I was in Philadelphia, PA this weekend to see some friends. I headed up on Friday and took slowride up the Eastern Shore of Virginia. We stopped at a new favorite of mine, Mi Casita taco wagon in Mappsville, VA. Authentic (steak, onions, cilantro, corn tortilla, verde sauce) tacos for $1.25 served by a very nice family. If you are travelling on US 13 in Virgina, keep a look out for it near Matthew’s Market.
Friday night we had the obligatory cheesesteak. We went to a place I had not been, Abner’s Cheesesteaks in University City. Not a bad steak. Jim’s on South Street is still my favorite, but Abner’s did have a top-notch waffle fries and a complete condiment bar. After dinner we hop in the car and head to Manayunk. It’s a trendy part of Philly with ton’s of restaurants and bars just up the Schuylkill from downtown.
Saturday, we scored some tickets off of Stubhub for the Phillies vs. Red Sox game. It was my first time at the new Citizens Bank Park. It’s definitely a new generation park in the same vein as Camden Yards, but it does have a few things that make it unique. It has tiered bullpens at right-center field that can be viewed from Ashburn Alley. It also has a massive Ballpark Pinball in the Citizens Bank Games of Baseball area.
The game itself started pretty slow. Atmosphere was lacking due to the fact that there were more Red Sox fans than Philly fans. This is not due to Philadelphian apathy, but rather to a marketing scheme by the Phillies. To purchase tickets for the game directly, you had to purchase a 7-game pack. It back fired horribly. The game did have two highlights. First, in the early innings a fan down the first base line tried to lean over and field a ground ball. He made nice play but sacrificed his dignitiy for the ball by losing his shorts completely and letting entire section know he doesn’t bleach his tighty-whities. Second, The Phillie Phanatic proved why he is the most electrofying mascot in all of sport by staging a lightsabre with Darth Vader (Red Sox fan) while mounted on an ATV. In the end, the Red Sox dominated the Phillies in a 7-1 decision.
That night ordered in from Gusto Pizza. The food is definately under priced for what you get. The salads we much better than average and the calzones are huge. After dinner we took it easy and just met some friends at McGillin’s Olde Ale House in center city Philly.
As we travelled back home on Sunday, we made a stop at a favorite of mine I found on a previous excursion to Philly, the Charcoal Pit. It’s actually just west of Interstate 95 on US 202 as you come into Wilmington. The burgers are solid, but the homemade mustard blend and relish are what standout. Although we had lunch, we did stop at Mi Casita on the way back. Needless to say, we’re hooked.