As Interns, we’re given three months to make the most of our experience with Southwest, so there isn’t a moment to spare!  For the Fourth of July, we wanted to make sure that it was a trip we would never forget, so where our nation was founded seemed to be the obvious choice. Philadelphia here we come!

The best part of Philadelphia was seeing all of its historical aspects.  With a map in hand, we were determined to conquer everything that helped create the original Fourth of July -- Independence Hall, Constitution Center, the Betsy Ross House, the Declaration House, and everything in between.  To make it even more exciting, amidst the tourists were ‘colonists’ in period costumes passing out cake to help celebrate!

By far the highlight of our Philadelphia experience was getting to participate in the Fourth of July parade on the Southwest float.   I was one of the lucky ones whose name was pulled to ride on the float itself--I was so excited! The float was a major hit with the crowds and everyone wanted their own package of peanuts.   It was great to see so many Southwest Employees from across the country get together for such a fun celebration. 

To make our adventure complete, we trekked across Philadelphia for the original Philly cheesesteak.  On opposite corners are two rival cheesesteak restaraunts--Pat’s and Geno’s.  With lines wrapped around each building, our group was divided as to who wanted to eat where, and thus the group split to try “the original” versus “the best”.  It’s definitely the most nerve-wracking meal I’ve ever ordered–-apparently it’s very important that you say your order correctly, “one, wiz, with” or one cheesesteak with cheesewiz and onions.  All of the anxiety was worth it though, it was the best cheesesteak I’ve ever had.

One final Fourth of July must was going to see a baseball game.  Happy to hear that Southwest Interns were excited to be venturing to his city, a very friendly Passenger offered us free tickets to the Phillies game to ensure we made the most of our trip.  Pretzels in hand, there’s nothing like spending the Fourth watching the World Series Champions play the New York Mets!   

Only at Southwest would Interns be given the Freedom to Fly to Philadelphia for the weekend.  All in all, we LUVed our Fourth of July weekend, and I’m convinced that everyone should have a Philly Fourth at least once in their life!