YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM PEORIA WHEN... (abbreviated version) You never go to Chiefs games but would raise holy hell if the team ever left town If it's a late night on the weekend, your options are: go to the club, go to a bar, a late show movie, Denny's, Steak & Shake, Perkin's, a friend's house, or driving around for no reason Kartville...need I say more? You remember the Manual Rams basketball state championships Wee Tee was always a good time Mayor Maloof is the only mayor you'll acknowledge You're familiar with the term 'Molinarmy' You went to Washington Gifted School but tried to keep it on the low cause most people thought those kids were pricks You found out some dirt on someone you know from reading about it in the Journal Star You know exactly where to go to get a free onion You've been to Bicycle Safety Town You wonder if the Cubs and Cardinals realize how intense their rivalry is in Peoria You're totally used to the fact that you can't go anywhere or do anything without seeing someone you know You consider University Street during evening hours as 'rush hour traffic' You realize that if something were to ever happen to Vanna Whitewall...there just might be a city riot You're really good friends with someone you used to date because the town is too small to totally disappear in Any joke mentioning the word 'Zellar' in the punch line was always funny You have to admit the I-74 updates around town are pretty cool looking even though it took forever to finish You know the bad things they say about Pekin You wish Phar-Mor was back You can't imagine life without Caterpillar You drive around in inclement weather and think nothing of it You realize that the Insane Clown Posse debacle years back totally ruined it for mainstream and big ticket music acts to come to Peoria 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 On your list of hobbies was going around town and bothering your friends where they worked Thompson Food Basket and Eagle Foods were your favorite grocery stores You know that if something were to ever happen to Emo's...there just might be a city riot. 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 Growing up, after school when you'd go to a gas station or convenient store, only a certain amount of kids was allowed in the store at a time to cut down on theft 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'? You only went to Jumers once or twice, or never at all but are upset that it's gone You never go to Rivermen games but would raise holy hell if the team ever left town You just found out Peoria has an ABA basketball team You remember the glory that was the Gus Macker tournament downtown You feel sorry for the kids in town now cause they have way less stuff to do than you did growing up TGI Fridays is ALWAYS packed Two words: Steamboat Days Two words: Big Al's You realize that if everyone quit complaining about what Peoria doesn't have and embraced what Peoria does have, it wouldn't be so bad a place The Planetarium at Lakeview Museum was like...the coolest thing EVER! You will totally rag on Peoria but get offended when someone from out of town does It ain't much, but 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 wonder who in the world actually lives in all those mansions around Grand View Drive cause you've never met someone who did 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 still give you fits when driving around down there Landmark was always a good time Dating someone who went to another high school than yours made you pretty damn cool 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! You met someone who went to Washington Gifted School and wondered how in the world they ever got deemed gifted in the first place You were creeped out by the Northwoods Mall Easter Bunny and Santa Not only do you remember ShowBiz Pizza...you remember the scary animatronic animal band that performed there...they were always dirty and one of the characters would always be twitching...or flat out turned off It gets no hipper than hanging out at Barnes & Nobles or One World You LOVE Avantis food No matter what you were doing or what event you went to around the city, it would always end up the same. Drunken tomfoolery. You remember when the Tree of Lights was actually something worth looking at instead of what it is now You have no idea why but hanging out in a gas station parking lot was the thing to do You remember spending Saturdays cruisin for hotties at Northwoods Mall You've used the phrase 'that's a gag' 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 knew that crummy 'Perfect Attendance' award they'd give out at the end of the school year was for chumps You cringe at the thought of what might be swimming around in the Illinois River You take pride in the fact that we have one of the few remaining old school Arby's neon signs at the Arby's on University You hated going to Glen Oak Zoo because the animals were always sleeping You hated going to Wildlife Prarie Park because the animals were nowhere to be found The car you're driving was obtained somewhere on or near Pioneer Parkway You mourn the loss of K's Merchandise You remember KZ93.3 radio station You remember the 'all new' B92 radio station Westlake was uncomfortable, dirty, poorly ventilated and smelled like pee, but hey, could you pass up paying $1 to see a movie that left theatres months ago? I think not You LOVE the Bob & Tom show You know what the term 'Brown Bag It' is You know about the phrase 'Will It Play In Peoria' and how important Peoria was in vaudeville and the early days of modern performing arts theatre You know that Willy York could've ran for Mayor and had a legitimate shot at winning because...well...Peorians are just funny like that

I never got to go up in the Tower in Peoria Heights, but want to next time I come back...which will be SOON.

My friend got caught repelling the tower and trying to remove the woodpecker.

When you can wear your PJ's to the gas station to get coffee!!! Yeah!!

You left out cruising Main St. Steak n Shake

And you will never forget and even cry a little about when the cops and the city closed down cruising main street.


Christi beat me to it by 3 minutes

That was great. This is my favorite... [quote]You will totally rag on Peoria but get offended when someone from out of town does[/quote]

@ PI That's because I was a carhop at Steak n Shake in the 70's showed my age didn't I? oooops.. I lied about my age to get the job. Really I did.. even faked the birth certificate. That's not illegal is it? Got to skate around the parking lot. My best friend at the time was older than I was and she was old enough to work at the time. I had to fake it. They used to cruise Main St. Steak to Adams St. A & W

In the 70's I would have never guessed.

Remember the whole shut down thing when campus town was built and cops would give you a ticket for going up and down main more than once?

Todd, that was after my cruising days by a few years. We used to turn left on Main, pull over, have the guy in the passenger seat jump out, run into Avanti's and buy gondolas. We'd circle the block and by the time we got back, he was usually waiting. Kinda miss those days of cruisng around in my '69 Chevelle or friend's '70 Challenger R\T.

I KNOW I HAVE BEEN VISITING PEORIA WHEN: I get home and want to sleep for 3 days!!

Christi faked WHAT???

"Wee Tee was always a good time"

You forgot "Ha Ha"

Some of these things really show our ages. Still TOO fun, cruising main. Once in a while we'd get out and walk but usually end up in with a carload of girls,cruisin' again.

We parked at either Steak and Shake or Mister Quick. Remember the neon sign at Mr Quick. I think it was a chef running with a burger

Couldn't go to Mr. Quick. My Mom's little sister worked there and kept an eye on my friends and me. Hung out there a lot after she left though. We'd always end up down in Bradley Park.