Philadelphia was one of the last stops on our never ending road trip and we figured it wouldn’t take too long. We left New Haven, CT in the morning around 9 or 10 assuming we would get to Philly by lunch time to meet my friend Casey. Little did we know that the highway had other plans for us. Luckily, Casey called and said he couldn’t come, so we didn’t make him wait for two extra hours.
Geno’s
We eventually made it to South Philly, after getting lost and having to go in a huge circle to get to the two famous cheesesteak establishments. If you didn’t know, there is a huge rivalry between Geno’s and Pat’s, namely because they are right across the street from each other.
Pat’s
We weren’t sure which one to choose because the lines looked exactly the same. The original plan was to get one of each and make the decision ourselves. But the heat and unresolved crankiness led us to choose one over the other.
In the end, we chose Geno’s, not for the flashy lights, but because we heard you could get provolone instead of Cheez Whiz. Big deciding factor, huh? We didn’t find the Geno’s crew particularly nice, but that’s probably due to insane lines of tourists asking for 5 cheesesteaks, all with different toppings.
So was it worth it? I won’t lie, the bread was good, but I’ve definitely been more impressed with a town’s local fare before. Maybe it’s not even where the locals go, but next time we may try Pat’s.
Wow, what a popular place!