You know you're from Peoria if... (Chicago, Champaign: home, university, bars)

[runninfiend]

For Peorians only...


You never go to Chiefs games but would raise holy hell if the team ever left town
You drive to Bloomington and hang out there for a change of scenery
You remember the Manual Rams basketball state championships
You've ever been to the Heart of Illinois Fair
Mayor Maloof is the only mayor you'll acknowledge
You're familiar with the term 'Molinarmy'
Going out to eat is your #1 thing to do with friends
You've been to Bicycle Safety Town
You consider University Street during evening hours as 'rush hour traffic'
You rep the Bears and Cubs as if you live right in the middle of Chicago
Whenever you tell someone you're from Peoria they immediately ask you how far it is from Chicago
You know the bad things they say about Pekin
You're always telling everyone you plan on moving to Chicago but for some reason still live in Peoria
You can't imagine life without Caterpillar
You get that warm fuzzy feeling when you're approaching the city from I-74 when you're about to cross the bridge
Your idea of 'twin towers' are totally different than everyone else's
You're totally into the bar scene only because there isn't really any other scene to be into
You still don't understand the whole 'Peoria Heights' thing
You wonder why Bloomington always gets everything years before Peoria does
You're adamant about the fact that Peoria is equal distance between St.Louis and Chicago
You've attended the Festival of Lights
You really can't give a good answer to the question 'why do you live here'?
The Shoppes at Grand Prairie is about as fancy as it gets
You never go to Rivermen games but would raise holy hell if the team ever left town
You just found out Peoria has an indoor football team
You remember the glory that was the Gus Macker tournament downtown
Two words: Steamboat Days
You realize that if everyone quit complaining about what Peoria doesn't have and participated in what Peoria does have, it wouldn't be so bad a place
The downtown area is still a little cool to you for some reason
The awesome view at the lookout tower in Peoria Heights gets you every time
You can always impress visitors from out of town by taking them on Grand View Drive
You shake your head when approaching and leaving the Greater Peoria Regional Airport
You know the words to the 'Goldie & Gus' song
CityLink will always be known as GP Transit to you
The numerous one way streets downtown are just a bit much and still give you fits when driving around down there
You still call Nova Cinemas 'Landmark'
Dating someone who went to another high school than yours made you pretty damn cool
You bought new outfits for the following occasions: Fee Day, Gus Macker, the Fair, Taste of Peoria, Steamboat Days, the Manual vs.Central basketball games
You can count the number of times District 150 schools closed due to bad weather on one hand
You think going to ICC for a couple years then transferring to a big university is a good idea
That KMart at Evergreen Plaza will always be Venture to you
You've went to the grocery store with someone from out of town and they're baffled that you can actually buy any type of booze you want from the freakin grocery store!
It gets no hipper than hanging out at Barnes & Nobles or One World
You LOVE Avantis food
You remember when the Tree of Lights was actually something worth looking at instead of what it is now
You remember spending Saturdays cruisin for hotties at Northwoods Mall
You know at least a few people whom you grew up with that had a kid before the age of 21
You know at least a few people whom you grew up with that had a kid before the age of 18
You could answer the question 'What is Richard Pryor's hometown'? When most people in the country couldn't
You would never go to Bradley because it costs too much
You cringe at the thought of what might be swimming around in the Illinois River
You've been somewhere and tried to make yourself look cool by saying you're from Chicago instead of saying you're from Peoria
Culver's is the ****
You'll call people you know to tell them where the cheap gas is
The car you're driving was obtained somewhere on or near Pioneer Parkway
You remember KZ93.3 radio station
You remember the 'all new' B92 radio station
You LOVE the Bob & Tom show
You know what the term 'Brown Bag It' is

[M TYPE X]

I'm in Champaign but definitely understand the 'feeling of crossing the bridge' and 'hanging out at Barnes & Noble' and 'wondering why Bloomington gets all the cool things first.'

You know at least a few people whom you grew up with that had a kid before the age of 21
You know at least a few people whom you grew up with that had a kid before the age of 18

You just described the Midwest. You could have replicated 75% of your lines for Fort Wayne or Akron. You would just need to change the name of your auto mile (Pioneer Parkway to whatever). Surely Akron has some kind of festival of lights.

[tomb227]

Originally Posted by runninfiend

For Peorians only...


