Observations from an Aussie Expat in Philly: A Crash Course in All Things Wooder, Jawn & Hoagies

1. Never say Sub, always say Hoagie.

2. Thirsty? Have a refreshing glass of wooder.

3. Phillies, Flyers, Eagles, 76ers. This city is sport-obsessed. The closest Australian city comparison would be Brisbane In terms of how the locals connect to their city through a collective love for sport.

Melbourne and Sydney are both big sports cities, but each has multiple different teams and lots of cross-town rivalries.

Brisbane is like Philly in that locals get behind just the one local team from each sports code. Being a long-time New England Patriots fan isn’t ideal here, but hey at least I can agree with the anti-New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys sentiment around these parts.

4. If you’re an Australian, everyone (and I mean everyone) will automatically hear your accent and think you are from the UK. Not once has someone correctly guessed my country of origin when they first meet me.

5. For a city often derided within the United States as standoffish, the locals here are actually really friendly. In my opinion, the difference is that there is none of that "phony” outward forced friendliness that people often associate with the West Coast.

Philadelphians, in contrast, will always tell you how they really feel about you; locals here are very direct, which can take some adjustment coming from Australia, where people are much less direct about their sentiments towards you.

6. Philadelphia is one of the most, if not the most, pedestrian-friendly cities I have ever lived in. It is extremely flat and walkable.

7. As a dog lover, the number of pooches walking around and dog-friendly parks in Philly is great.

8. Despite my best efforts, I still don’t understand when or how to insert “jawn” into a sentence. 🤷‍♂️