to know. Over the last two decades the changes through gentrification and displacement of the people in places that I knew well and called home as been hard. Even Temple has participated in the displacement of families in North Philadelphia (Domenyka, 2018). It is in that same vein that I don’t want people to know or better yet forget that Philadelphia is a city of neighbors and friends. People you may not know physically, but you know them because they come from the same place you do.

Philadelphia travels everywhere with me, it is a vibrant place with more to give than it can get back at times. This means that despite its reputation, it’s the love that makes Philadelphia grand. If I travel, I always miss home, even when I visit other places, I yearn for home. My family and friends are here, and if someone asks where I am from, I proudly boast. Philadelphia neighborhoods have their own unique olfactory signatures: South Street carries a pungent mix of beer, hot dogs, and urban atmosphere. Some streets emit unexpected aromas, like an inexplicable "dirty diaper-like" which can permeate certain city blocks. But we also have beautiful parks like Fairmount, with scents from flower window boxes and trees.

Philadelphians are characterized by their deep passion for their city and Philadelphia Sports- GO BIRDS! We have strong neighborhood identities, commitment to preserving cultural and diverse traditions and welcoming attitude toward diverse communities. The city's motto, "City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection”, isn't just a name - it's a lived philosophy that makes Philadelphia truly exceptional.

I grew up about five blocks from Temple and my grandmother was a community activist, she spent her whole life fighting and advocating for the rights of people of color and marginalized groups. Her work was thankless and tiresome, but she worked hard despite the feelings she had at times of despair. She was gracious and she was kind. She passed away last January and as repayment for her life’s work they are naming a street after her in this great city. Paula Peebles, lifelong social activist and retired community developer, has died at 70. And that’s why, despite it all, Philadelphia will always be home. It’s the place where my roots are, its where I began.