By Anna Rocca of The Odyssey Online
Yes… we are not Philly, but we always say we are to someone who says “Where in Pennsylvania do you live?” … well we say outside of it, but we are actually Bucks County, Pennsylvania, an area known for a few different things.
1) First things first we all know about Pennsbury Highschool's Prom, aka the Best Prom in America it is so highly talked about that Michael Bamberger wrote a book called Wonderland based on it, we have even had magazines like Seventeen feature us in an issue, and popular news stations in foreign countries do a cover on it. We had John Mayer, Ryan Cabrera, and Asher Roth perform at our prom, but it is not all about the performers it's about the highly anticipated parade of floats that students craft themselves that leads up to it, and the magic that happens inside the school done by the students, faculty, parents, and prom chairs that take a full year to plan and decorate the whole school for one amazing night.
This is the gym before it's transformed
Transformation of the lobby
Transformation of the gym
2) RJ's Bagels is the go-to spot for a morning after a night out or partying with your friends the night before. 99.9% of the time you see half the people you graduated with, and it's known for being the hangover hang out. It also has the best bagels in a 50-mile radius. They're especially known for their signature Heart Attack which is a combination of eggs, cheese, bacon, pork roll, sausage, and homefries all stuffed into a breakfast burrito, and usually topped with hot sauce, it doesn't get better than that.
RJ's Heart Attack
3) People from around the country come to Sesame Place, unstrategically placed right in the middle of everything. If you are from Bucks County you try to avoid Sesame as much at all costs. Mall traffic? Sesame place. Summer traffic? Sesame Place. Holiday traffic? Sesame place. All traffic is centered around Sesame place. It is so hard to avoid, and most of the time you wished they moved it, so you don't have to deal with the traffic anymore. Although it is a great place to bring young kids. Sesame does not only during the day but at night as well, and if you live in Bucks County there is a very high chance you have attended “Sesame After Dark”. It is for the teenagers who just want to let out their teenage angst out, and “dance” all night.
Sesame Place Parade
4) You've been to Shady Brook, Sleepy Hollow, and Valley of Fear for Halloween. If you're not going to go to relentlessly scare your friends through the cornfield maze or during the haunted house, you go just to hang out. In high school, that was one of the go-to spots during the holidays. Friends would gather there freezing their butts off all sharing one hot chocolate and just hang out around the fire.
Sleepy Hollow fire at night
5) Shady Brook Farm is also known for their spectacular light show. Everybody from in or around Bucks County tries to load their car full of friends and family and drive through the light show. There are over 3 million lights illuminating a path for cars to follow, and the cars not only fill the path they but end up causing a huge traffic jam throughout the main roads because everybody loves the light show. You don't have to drive through the show either you can take a horse guided wagon and breathe in the crisp winter air.
Shady Brook light show
6) Geese and Deer crossing the roads don't just cause traffic jams they usually cause accidents. Because Bucks County is a pretty rural area filled with farmlands and bordered by the Delaware River there is nothing like stopping for 15 minutes due to a flock of geese taking their sweet old time to cross a two lane street. Not only do geese take over, but any time of the year you're scared to death that during the night a deer might jump out into the middle of the road and you can't stop in time and hit it. Bucks County is the place where “You look like a deer caught in headlights” originated… just kidding, but it should have been.
Geese Crossing
7) Route 13 will never be finished. It's the highway that has been worked on for what feels like decades. You can drive on it anytime, day or night, and it never looks like anybody has worked on it. It causes so much traffic, and there is never any progress. Sometimes there is no way to avoid, but if you can you do.
This is what Route 13 looks like most of the time
8) Bucks County Community College is 13th, and 14th grade. Yes, there is no such thing, but it is known for being the high school after high school. It is a mix of every different district in Bucks County all mashed into a few small campus'. It's a great school to start off your college career, and to get an Associates Degree at. It is very highly ranked, and a lot of students go here to save money while working at home, and planning to transfer to a 4-year University. You're usually there with a lot of people who you graduated with, and are easily able to make new friends who are in the same boat as you.
Tyler Hall on BCCC Newtown Campus
9) Tyler State Park is the place to be on a beautiful spring day. If you are feeling like going for a nice walk, fishing in the lake, going to the algae slide, or just plain bored Tyler State Park is the place you want to go. It offers a wide range of outdoor activities including disc golf, horseback riding, fishing, hiking, etc.. to anyone who wants to partake in the action. People also enjoy taking a romantic walk to the covered bridge. It is truly a beautiful place.
The covered bridge in Tyler State Park
10) Who doesn't enjoy a walk through New Hope? New Hope is a beautiful little town in the center of Bucks County. People come from all over on motorcycles, or fancy cars to stop and take a bite at some of New Hopes most famous restaurants, or shop around in the cute little unique shops lining the street. During the weekends, New Hope is usually packed with all types of people. It has a beautiful view of the Delaware River, and right across the bridge to New Jersey, and a 2-minute walk you can walk right into Lambertville. New Hope also is known for being haunted especially the restaurant The Logan Inn.
Motorcycles along Main Street
The bridge from New Hope, PA to Lambertville, NJ
11) Just at the tip of New Hope in Washington Crossing is Bowmans Tower. If you live in Bucks County or anywhere around it chances are you have climbed all the way to the top of Bowmans Tower. Once you finally get to the top you can enjoy the beautiful view that Bowmans Tower has to offer of the Delaware River and the surrounding areas.
Bowmans Tower peaking above the trees
12) If you want to skip school during a hot day you will most likely head to Belmar. Belmar is the most local beach, and about a 45-minute drive, and if there is no traffic you can get there in 35 minutes. Guaranteed if you live in Bucks County you have been to Belmar with your friends a handful of times because you don't want to drive 2 hours down the shore. There is a little board walk, and is usually packed with people. It doesn't compare to Wildwood, Ocean City, Avalon, Seaside or LBI, but it will do for a day trip.
Belmar Beach, NJ
13) If you don't want to drive down the shore you can always cool off in the Delaware River. Being from Bucks County we are bordered by the Delaware River and on a hot sunny day most people end up tubing down it. You usually start all the way up the river nearing New Hope and end up in Yardley. Some people bring their friends, and some people bring coolers, then there are the people who bring their friends, and their coolers. It's like a party on the river. Tubing on the river can be the most relaxing thing you do, and the most fun. If you live in Bucks County you probably have gone tubing down the Delaware River before.
Tubers going down the Delaware
14) Not only are we 45 minutes from Belmar, but we're 45 minutes from Philly. Being from Bucks County we consider ourselves the people from “Outside of Philly”. Because who's ever heard of New Hope, Yardley, Levittown, Fairless Hills, Bristol, or Langhorne? Obviously nobody out of state or the area that is why we are the outsiders. A lot of our high school friends end up attending Temple and therefore, it is known for it's parties, the academics, and the dangers lurking walking just a street over from where campus lines end. A lot of people also enjoy heading up to South Street or Spruce Street Harbor Park to enjoy the hammocks on a warm summer night.
Philly Skyline
Spruce Street Harbor Park
Bucks County is a beautiful place and in the middle of two major cities, New York, and Philadelphia. It definitely has it's ups and downs, and is extremely unique, but living there gives you exposure to a lot of different people, and places, and I am so happy that I was able to grow up there. It will forever be my home.
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