You never go to Chiefs games but would raise holy hell if the team ever left town
You drive to Bloomington and hang out there for a change of scenery
You remember the Manual Rams basketball state championships
You've ever been to the Heart of Illinois Fair
Mayor Maloof is the only mayor you'll acknowledge
You're familiar with the term 'Molinarmy'
Going out to eat is your #1 thing to do with friends
You've been to Bicycle Safety Town
You consider University Street during evening hours as 'rush hour traffic'
You rep the Bears and Cubs as if you live right in the middle of Chicago
Whenever you tell someone you're from Peoria they immediately ask you how far it is from Chicago
You know the bad things they say about Pekin
You're always telling everyone you plan on moving to Chicago but for some reason still live in Peoria
You can't imagine life without Caterpillar
You get that warm fuzzy feeling when you're approaching the city from I-74 when you're about to cross the bridge
Your idea of 'twin towers' are totally different than everyone else's
You're totally into the bar scene only because there isn't really any other scene to be into
You still don't understand the whole 'Peoria Heights' thing
You wonder why Bloomington always gets everything years before Peoria does
You're adamant about the fact that Peoria is equal distance between St.Louis and Chicago
You've attended the Festival of Lights
You really can't give a good answer to the question 'why do you live here'?
The Shoppes at Grand Prairie is about as fancy as it gets
You never go to Rivermen games but would raise holy hell if the team ever left town
You just found out Peoria has an indoor football team
You remember the glory that was the Gus Macker tournament downtown
Two words: Steamboat Days
You realize that if everyone quit complaining about what Peoria doesn't have and participated in what Peoria does have, it wouldn't be so bad a place
The downtown area is still a little cool to you for some reason
The awesome view at the lookout tower in Peoria Heights gets you every time
You can always impress visitors from out of town by taking them on Grand View Drive
You shake your head when approaching and leaving the Greater Peoria Regional Airport
You know the words to the 'Goldie & Gus' song
CityLink will always be known as GP Transit to you
The numerous one way streets downtown are just a bit much and still give you fits when driving around down there
You still call Nova Cinemas 'Landmark'
Dating someone who went to another high school than yours made you pretty damn cool
You bought new outfits for the following occasions: Fee Day, Gus Macker, the Fair, Taste of Peoria, Steamboat Days, the Manual vs.Central basketball games
You can count the number of times District 150 schools closed due to bad weather on one hand
You think going to ICC for a couple years then transferring to a big university is a good idea
That KMart at Evergreen Plaza will always be Venture to you
You've went to the grocery store with someone from out of town and they're baffled that you can actually buy any type of booze you want from the freakin grocery store!
It gets no hipper than hanging out at Barnes & Nobles or One World
You LOVE Avantis food
You remember when the Tree of Lights was actually something worth looking at instead of what it is now
You remember spending Saturdays cruisin for hotties at Northwoods Mall
You know at least a few people whom you grew up with that had a kid before the age of 21
You know at least a few people whom you grew up with that had a kid before the age of 18
You could answer the question 'What is Richard Pryor's hometown'? When most people in the country couldn't
You would never go to Bradley because it costs too much
You cringe at the thought of what might be swimming around in the Illinois River
You've been somewhere and tried to make yourself look cool by saying you're from Chicago instead of saying you're from Peoria
Culver's is the ****
You'll call people you know to tell them where the cheap gas is
The car you're driving was obtained somewhere on or near Pioneer Parkway
You remember KZ93.3 radio station
You remember the 'all new' B92 radio station
You LOVE the Bob & Tom show
You know what the term 'Brown Bag It' is

man that is spot-on. I grew up in P'Town and moved to Arkansas when I was 26. Now 30. I pretty much tell people about an hour from Chicago. I'm from Chillicothe.. GO CUBS/BEARS.. U forgot to mention"world famous Big Als" which noone has ever heard of.
TC

[BUalumni]

Originally Posted by runninfiend

For Peorians only...


