Our Fourth of July

How was everyone's holiday weekend? Did you have a wonderful Fourth of July? We sure did! It was so nice to have Eric home for the long weekend. We did some fun things and had a great time together, even with this suffocating heatwave we've had going on. I think I read that this Fourth of July was the fourth hottest in NYC history! And it hasn't let up yet - even now as I sit here in my living room, my poor little air-conditioning has been cranking all morning and it just can't even keep up with this heat. I picture it being all "I think I can, I think I can," The Little Engine That Could-style. You can do it, AC!

Our weekend got off to a pretty slow start. As I mentioned on Friday, I wasn't feeling very well so Friday night we stayed in and watched a movie. Saturday morning Eric got up early and played golf, and as soon as he got home I went to the doctor for what was quickly diagnosed as a sinus infection and PINK EYE. Apparently, I'm falling apart at the seams. I am happy to report that after putting drops in my eyes every four hours and downing antibiotics like it's my job, I am now feeling much better! But, Saturday night was a quiet one, too - another movie, more relaxing. I was DETERMINED to be healthy for the Fourth of July!

 Our festive window decor, putting a flag over our view for the Fourth!
(Window decor courtesy of Target. Love me some Target.)

In light of my less-than-perfect health and the predicted sweltering heat, we decided to skip the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island this year. We had a great time last year and had seriously considered going again, but I just couldn't imagine standing out there on the hot pavement in these temperatures when I didn't feel well. Plus, we heard that Takeru Kobayashi would not be competing, so the big Kobayashi v. Chestnut drama wasn't there. This year Joey Chestnut won easily, but only ate 54 hot dogs (in 10 minutes, mind you), which is nothing compared to last year's record-setting number of 68. So we thought we made a good decision, because...boring. But even without competing, Kobayashi made news by showing up in the crowd and then storming the stage after the contest, resulting in his arrest. Drama! So we did miss some excitement!

Takeru Kobayashi being arrested at the Hot Dog Eating Contest on July Fourth

(photo from here)

We did record the Hot Dog Eating Contest to watch later, of course. Let me tell you - it's much more disgusting on TV than in person. At least in person you don't get the closeups of them stuffing soggy buns in their faces, you just see them jumping up and down and it's kind of funny. On TV it's just plain gross.

Instead of watching the Superbowl of Gluttony, we decided to head to lower Manhattan to see what was going on. We took the subway to Chambers Street, where we spent a few moments wandering through St. Paul's Chapel, which is always so moving. I'm not sure I've ever blogged about St. Paul's before, have I? In case I haven't, St. Paul's is the oldest public building in NYC and is located adjacent to the World Trade Center site. It is where President George Washington worshiped after his inauguration. In the aftermath of September 11th, it served as a resting place for workers sorting through the rubble. Cots were set up for workers to rest and the fences surrounding the chapel were covered in pictures, flowers, and other memorabilia as a makeshift memorial to the 9/11 victims. I actually remember my first trip to NYC, just six months after September 11th - the headstones in the cemetery of St. Paul's were still blown over from the force of the towers falling. It was really incredible. Now you can walk through St. Paul's and read about their relief ministry and how the church served those workers. It's really touching.

Memorial altar at St. Paul's, covered with fliers left outside the church as relatives searched for their missing loved ones, as well as mass cards brought following the tragedy.

Fireman's uniform left on a pew at St. Paul's

After leaving St. Paul's we walked over to Battery Park. They were preparing for a concert there, and there was an adorable little marching band walking around playing "76 Trombones." Festive!

View of the Statue of Liberty from behind the East Coast WWII Memorial

Festive picnic tables in Battery Park, which a cute little marching band behind them

VIDEO: Small marching band in Battery Park

We then made our way around lower Manhattan some more, through a street festival (and you know how I love a good street festival) and back over to City Hall Park, which we had never actually walked through before.

Ah, a wonderful sight - a street festival!

Pretty fountain in City Hall Park

At 2:00, we met up with a group outside City Hall Park for a Revolutionary New York walking tour. It was a very cool way to spend our afternoon on the Fourth of July! The tour took us all around lower Manhattan, both to places we've already been (Trinity Church, St. Paul's Chapel, Federal Hall) and to others we hadn't (Fraunces Tavern, Stone Street, etc.). Even at the places we have already explored, we learned lots of interesting facts about their revolutionary history.

Cemetery at St. Paul's Chapel

The Equitable Building, which actually changed building codes for Manhattan. It was a landmark skyscraper, the largest in the world at the time of its completion in 1915. It was so high (38 stories) and so close to the sidewalk that it cast a huge shadow and really made the sidewalk feel "crowded." In light of this, buildings now have to have different tiers (like a wedding cake) at certain heights to preserve the sunlight, or have to be set back a certain distance from the street with a portion of their sidewalk space being designated as space for public use (benches, etc.). Interesting, eh?

