you've seen one fireworks display, you've seen 'em all.

the things they can do with pyrotechics these days. I was expecting the grand finale to be "Shop Macy's Fourth of July clearance tomorrow"


Up until the firework display, today didn’t seem like fourth of july. And even then, without the possibility of going back home to light some work fireworks, I still didn’t feel any overwhelming holiday cheer. I watched Macy’s firework display over the East Hudson from the FRD highway -- there was no entry or exith from 14th to 42nd so spectators could fill the ramps. I went with a group of people and we laid some blankets. It surprisingly wasn’t very crowded, much less so than even the Kirkland fireworks, but that was mostly because there’s so many spots all around the city to watch them from that it didn’t matter. During the show, you could see camera flashes going off from the top of the Empire State Building and watch the light reflect off lower-midtowns skyline. We were fortunate enough to be seating within earshot of someone’s radio so we could here the proverbial stars and stripes soundtrack. There was this Asian guy next to us conducting with the show. At one point, he turned to us, gesturing upward with the tips of his fingers pulled together, and said “It’s alive! It’s alive!” He was magnificent. But I tell ya, if you've seen one firework display, seen ‘em all.

I did see a family coming back from the fireworks display, on their way to the train. Mom was pushing a stroller with a baby and the dad was smoking a cigarette and he and the oldest daughter, about six or seven, were throwing pops at each other. That’s the closest I came to seeing anything that resembled the way the fourth should be: baseball game on the radio in the afternoon, good music at night, family, a bonfire, lots of beer, fireworks and a grill. Then you’re set.