You might recall the mini-stadium tour Will and I went on during our last cross country move. Since then Will has remained on a mission to see as many MLB stadiums as possible. His approaching 13th birthday seemed like the perfect excuse to cross another one off the list so we planned a quick trip to the city of Brotherly Love.

Planning started with plenty of research on the best place to get a cheesesteak which quickly got derailed by researching the best cheesesteak variations. Wiz or provolone? Veggies or no veggies? Hoagie roll or a crusty roll? Don’t get us started on the other toppings! We decided to start with a traditional cheesesteak to establish a baseline so after a quick drive north, we stopped at Jim’s South St. for lunch. No surprise there was a line around the block which meant we had plenty of time to hear what everyone else was ordering and marvel at the non-stop operation of chopping, turning, and more chopping before a generous portion of steak goes on a hoagie roll with a healthy dose of Wiz on top (if that’s your order). We opted for one wiz and one provolone and veggies; Sophia was concerned the Wiz would be “too cheesy.” Turns out it was just delicious! After walking around checking out all the Zagar mosaic murals in the neighborhood, we managed to work up an appetite to try a more novel cheesesteak – this one on a crustier, sesame seed roll with truffle wiz and cherry peppers. Everyone like the toppings but agreed the steak at Jim’s was better.

Stomachs full we made our way towards Citizens Park to grab our free hats and watch the Phillies play the Braves. The city certainly has some loyal fans – I haven’t seen a stadium that full in quite awhile. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see the Phillies win but we all left with smiles on our faces after a fun night and Will managed to leave with another new hat (not pictured) to add to his collection.