Ok- This is what the t-shirt means. It doesn’t mean that you’re afraid of Gloucester. It is a play on the word Claustrophobia (from Latin claustrum “a shut in place”) – the fear of having no escape, and being closed in.
So Glosta-phobia is that feeling you get when you have been on the island so long it feels like you’re being closed in, and you need to go over the Bridge for a little trip up the line or up the coast.
It’s not meant to be a slam against Gloucester. It’s just a fun way, for those of us who’ve been here for years, of saying “I’m bouncing off the walls of Gloucester, and I’ll be right back after a little R&R over the Bridge.”
Hope that clears up the ambiguity. 🙂
Good Morning Gloucester 