The always beautiful Trinity Church. Did you know that this steeple is actually it's third incarnation since Trinity was first built? The first was destroyed by a snowstorm, and the second in the Great Fire of 1835.

Downtown scenery

By the Stock Exchange (trying to beat the heat with a hat on my head and water bottle clutched in hand!)

George Washington looking very stately at Federal Hall, sight of his inauguration. (Although Federal Hall is another building that is not the original, for various reasons. That seemed to be the story of the day on our tour - only St. Paul's is still authentic!)

Our tour group listening to our guide at Stone Street (our guide is the girl with the hat and the orange bag)

Historic Stone Street, originally built for merchants after the Great Fire of 1835. Now it is pedestrians-only, and offers lots of cute cafes and bars featuring outdoor dining in warm weather. I found it so charming!

After our tour we went home to cool off and get something to eat. We had a great all-American meal of hot dogs, corn on the cob and watermelon. Yum! Then we rested up a bit before heading out for the fireworks.

So festive!

To be honest, we considered skipping the fireworks this year. I was so exhausted and really didn't feel like dealing with crowds. And New Yorkers are so incredibly early for everything, so we were planning to leave at 7:00 for the 9:30 fireworks display, and I just wasn't sure I felt like hanging out in the heat for two and a half hours. But, we figured we may as well head out there anyway. I mean, how can you live just two blocks from one of the greatest fireworks displays in the nation and stay in and watch it on TV? That just doesn't seem right.

And we were very glad we went. For some reason (maybe the heat), the crowds by our apartment were much lighter this year. Last year, we couldn't even get over to the Hudson via our street - we had to walk about three blocks north to get over there, and then it was so crowded we walked six blocks south to find a spot. This year we strolled right in from our street and there was a huge open pen right there! We set up shop right up front by the barricades and waited. The crowds never got nearly as bad as last year, so it was actually really nice.

Lounging around on our blanket, trying to kill a couple hours!

Crowds gathering behind us (those trees are Dewitt Clinton Park, which is where I often take Achilles to the dog park!)

Helicopters flying past

Beautiful sunset

Just laying around on the West Side Highway (and sporting my glasses - thanks a lot, PINK EYE.)

Happy to spend another Fourth of July together!

The show started right on time and was spectacular! I was so glad we went. I just love fireworks. For me, Fourth of July fireworks always inspire me to think of July Fourths past. I have very vivid memories of so many different fireworks displays, and thinking back to them reminds me of so many different points in my life, both good and bad. As a kid, I remember running around in the grass at Tri-C (Cuyahoga Community College) with my cousins, waiting for the fireworks to start. When they did we would all gather on a big blanket and "ooh" and "aahhh" together. I loved those nights. On the other hand, I also remember the Fourth of July when my parents were in the process of splitting up. Things were tense but we all went to the beach by the St. Petersburg Pier for the Fourth of July. I remember sitting on that blanket for the last time as a four-person family, just praying that this was not the end for my family, but sensing that it was. That year was hard. But, I remember another Fourth a year or two later, back at the Pier with my dad and Heather for an 'N Sync concert (before they were really huge), watching the fireworks and feeling really content. I remember going to Clearwater Beach for fireworks displays during high school, and I remember watching the glow of them from my first apartment balcony in D.C. In 2007, I watched the D.C. fireworks from a friend's rooftop, while Eric was in New York City as a summer associate. I missed him so much but was so excited for our upcoming wedding. Then last year, I remember sitting on a blanket with him - our first fireworks together in years - watching the NYC display after a completely awesome New York day. I'm so blessed to have so many wonderful, vivid memories to look back on, and even the not-so-good ones have made me the person I am today, so I can't be sad about that.

Like all those fireworks past, I hope I always remember this year's display, too. They were so beautiful.

The fireworks are set up in perfect unison from five barges along the Hudson River

These Saturn ones were a big hit!

I loved these, that just looked like colors dripping down from the sky.

Smiley faces!

I liked this one, with one of New York's Finest walking by

Beautiful!

VIDEO: The last moments of the NYC Fireworks from our point of view

Another thing that made this year's fireworks special to me was knowing that my family was at home watching them on TV. Now, I don't wish my family to be stuck at home thanks to a rainy Fourth, of course! But I knew they were, and it was kind of cool to me to know that even though we live so far apart, we were watching the same fireworks. My mom even called me immediately after the show was over to say how incredible they were! Unfortunately, we didn't get to hear the music they were set to, but I found some video of it online and she was right - they were spectacular. In case you missed it and would like to see, check out these videos: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

And that was our Fourth of July! After the fireworks we made a quick stop at our grocery store then went home and pretty much crashed. We did do more fun stuff on Monday, but I'll save that for another post!

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday as much as we did!