Even though you've complained all your life how boring it is, you know that Naperville's still #1 in your heart.
1. Fox Valley Mall was the #1 hangout place in middle school.
Despite the fact that you only bought earrings at Claire’s, glitter lotion from Justice, sale t-shirts from Aeropostale, and overpriced navy shirts at Abercrombie, you refused to meet anywhere else.
2. Your answer to “What is there to do in Naperville?” was always “Go to Downtown Naperville.”
3. You and your friends took homecoming pictures on this bridge almost every year.
Plus you probably got some really cute ones at the fountain, and it was no big deal to you that every other homecoming group from all of Naperville was also there.
4. The Neuqua/Waubonsie rivalry was real.
You had to be there for the first Neuqua-Waubonsie football game. If you went to Metea, you tried to be the third part of a legendary rivalry, but you all knew that it really didn’t work.
5.“204 is better than 203!”
You all knew deep down that 203 was better, but you refused to admit it. You knew that somehow, the 41-year-old super narrow halls of Waubonsie would somehow beat Naperville Central’s new renovations. If you were from 203, you didn't even bother beginning to explain why your district was infinitely better.
6. You religiously attended Ribfest and Last Fling every year.
And your mom would get annoyed when you showed up at home with all the goldfish that you were so proud of winning. Somehow, you thought it was the most fun event in the world even after you blew $5 for a 20-second game. Even if you couldn’t attend, you made sure you watched the Ribfest fireworks fom your backyard.
7. If you lived in White Eagle, you were super mad when you got shafted to Waubonsie.
You heard a lot of, “Seriously, my parents did not move here to go there.”
8. You knew that Metea was the most gorgeous on the inside, but from the outside, it looked arguably like a jail.
The whiteboard desks, the practice rooms, and the brand-new Smartboards were soo worth it, though.
9. You bragged about all the music awards your school won.
Especially if you were in Chamber Orchestra or Wind Ensemble. “Yeah, my school just won a Grammy, how about yours?”
10. You went here as a kid and learned all about how to be safe.
Let’s be real, you just liked the tiny buildings and the fact that they brought out dogs. Plus, the fake fire alarms made you pee your pants.
11. This was the best museum.
Wind tunnels and the Bubble Booth? Definitely! And when you got older, you definitely applied to volunteer there (because you secretly still liked the Bubble Booth, too).
12. And if you didn’t get a museum volunteering job, you ended up at Edward’s or Naper Settlement.
Churning butter, blacksmithing, and wearing suits and long cotton dresses in the sweltering heat was super attractive and worth the service hours…right?
13.You were lucky enough to have three libraries in your city.
All of which were 10 minutes, tops, from your house. You still had a favorite one, though, and probably refused to go to any other ones.
14. Finding parking in Downtown Naperville drove you insane.
Parallel parking in the street? Trying to squeeze into the last space at the library? Is the parking garage seriously full?
15. You can’t even count how many different fro-yo places you’ve tried over the past few years.
Red Mango, Spoonin’, YumZum, Yogli Mogli, TCBY, Yogurt Beach, Yogurt Delight, Forever Yogurt…the list went on forever. You were seriously upset when your favorite one ended up going out of business because the competition was just too much.
16. But if you weren’t feeling fro-yo, you hit up some of the best cupcake and ice cream places in town.
Smallcakes, anyone? And honestly, nothing can beat Coldstone’s “Gotta Have It” scoops on a bad day.
17. The tornado alarm on the first Tuesday of every month always managed to catch you off-guard.
At first you panicked, and then you thought back to the day and the month and realized you’d been duped again.
18. But you witnessed some scary funnel clouds and some very real tornado warnings, too.
You stared out the window staring at the cloud trying to see if it was actually cone-shaped, despite the news telling you very clearly to stay away from any windows. You eventually ended up watching TV and eating dinner in the basement with your family.
19. You were devastated when Borders closed.
Seriously? You were their best customer! Going downtown every time you want to buy books now is so annoying.
20. You loved the DTN summer sculptures.
And you always had a favorite one and a least favorite one. (The Van Gogh chair by Pinot’s Palette was undoubtedly the best of this summer.)
21. Whenever someone outside of Illinois asks where you're from, you say "Chicago."
You mainly do this for two reasons: A) because no one outside of Illinois knows what Naperville was, and B) it sounds cooler.
22. You call it “Naperthrill” because despite the fact that it seems like there's a lot to do, you get bored pretty quick with one mall and DTN.
Let’s just go to the city, guys.
23. But at the end of day, you were still proud to call Naperthrill your home.
