ny style 4th of july

who could ask for a better 4th of july...

as i started the day i thought to myself, that if all plans go as they should, this should be the last time i am in the new york area for the 4th of july for a little while. knowing this i figured how stupid it would be for me to turn down a golden opportunity to see the nyc macy's firework display, so i jumped on the train and made my way to a friend's dumbo studio...for those of you not from the area...dumbo stands for down under manhattan bridge overpass.

after a great train ride with time to read more into "love in the time of cholera", some deep thoughts, and a little nap-i made my way through the less than crowded subway (surprise) and over to what could be one of the greatest places to watch the fireworks from.

the party was small, a nice group of friends ranging in age from 69 to in the womb (due in 2 months). there was good food, a grill rigged up so that we could cook inside (i am sure a fire marshal would have a fit) and a picture perfect window (literally 6'wide by 5' tall) view of the ny skyline, complete with the red, white and blue of the empire state building.

with the sun down and the blimps hovering in anticipation we turned on the radio, turned off the lights and this giant window became our own personal big screen tv on which to watch this event unfold. no bugs, no humidity, air conditioning and front row seats!

the fireworks started promptly at 9:20 ish complete with musical accompaniment on the am radio. the firework display was reportedly the 2nd largest in the history of the macy's firework display. there was the traditional patriotic songs timed with the fireworks, a great version of gershwin's rhapsody in blues ( a personal favorite) and the appropriate rainbow colored fireworks that went with "somewhere over the rainbow". altogether i think there was about 35-40 minutes of twinkles, blasts, glitters, ohhhhsss and aahhhhss and then the applause.

a nyc 4th that i will not soon forget!