Last year we went and did the iconic DC Independence Day celebration of fireworks and concert on the steps of the Capitol Building. It was lovely, it was fun, I'm glad we did it at least once. It was also an exhausting day of lines and crowds.
One year latter, much of the shine and excitement of living in DC has largely worn off. It didn't take long for things to go from awe over the abundance of picturesque monuments and living history to just being annoyed by the tourists they bring. It's the funny thing that happens when you live someplace. People will travel from all over to see what you just stroll on by.
All I really wanted was to walk 5 minutes, watch some pretty fireworks, and walk home. Being about 5 miles away from the mall and surrounded by some very lovely, very obscuring trees, I didn't think that was a possibility. Still, as much as I tried to psyche myself up for spending several hours commuting downtown and being shoved around in a mass of humanity, I just couldn't quite bring myself to do it. But spending the 4th indoors, doing nothing more festive than watching 1776 (I've said it before and I'll say it again, John Adams is strangely attractive in that movie) just seemed wrong. I really do like fireworks. I always looked forward to them as a kid. They were bright and pretty and festive, and just happened once a year, which kept them all special. They're nostalgic, they just feel like America and the fourth of July. I see fireworks, and I can almost taste the bbq and watermelon. They're simple, but they just feel warm and good. I didn't want to go two years without sparkly explosions in my life.
Fortunately about an hour before dusk, when I had kind of given up on going out, Zach remembered that there was a decent view from over by the National Cathedral, which happens to be about 5 minutes walk from us. neither of us could quite remember just what you could see from there, but it seemed worth a try.
We showed up to find a few hundred people happily spread out over the south lawn of the cathedral, gazing down onto a clear view of the Capitol and the Washington Monument. It was perfect. Being in school, I tend to miss being around nice, normal families, and there was something special about just sitting back and people watching, being drawn in for a moment into the family feel of those around us.
And then it started. At first with a few tiny bits of color, we could barely see, but before long there they were, big and beautiful. Just how I remembered. And then that was that, and 5 minutes latter we were back home, having had a perfectly hassle free night.
Which is also the nice thing about having lived someplace for a while. I'm less likely to get as excited by all the big iconic things as I used to, but there is something sweet about discovering the little hidden treasures too.
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