San Diego's got it's work cut out for it.
I love the Fourth of July. Always have. My hometown is one of those smallish Midwestern towns that takes pride in showing it's patriotism and community spirit. That being the case, the first 22 Independence Days of my life were filled with small town parades, family picnics, duck races, and carnival games.
Oh, and fireworks. Lots and lots of fireworks. For some reason I don't entirely understand, my hometown puts on a pretty impressive fireworks display every year (Maybe it's because Lew's Fireworks is headquartered in Watertown? Maybe there's a discount?) Also, my brother is something of a fireworks artist. He can take the rinky-dinkiest of bottle rockets and make it into something spectacular (imagine a tube that allows you to shoot the bottle rocket into a body of water, such as a lake or pond, then imagine the way that water would light up when the bottle rocket explodes in it). Anwyay, fireworks were always my favorite part of the Fourth.
Then I moved to DC, where the fireworks display became one of my favorite events of the year. Each of the past three summers, I've watched the DC firewords display from a balcony at the Captiol. Take a girl from South Dakota, give her a job she loves and then tell her that she gets what is arguably one of the best seats in town for the Capitol concert and fireworks show and you've got a happy girl. On top of that, I was able to bring friends and family along each year.
Taking my parents last year was one of the highlights of my time in DC (it was the first Fourth that my dad have ever spent outside of Watertown). We listened to the concert, watched the fireworks, and then wandered through the Capitol. I've written before about how much I love the Capitol building so I'll just say now that I love it just as much when it's quiet and dark as I do when it's bright and bustling with people. At night, you'll come around a corner in the Senate corridors and find windows with incredible views of the glowing dome. Also, as a history dork, I found it easy to imagine the building's past when I was walking down a dark, worn marble staircase or peeking through the shadows of the Statuary Hall.
Anyway, I've been looking forward to this weekend's roadtrip for a while now and I'm sure San Diego will be great. It's not my typical Fourth of July (it looks to be a little short on both the fireworks and the national monuments), but beaches, sunshine, and burritos are always good. Have a fun, safe weekend wherever you are and go see some fireworks if you can.
Oh, and fireworks. Lots and lots of fireworks. For some reason I don't entirely understand, my hometown puts on a pretty impressive fireworks display every year (Maybe it's because Lew's Fireworks is headquartered in Watertown? Maybe there's a discount?) Also, my brother is something of a fireworks artist. He can take the rinky-dinkiest of bottle rockets and make it into something spectacular (imagine a tube that allows you to shoot the bottle rocket into a body of water, such as a lake or pond, then imagine the way that water would light up when the bottle rocket explodes in it). Anwyay, fireworks were always my favorite part of the Fourth.
Then I moved to DC, where the fireworks display became one of my favorite events of the year. Each of the past three summers, I've watched the DC firewords display from a balcony at the Captiol. Take a girl from South Dakota, give her a job she loves and then tell her that she gets what is arguably one of the best seats in town for the Capitol concert and fireworks show and you've got a happy girl. On top of that, I was able to bring friends and family along each year.
Taking my parents last year was one of the highlights of my time in DC (it was the first Fourth that my dad have ever spent outside of Watertown). We listened to the concert, watched the fireworks, and then wandered through the Capitol. I've written before about how much I love the Capitol building so I'll just say now that I love it just as much when it's quiet and dark as I do when it's bright and bustling with people. At night, you'll come around a corner in the Senate corridors and find windows with incredible views of the glowing dome. Also, as a history dork, I found it easy to imagine the building's past when I was walking down a dark, worn marble staircase or peeking through the shadows of the Statuary Hall.
Anyway, I've been looking forward to this weekend's roadtrip for a while now and I'm sure San Diego will be great. It's not my typical Fourth of July (it looks to be a little short on both the fireworks and the national monuments), but beaches, sunshine, and burritos are always good. Have a fun, safe weekend wherever you are and go see some fireworks if you can.
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