A love letter to Philly: In Philadelphia, the city is called Town. No one ever says, "I'm going into the city." They say, "I work in Town" or "I live in Town" like it's still a small, old place, and not the loud, bustling city that it's become. To those of us raised there, it is a town. It's a place with neighborhoods and history and life. It's a place where neo-classical churches are gutted and used as nightclubs, where factories become condos, and the modern world grows up within the old one, but doesn't consume it. When I was a child in the suburbs, going into Town was magic. In Town, there were cobblestone streets and horse-drawn buggies and brownstones lining tree-lined alleys. In Town there were concerts and films (in the suburbs, we had movies, not films) and open-air craft markets.

When I go back to Philly now, it's still magical. Sometimes my sister and I hop on a city tour bus and ride the route just to soak it all in. And as we watch the tourists' faces widen, amazed by the beauty and history, we're always proud that we grew up there, and that we can call Philadelphia home.

--Tracy, Philadelphia, PA