(The following is the second of five stories about the adventures of the Safford Educational Travelers. This is the fourth year Linda Hedges has taken a group of local students on an educational experience. Students who went on the trip write all of the stories.)

The day started out slowly. It didn't help that we had to get up at 4 a.m. PST. By the time we were on the bus, we had eaten a modest breakfast, but a lot of us still seemed to be rubbing sleep from our eyes.

As we started off for Philadelphia, a few of the younger students were fast asleep. Along the way, I noticed that everywhere (things) seemed to be covered in green vegetation. I had never seen so much green in my life. The sky was thickly overcast, which I later concluded was pretty much a constant event.

The Safford Educational Travelers visit the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia on Day Two. Contributed photo

We left the bus behind at the National Constitution Center to meet our local guide, Mike. After brief introductions were made, we left on foot toward Independence Hall. Along the way, we stopped at Presidents Washington's and Adams' house. The only thing that remains of the house is a blue and yellow outline of the rooms and perimeter. The actual house had been demolished a long time ago to make room for later developments.

After making our way a quarter of a mile through lush, green lawns, we found ourselves inside the Liberty House Center gazing upon the majesty of the Liberty Bell. The bell was originally cast in 1751, weighed 2,080 pounds and cost £100. During its first use in 1752, the bell cracked, which many people believed symbolized "those who had power and those who didn't." There were two other replacement bells that were recast by John Dock Pass and John Stow of Philadelphia, whose surnames are inscribed on the bell. Pass and Stow added copper to the composition of the alloy used to cast the bell, and the tone of the bell proved unsatisfactory. The two recast the bell yet again, restoring the correct balance of metal, and this third bell was hung in the steeple of the State House in June 1753.

From the Liberty Bell Center we made our way across the street, and Mike led us west on Chestnut Street, where he showed us casts in the sidewalk of all 52 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Each cast had a portrait and the signature of the signer. What was unique was that the casts were each historically accurate based on photographs of the signers. Some showed full face, others partial faces, and one did not have a portrait because no photographs were ever found of him.

The thing that struck me most about these men was that, in declaring their independence, they were also signing their own death warrants. Our guide asked those among us who would be willing to give our life for the betterment of people, and less than a handful said they were willing to do so. I regret to say I was not among them.

After this little venture, Mike led us across the street to stand directly in front of Independence Hall, but instead of going in, we went east on Chestnut Street to Signers Garden, where there stands a bronze statue of The Signer. The Signer, who holds rolled parchment toward the sky, seems to be gazing toward the future of a United States of America.

We then walked a brief distance and stood on the steps of the Second Bank of the United States. Our guide noted that Andrew Jackson had called the bank "a hydra of corruption!" Jackson held the belief that power and responsibility upon a single bank was the cause of inflation and other evil things. The Second Bank was modeled after the Parthenon in Athens.

We continued on our walk and journeyed to Franklin Court, the site of the brick home of Benjamin Franklin, who lived there while serving in the Continental Congress. There is a skeletal structure, also called the "Ghost Structure," that outlines the spot where Franklin's house stood. In the main section of the site were observation platforms that showed individual rooms of the original Franklin house, which included the privy (bathroom) and kitchen. The Ghost Structure was designed by world-famous architect Robert Venturi and built in 1976 to commemorate the Bicentennial. The second structure was the Printing Room.

Soon we were at the Betsy Ross House, the site where Betsy Ross lived when she made the first American flag. Ross was born Jan. 1, 1752, as Elizabeth Griscom. Her house was not actually her house; she rented two rooms — her bedroom and the upholstery room directly above. Betsy made a living as a furniture upholsterer, along with her husband. A committee of three, George Washington, Robert Morris and George Ross, asked her to sew the first American flag.

With a brisk walk to Second Street, we turned the corner to Elfreth's Alley, Philadelphia's oldest and longest-surviving working-class neighborhood. John Gilbert and Arthur Wells opened the alleyway in 1702. Today there are 32 homes, built between 1728-1836, lining the alley. Elfreth's Alley is only 16 feet wide and is named after Jeremiah Elfreth, an 18th-century blacksmith and property owner. It was an interesting walk through time.

From Elfreth's Alley we continued walking toward Benjamin Franklin's grave, located in the Christ Church Burial Ground. We were unable to go inside but looked through the fence, and people threw pennies on his grave. They say it is lucky to throw pennies on his grave. The Burial Ground is one of America's most important Colonial and Revolution-era graveyards. It is the final resting place of some of our most prominent leaders, including Benjamin Franklin and four other signers of the Declaration of Independence.

It was now time to travel back to Independence Hall and say goodbye to our tour guide, Mike. We waited until noon to make our way inside, where we learned about the court procedures of old Colonial time and that the term "standing trial" originated from when the accused would stand in a fenced box, called the dock. We walked across the hall and were in the same room where the debates for the Continental Congress took place. This was the room where it all began and why Philadelphia is called the Birthplace of Democracy. We also saw the original chair that George Washington sat in. There is a debate about the sun engraved on the back of the chair being symbolic of the sun setting on English rule or rising on a new nation. . . what do you think?

After a morning of walking and delving into our nation's history, it was time to eat. We walked to the Bourse. The concept of the Bourse, meaning place of exchange, was brought to Philadelphia in 1890 by George E. Bartol, a grain and commodities exporter. Celebrating more than 100 years as a center for commerce and trade, the Bourse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today it is one of Philadelphia's leading commercial buildings and home to 27 retail and food services and more than 35 businesses.

Next, we walked to the Independence Visitor Center, where we watched a video re-enactment of the preparation and signing of the Declaration of Independence. While we were waiting for the movie to begin, actors in historical clothing entertained us. We also signed our names on real parchment with a quill pen, and the man would add his little squiggle that meant "Forever Free!"

We continued on Independence Mall toward the National Constitution Center, where we watched an actor perform "The Constitution." He described how the Constitution came about and is a living, breathing document. We sat in a dark, circular room, like a planetarium, and as he recited the words, "We, the people," images from our nation's history danced around the room. It was amazing! After that moving tribute, we went to Signer's Hall, where there were bronze castings of the 52 signers. Everyone posed with them in either a humorous or serious stance. It was interesting to see how short these men were. Many of us towered over them. I could have stayed in this room the rest of the afternoon, but it was time to catch our bus and head for dinner at the famous Johnny Rockets on South Street.

After dinner, our bus arrived and Jake, our driver, delivered us safely back to our hotel, where most of us crashed in our rooms, but some decided it was time to have fun at the pool.

At the end of the day, as I lay awake in bed and reflected about what Philadelphia had to offer our young, impressionable minds, I came to the conclusion that Philadelphia offered a window to the past that let us see what events led up to the United States becoming the greatest free nation in the world.