This article was originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer on July 27, 2003.

A roast beef hoagie from Wawa got to within 30 yards of President Bush during his visit to Philadelphia on Thursday.

Another hoagie - an Italian job from Reading Terminal Market - sat through a presentation at the new National Constitution Center and cruised by Mayor Street's office.

A third made it through airport security and breezed through federal X-ray machines in Camden.

The Eagles managers say the city's signature sandwich is a threat to security at their new venue, Lincoln Financial Field. At least, that's what they cited when they banned hoagies and other bring-in food. Not the fact that they'll be selling their own for $6.50, as much as $2 more than the going rate.

To put the security rationale to the test, The Inquirer sent reporters with hoagies to some of the most security-conscious public places in the region.

The hoagies infiltrated Independence Hall, City Hall, three federal buildings, Philadelphia International Airport, county courthouses in Camden and West Chester, and more.

Still, it's one thing to get a hoagie into the Chester County Courthouse, quite another to get one into the White House.

So, an Inquirer reporter in Washington took a hoagie on his rounds, triggering no alerts at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., the Capitol, or a Senate office building.

To be fair, many of these sites have something the Eagles don't: screening devices to detect weapons hidden in hoagies - or in shoes or pockets, for that matter.

Apprised of the hoagie caper, Eagles spokesman Ron Howard said the team would not elaborate on why they pose a threat at the stadium, but not the White House.

The hoagies traversed highways, crossed bridges and traveled city streets, all without incident, although one leaked oil and gooed some papers in a briefcase.

Here are their stories:

The Center City hoagie

Italian with sweet peppers, oil and vinegar; $5.50; from Spataro's in Reading Terminal Market.

Sandwich maker Walter Lefflebine said it's one of their most popular. "We have our own vinaigrette. Everybody loves it."

At the Criminal Justice Center, the hoagie , in a black satchel, glided through the metal detector. Although eating is forbidden in courtrooms, "you're allowed to eat in the hallway," guard Mark Roane said.

At City Hall, the hoagie roamed the corridors, ducked into Mayor Street's outer office, and spent a moment in Council chambers.

Later, guards at the U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building spotted the hoagie in the X-ray machine but made no effort to protect federal employees inside from it.

"Looks like you brought a big lunch today," one guard said.