You never go to Chiefs games but would raise holy hell if the team ever left town
You drive to Bloomington and hang out there for a change of scenery
You remember the Manual Rams basketball state championships
You've ever been to the Heart of Illinois Fair
Mayor Maloof is the only mayor you'll acknowledge
You're familiar with the term 'Molinarmy'
Going out to eat is your #1 thing to do with friends
You've been to Bicycle Safety Town
You consider University Street during evening hours as 'rush hour traffic'
You rep the Bears and Cubs as if you live right in the middle of Chicago
Whenever you tell someone you're from Peoria they immediately ask you how far it is from Chicago
You know the bad things they say about Pekin
You're always telling everyone you plan on moving to Chicago but for some reason still live in Peoria
You can't imagine life without Caterpillar
You get that warm fuzzy feeling when you're approaching the city from I-74 when you're about to cross the bridge
Your idea of 'twin towers' are totally different than everyone else's
You're totally into the bar scene only because there isn't really any other scene to be into
You still don't understand the whole 'Peoria Heights' thing
You wonder why Bloomington always gets everything years before Peoria does
You're adamant about the fact that Peoria is equal distance between St.Louis and Chicago
You've attended the Festival of Lights
You really can't give a good answer to the question 'why do you live here'?
The Shoppes at Grand Prairie is about as fancy as it gets
You never go to Rivermen games but would raise holy hell if the team ever left town
You just found out Peoria has an indoor football team
You remember the glory that was the Gus Macker tournament downtown
Two words: Steamboat Days
You realize that if everyone quit complaining about what Peoria doesn't have and participated in what Peoria does have, it wouldn't be so bad a place
The downtown area is still a little cool to you for some reason
The awesome view at the lookout tower in Peoria Heights gets you every time
You can always impress visitors from out of town by taking them on Grand View Drive
You shake your head when approaching and leaving the Greater Peoria Regional Airport
You know the words to the 'Goldie & Gus' song
CityLink will always be known as GP Transit to you
The numerous one way streets downtown are just a bit much and still give you fits when driving around down there
You still call Nova Cinemas 'Landmark'
Dating someone who went to another high school than yours made you pretty damn cool
You bought new outfits for the following occasions: Fee Day, Gus Macker, the Fair, Taste of Peoria, Steamboat Days, the Manual vs.Central basketball games
You can count the number of times District 150 schools closed due to bad weather on one hand
You think going to ICC for a couple years then transferring to a big university is a good idea
That KMart at Evergreen Plaza will always be Venture to you
You've went to the grocery store with someone from out of town and they're baffled that you can actually buy any type of booze you want from the freakin grocery store!
It gets no hipper than hanging out at Barnes & Nobles or One World
You LOVE Avantis food
You remember when the Tree of Lights was actually something worth looking at instead of what it is now
You remember spending Saturdays cruisin for hotties at Northwoods Mall
You know at least a few people whom you grew up with that had a kid before the age of 21
You know at least a few people whom you grew up with that had a kid before the age of 18
You could answer the question 'What is Richard Pryor's hometown'? When most people in the country couldn't
You would never go to Bradley because it costs too much
You cringe at the thought of what might be swimming around in the Illinois River
You've been somewhere and tried to make yourself look cool by saying you're from Chicago instead of saying you're from Peoria
Culver's is the ****
You'll call people you know to tell them where the cheap gas is
The car you're driving was obtained somewhere on or near Pioneer Parkway
You remember KZ93.3 radio station
You remember the 'all new' B92 radio station
You LOVE the Bob & Tom show
You know what the term 'Brown Bag It' is

This is so true! Great thread! Rep points all around.

Here are some more:

You have eaten at Emo's more times than you will ever admit

You act like towns such as Morton and Washington are hundreds of miles away and are suprised to discover that they have such inventions as indoor plumbing and electricity

You are still baffled that Pekin is in constant competition with Peoria

You sware that Saint Francis and Methodist have a new extension everytime you go in them

You secretly like aspects of East Peoria better than P-town, but don't dare say it out loud

You still have no clue where Pottstown is

You can't understand why anyone would want to live in some backwards place like Dunlap

Bradley and U of I are the center of the college sports scene, and anything and everything else is without soul

[Mrs. Hos]

I am from Chillicothe, but man those were spot on. I would give my left arm for some Avanti's food right about now. And some Monical's Pizza. And I am just utterly surprised when I meet people who don't know what Caterpillar is. I'm like, hello, yellow bulldozers and such? Geesh! I can't wait to visit home.

[freshmtt]

if,,,

you say that you are going to "warsh" your clothes instead of wash them.

you say that you are going to buy a "sodie" instead of buying a pop

you say "grodie" all the time instead of gross..

sorry, I couldn't resist,, our cousins were from Peoria, we always made fun of their accent since we hailed from Chicago.

[RHP]

I'm from Peoria and my family still lives there. This list is hilarious! And true!

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by runninfiend

For Peorians only...


