Okay, here’s a common scenario:
You and your friends take the train from one of about ten Septa stations nearby, to the city of Philadelphia, because you heard that there’s a new restaurant or one of your distant friends is having a party. The point is, it’s going to be a good night because it’ll be different from the countless Friday nights before. 
Back to the scenario… so once you arrive, you run into a kid who you play high school sports against. This kid might roll his/her eyes and say something along the lines of “What are you guys doing so far from home?”
This happens a lot. People who live within the city limits of Philadelphia are extremely prideful over origins. You’ll tell these people that you live only thirty minutes at most from the city, but that won’t matter.
Here’s a few reasons why the suburbs can compete with the city.
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Food: Philly is known for an outstanding restaurant scene. From cheesesteaks to hoagies, cannolis to water ice, it’s no surprise. But small towns are a welcoming scene for small, family-owned restaurants- the kind where the owner is also the chef and who’s son is also in your daughter’s kindergarten class. I would know- I waitress at a restaurant exactly like this. Customers are regulars and the family who owns it is straight from Italy- cue Cheers theme song (“Where everybody knows your name…”). Sure you could pass five Olive Gardens in Philadelphia, but there’s only one Sapori.
QTown Farmer’s Market
Shopping: The mall is a staple anywhere in the United States of America, but Philly has a more eclectic shopping selection. Rittenhouse Row, for example, is a strip of national and international retail stores in Rittenhouse Square. Fancy. This is a pretty big advantage, and adds to the city’s repertoire. But hey, the suburbs has thrift shops and artsy teens trying to sell handmade prom dresses. A popular attraction, The Quakertown Farmer’s Market and Flea Shops, is open Friday through Sunday, and every week a new vendor pops up in the open air space.
Peace Valley Park, Bucks County PA
Parks: Okay, people in Philadelphia seem to think that there’s nothing necessary about fresh air, because every time you bring up a hometown park, they’ll immediately talk about how they don’t need the suburbs to go to a park. In their defense, Fairmount Park is pretty amazing. But, it’s a tourist attraction at this point. In terms of complete relaxation in fresh air, not much can beat Peace Valley Park or Lake Nockamixon, or even the little Hilltown Civic Park for that matter.
Takeaway message: Don’t sleep on the suburbs because you’ll miss out on some unique experiences.
Hmm, this was really interesting. As a person from Scranton, PA (nowhere near Philly), I’m kind of surprised at how much animosity there is between people living in the city and people living in the suburbs. Where I live, people definitely create stereotypes about the people who live in the opposite group, but because Scranton’s a much smaller city that’s fairly similar to the suburbs, there’s not nearly as much open hostility. I wonder if this antagonism is caused entirely by the size of Philadelphia, or if there are other factors at play. Regardless, this article was really fun to read, and I learned a lot!
Completely agree with you! Small towns that are adjacent to big cities are never recognized for everything that they have to offer. I really like the part were you stressed on family restaurants. Yeah chain restaurants are good and all, but it will never beat a restaurant that your family has been taking you to since you were 4 years old. Good luck on future post!