Today we took a day trip to Philadelphia! Aden and I volunteered to blog for the day, since we were already taking over the HH Instagram!

It was an early morning, so many of us took a nap during the two-hour drive on the bus. Once there, we made our way over to Independence Hall, where we saw reconstructed courtrooms, the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the room where John Adams was sworn in as president. We learned from a park ranger, Jane, who was very knowledgeable about the Revolutionary era. She was able to answer all of our questions, and she even gave us some other tips about Philadelphia.

After our time in Independence Hall, we made our way over to the Betsy Ross House. This house was Betsy’s original home, which she actually rented. The route took us through her home, and we saw where she sewed the flag, her bedroom, and her renter’s bedroom. We had a little surprise near the end of the route, as an actress who played Betsy Ross pleasantly greeted us. We asked her questions about her life, including where she would hide her flag. As we departed, she gave us each a little white 5-pointed star, which was the same shape as the ones she sewed on the flag.

After the Betsy Ross House, we stopped at the Liberty Bell, which is the group picture I have up. I’ve never seen it in person, so I really enjoyed examining it. For lunch, we headed to Reading Market, which had an assortment of foods, such as seafood, crepes (which I had), and barbeque. The market also had other shops, including a bee shop that had all things bees - honey, candles, and beeswax lip balm. 

We headed back to NYC after lunch, and once we got back, we had some free time before bed. I went out with two other friends to get 99-cent pizza, which was a pretty tasty, cheap, and easy meal. Excited for our last full day in NYC tomorrow!

-Avery