As we all know, this weekend was Fourth of July weekend. I was so happy to have a day off work and a three day weekend. It was definitely nice. We didn't really make any plans for the 4th ahead of time, so we just decided we would go down by the river and see the New York City fireworks that we had heard so much about.
We arrived early, because we wanted to guarantee ourselves a spot. We got a spot all right. On the pavement in the middle of the blocked off road. I guess we were naive to think that we would be able to go down on one of the piers or sit in the grassy areas by the river. Nope. All of that space was reserved for private parties and events. I can't tell you how many times we heard, "You don't have a ticket? Turn around." So we ended up on the road with all the other measly commoners.
Everything about NYC has to be made to seem so exclusive. Even just a simple viewing of the fireworks. Instead, we were left feeling like the kids who weren't invited to the party, but could hear all the fun from the outside. Live performers, open bars, dancing. All within an ear shot. It was a little bit depressing...
But that's okay. We didn't let it ruin our night. We packed a spread of all kinds of snacks and appetizers and picnicked until the show. Our spot on the pavement was right in front of a group of NY Police Officers. We made friends with them and loved eaves dropping on their conversations. Funny guys. They acted exactly like I thought they would and all had a thick New York accent. There was even a threat scare, when a french woman came up to the officers and said there was an unattended black bag under the tree near by. The officers went to check it out, and luckily, it was just a false alarm. It was just a bag someone had set down by accident. Afterwards, the police returned to their spot and we could hear them laughing and telling jokes about the situation. I guess in order to live with situations like that day in a day out you have to be able to make light of them every now and then.
The fireworks were AMAZING. There are six barges on the river, and they all set off the fireworks in sync with one another. It lit up over a mile of New York sky. It was so beautiful.
I love the fourth of July. It's one of the few days of the year where everyone matches each other in stripes, red, white, and blue, and every one in America just has a good time celebrating the one thing we all have in common:our freedom.
Here's a little song we all know and love.
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