The last stop for our East Coast trip was Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love and home of the Phillies. We visited Independence Hall, the Declaration House (where Thomas Jefferson penned the Constitution), and the Liberty Bell (tourist alert!). Then, we made a great decision and grabbed the best Philly cheesesteak I’ve ever tasted at Jim’s Steaks. If you’re ever in Philly, do yourself a favor and eat at Jim’s.
My Grandpa Zepp grew up in the Philly area so I have fond memories of the Phillies being his team of choice. Our visit to Philly was almost exactly at the one year anniversary that Grandpa passed away. We drove to Citizens Bank Park and toured the Hall of Fame section in the outfield. Philadelphia has such a rich history through the Phillies organization with names like Kruk, Schilling, and Schmidt leading the way. The stinkin’ Red Sox were in town and didn’t play gracious guests, pounding the Phillies by the score of 9-2. We did enjoy our time in Philly and crossed ballpark #23 off our list.
If you want to catch a game at Citizens Bank Park, here are a few tips to remember…
Parking cost $15 and is a massive parking lot surrounding the stadium. It’s very accessible close to the highway and beats trying to find a decent parking space several blocks away (I’m looking at you, San Diego).- Food was okay, but not great. A lot of it seemed pre-cooked and could have used more time in the warmers.
- Phillies fans are both passionate about their game… and somewhat unaccepting of opposing team fans. Since it was the Red Sox, I didn’t care as much, but there’s still something to be said about being hospitable. For being the city of brotherly love, I just wasn’t feeling it.
- It’s Philly- look for the Phanatic. Easily one of the most recognizable mascots in pro baseball, the Philly Phanatic did not disappoint. Around the 7th inning, the Philly Phanatic used a t-shirt gun and actually shot a t-shirt over the third level and out of the ballpark. Well done, well done.
- Citizens Bank Park is a nice ballpark, but there’s not much about it that’s memorable or visually appealing. It’s a 21st century baseball park, but that’s it. It’s ranking around the lower third of our stadium rankings already.
After the game, we drove to Hershey to stay the night and toured the Hershey’s Chocolate World the next morning. It was well worth the time and extra travel for the experience. Neither of us have a sweet tooth and we still had a great time!