Today we have a guest post from Katie Miserany. I met Katie a few weeks ago at the half marathon, and as I tucked into my post-race caloric binge of bacon, biscuits, and mimosas, I learned that she was about to fly across the country for a sandwich. Literally, a 24-hour trip to Philadelphia, just to taste a famous sandwich. Respect.

When Katie isn’t traveling 2,900 miles in pursuit of the ultimate sandwich, she’s stalking food trucks, famous chefs, and restaurant openings here in SF. Thanks, Katie, for sharing your sandwich pilgrimage with us! ***

I don’t know about the rest of you, but there are a few “life experience” things I want to get out of the way before I turn 30. For instance, I’ve never gone skinny-dipping. That feels like something you should probably try before gravity takes over. Also, just off the top of my head, I’ve always wanted to take an art class and catch a firefly. (Growing up in San Diego, I thought fireflies were made-up creatures like unicorns or fairies. I was thrilled to discover they were real!) So in honor of my rapidly approaching 30th birthday, I made a “30 before 30” list — a bucket list of sorts for my late twenties.

When I made the list, I was a big fan of the Travel Channel’s “Best Sandwich in America,” a show that pit three sandwiches against one another in 10 U.S. regions, then put the regional winners up against one another to find the ultimate sandwich based on host Adam Richman’s “BITE” scale, which stands for bread, interior, taste, and eating experience. Sandwiches are my favorite food group (a friend keeps trying to get me to tattoo a smiling sando somewhere on my body as a testament of my love), and so, thinking my bucket list needed more foodie entries, I threw “Eat the Best Sandwich in America” on the list before the show ever wrapped.