You Know You're From Detroit When...

by Phil Lewis

1.     If this was your anthem long before Big Sean wrote it.

2.     If you wouldn’t stop at The Murder Mac even if you were dying of hunger.

3.     If you remember burning your knees on this slide as a child.

4.     If you can’t live without a Coney Island around the corner.

5.     If this is you when you hear outsiders talking about Detroit.

6.     If you’re a proud DPS Alum of a school OTHER than Cass.

7.     If this was your grocery store before Whole Foods.

8.     If you had a LOT of free time during the ’03 Blackout.

9.     If this is still the greatest Cinderella story in your eyes.

10. If you remember Jittin’ or Footworking at the party.

11. If this how you look when you hear someone from Bloomfield Hills talk about the city.

12. If this is your face when someone asks if you live on 8 mile.

13. If this is how you get over a stomachache.

14. If this is how you look when trying to decide between L. Georges, Detroit One, Olympia, Grandy’s…or any of the other million Coney Islands.

15. If this is how you look at someone when they ask if “Detroit is really that bad?”

16. If this is you and your friends when the Freak Beat Hustle, the Turbo or the Bad Girl Hustle comes on at the party.

17. If you’ve rented a pair of skates from here.

18. If you know these women run the D.

19. If you look at someone like this when they call Pop, ‘Soda’.

20. If you’ve had a family reunion here.

21. If you can finish the lyrics “I’m from Joy Rd, Exit 9, ‘______________________’.

22. If you rep Detroit wherever you go!