Signs that Philly Is Starting to Feel Like Home

• I no longer call Interstate 76 "76." I call it "The Schuykill," short for The Schuykill Expressway, which is how locals refer to 76.

• I know how to pronounce "Schuykill."

• I can ride the train without worrying that I'll never locate the right track at the station or that I'll miss my stop (the trains are surprisingly old-school, and if the conductor doesn't call the name of a stop, it can be hard to tell where you are sometimes).
  

• I have my CSA membership and make regular trips to the farmers' market. There's definitely something to be said for eating local food that makes you feel more connected to the region in which you live.

• I recognize street names on the traffic and news reports at least some of the time. Same for neighborhoods and townships (there are literally hundreds).
  

• When I was talking to a client recently, I said the word "Saturday" and I actually heard a Philly accent in my voice. It would take millions of years of living here for me to ever sounds like a Philadelphian, but just hearing a little bit of the dialect fall from my mouth was a weird moment.
  

• I can go most places I need to go without feeling panicked if I left my GPS at home.

• I'm going to start doing volunteer work for Art-Reach in August, which not only gives me another way to feel connected to the community, but will also give me a fantastic opportunity to learn all about Philadelphia-area arts venues.
  

• The other day, I told Dan, "Let's go get hoagies." I actually said the word "hoagie" like this is a normal word.