Being from somewhere
Experiences we have, and ones we don't get to
I saw a TikTok the other day of a rural, wooded area after a rainstorm (I’m kicking myself for not saving it). The street looked more like a river, water pouring off the shoulder like tiny waterfalls, and fish, yes, fish, were swimming against the current. “Tell me you live in the Pacific Northwest without telling me you live in the Pacific Northwest,” the voiceover said.
I’ve never been to the Pacific Northwest. But if I go, I don’t want to see the Seattle needle or the first Starbucks. I want to see fish swimming in the street.
This video made me violently aware of how few lives I have lived or will ever live. Somewhere, out there, a rural Washington state local is walking down a flooded, fishy street, and it’s just another day. I visit cities and see the touristy stuff (It does make sense to see these things), but I love seeing a place from a local’s eyes. They have the best stories.
If a friend of mine wanted to visit Philadelphia, I would take them to an Eagles tailgate (Where Philly culture is most alive) or for a cheesesteak at D’Alessandro’s, but I definitely wouldn’t take them to Independence Mall. We’d maybe go to the Rocky Statue or the Art Museum, but only because it’s close to the Schuylkill. We’d walk down the Schuylkill trail, where people who live in the area like to bike or go for runs. I’d show them the boathouses and tell them I had friends who rowed in high school. I’d point up the hill to Strawberry Mansion, where we’d park to watch the races. You can catch a nice skyline view from there.
I think life isn’t about how many big experiences we have, but how we make the most of the little ones. I’m sure other Philly locals would choose different places to take their out-of-town friends. The same way I may never live in a cabin in the woods in Oregon, someone else may never get to drink a Wawa soda in a dirty SEPTA station past midnight leaving a concert at Wells Fargo. How extraordinary it is to be from somewhere.