You never go to Chiefs games but would raise holy hell if the team ever left town
You drive to Bloomington and hang out there for a change of scenery
You remember the Manual Rams basketball state championships
You've ever been to the Heart of Illinois Fair
Mayor Maloof is the only mayor you'll acknowledge
You're familiar with the term 'Molinarmy'
Going out to eat is your #1 thing to do with friends
You've been to Bicycle Safety Town
You consider University Street during evening hours as 'rush hour traffic'
You rep the Bears and Cubs as if you live right in the middle of Chicago
Whenever you tell someone you're from Peoria they immediately ask you how far it is from Chicago
You know the bad things they say about Pekin
You're always telling everyone you plan on moving to Chicago but for some reason still live in Peoria
You can't imagine life without Caterpillar
You get that warm fuzzy feeling when you're approaching the city from I-74 when you're about to cross the bridge
Your idea of 'twin towers' are totally different than everyone else's
You're totally into the bar scene only because there isn't really any other scene to be into
You still don't understand the whole 'Peoria Heights' thing
You wonder why Bloomington always gets everything years before Peoria does
You're adamant about the fact that Peoria is equal distance between St.Louis and Chicago
You've attended the Festival of Lights
You really can't give a good answer to the question 'why do you live here'?
The Shoppes at Grand Prairie is about as fancy as it gets
You never go to Rivermen games but would raise holy hell if the team ever left town
You just found out Peoria has an indoor football team
You remember the glory that was the Gus Macker tournament downtown
Two words: Steamboat Days
You realize that if everyone quit complaining about what Peoria doesn't have and participated in what Peoria does have, it wouldn't be so bad a place
The downtown area is still a little cool to you for some reason
The awesome view at the lookout tower in Peoria Heights gets you every time
You can always impress visitors from out of town by taking them on Grand View Drive
You shake your head when approaching and leaving the Greater Peoria Regional Airport
You know the words to the 'Goldie & Gus' song
CityLink will always be known as GP Transit to you
The numerous one way streets downtown are just a bit much and still give you fits when driving around down there
You still call Nova Cinemas 'Landmark'
Dating someone who went to another high school than yours made you pretty damn cool
You bought new outfits for the following occasions: Fee Day, Gus Macker, the Fair, Taste of Peoria, Steamboat Days, the Manual vs.Central basketball games
You can count the number of times District 150 schools closed due to bad weather on one hand
You think going to ICC for a couple years then transferring to a big university is a good idea
That KMart at Evergreen Plaza will always be Venture to you
You've went to the grocery store with someone from out of town and they're baffled that you can actually buy any type of booze you want from the freakin grocery store!
It gets no hipper than hanging out at Barnes & Nobles or One World
You LOVE Avantis food
You remember when the Tree of Lights was actually something worth looking at instead of what it is now
You remember spending Saturdays cruisin for hotties at Northwoods Mall
You know at least a few people whom you grew up with that had a kid before the age of 21
You know at least a few people whom you grew up with that had a kid before the age of 18
You could answer the question 'What is Richard Pryor's hometown'? When most people in the country couldn't
You would never go to Bradley because it costs too much
You cringe at the thought of what might be swimming around in the Illinois River
You've been somewhere and tried to make yourself look cool by saying you're from Chicago instead of saying you're from Peoria
Culver's is the ****
You'll call people you know to tell them where the cheap gas is
The car you're driving was obtained somewhere on or near Pioneer Parkway
You remember KZ93.3 radio station
You remember the 'all new' B92 radio station
You LOVE the Bob & Tom show
You know what the term 'Brown Bag It' is

KZ 93!!!! HELLZ YA MAN! That station was the stuff!

[boomster]

Originally Posted by tomb227

man that is spot-on. I grew up in P'Town and moved to Arkansas when I was 26. Now 30. I pretty much tell people about an hour from Chicago. I'm from Chillicothe.. GO CUBS/BEARS.. U forgot to mention"world famous Big Als" which noone has ever heard of.
TC

I've heard mention of "Big Al's" a few folks have told me it's one of the finest strip bars they've ever been in....any details or reviews???

[linicx]

I remember when Bloomington was a hick town that didn't have anything and Maloof was the new kid in town with BiG ideas. I went to Bradley and I was even at the Heart of Illinois Fair with my kids a few times. And I remember a mayor or two before Maloof and before Bobby was a judge; I went to school with him. I also remember when NCAAP picketed downtown and when World Drugs, Block and Kuhl and Byerly Music was downtown. There was no Brown Bag It and Fulton Street was a two way street all the way. There was no mall to look for "hotties" because it didn't exist and neither did 1-74. We cruised the "beefers." and paid 30 cents for a hamburger, fries and coke at McDonald's. The train to Chicago stopped in Peoria and before it was McCluggage, it was called the Upper Free Bridge. You could buy gas for 18 cents a gallon during one of the frequent gas wars and pay 10 cents for a loaf of white bread at the Colonial Bread day old bread store on NE.Adams. The best best shrimp dinner in the world came from Freddies on South Adams. Across the street and p a tad was Tony's. His little dog would put out cigarette buts tossed on the wood floor. You couild buy fresh hot tamales at midnight on Saturday night on South Jefferson and you could see the sparks shooting frrm the cupola at Caterpillar at night from the Cedar Street bridge.

Now, if you're old like me, and if you really *are* from Peoiira, you know what the "Grave Yard", the "Merry Go Round" and the Big 500 were, don't ya? You might even know who Duke Murphy was.