Posted on 07/05/2011 1:24:49 PM PDT by no gnu taxes
Now that 4th is over, I will make my rant.
Don't get me wrong -- I have nothing against the custom. But you have to get there 2 hours early to be able to park anywhere close to an area you can view the event. The show lasts about 30-40 minutes, and then it takes you 2 hours to get out of the parking lot.
I don't have the patience for this anymore. I think last night is the last one I'll be attending.
We went to shows on 2 different nights.
Saturday we “tail gated” afterwards with libations, grub, and lots of bug spray.
For the other, we made a mad dash just as the finale started and were one of the first out of the lot.
So you can be sure that entire ridges don't light up with colored fire on July 3,4,5.
And you can be darn sure there weren't any exploding pyrotechnic devices on my property ...
We gave ‘em up years ago. We’ll watch stuff from afar, which is cool in itself, but I don’t do “high human density” events in the Seattle area.
That said, I did the one last year by our farm in Kentucky and it was a blast. So many of us know each other to one degree or another that it’s kind of like a family event. The crowd is also smaller and although the congestion is just as bad, it’s only for a couple of blocks and then you’re fine. :)
Pretty much everything is a lot more fun in rural areas. Everything is more, uh, real.
Amen my fellow (old?) person. lol I sopped going years ago. I love ‘em, but it takes many an hour just to get there and get home and that’s just not for me anymore.
Give me a good sparkler and a back yard. =)
Yep. I just drive to the beach. People shoot fireworks illegaly all up and down the coast. Very pretty
Same in Tennessee...up on the roof for the best seat in town!
2 hours in and 2 hours out??!!
I don’t blame you for not going. Where did you attend the event? In Central Park NY City?!
My town (about 18,000 residents) has July 4th fireworks sponsored by the local chamber of commerce and free ice-cream in the park behind the public library. You can walk, or park your car down the street. Bring a lawn-chair and a blanket. People know each other, and kids can play while adults visit with each other. Its a conservative town, rather Normal Rockwell-esque and I love it.
I’m convinced that if the FEDs and even State Gov’t ceased to exist, we in our town could come up with a solution to nearly every problem we could ever face. Local Gov’t was how America became great - and how we once used to govern ourselves in this country.
>>You seen one you’ve seen them all.
The older you get, the less impressed you are by them. I’ve been over them for a long time.<<
I’m pretty much in the same boat. On a related note, I don’t have a mobile of bright colored animals over my crib, uh, I mean, bed, any more.
I dumped the mobile when I turned 40. I’m SOOOO over it now.
If you think it would be any better on TV fogitaboudit. I watched Washington, NY and Boston. Overun with entertainers doing a gig. Next year I’ll tape and blow past the crap and get to the good 4th of July military music at the end with the good fireworks.
On the plus side, I remember way back and my family giving up on Independence Day fireworks shows, because there were just too many people who wanted to be there. And all these years later, Americans still want to celebrate their Independence Day.
Okay, so it’s crowded. That’s a lot better, if you think about it, than if nobody cared.
I have long thought that, outside of places that are tinder dry, that it’s the same type of politician that opposes firecrackers and fireworks, that, if given their druthers, also oppose the right of citizens to own guns.
Yeah, there’s that “safety” issue. Guns kept in the home will kill your children, don’tya know? Oh, yeah, fireworks, too.
Maybe it’s time to have fireworks freedom, too.
Same here. Ours are in Comanche, Texas, which was rated in the top 10 shows in Texas Monthly magazine. Not bad for a town of about 3,500. My extended family all meet ahead of time in an open area, bring watermelons, snacks and drinks and have a great time. The visiting beforehand is one of my favorite times of the year! And the fireworks are pretty impressive,too!
I’m with you. The food, fun, camaraderie, music, fireworks, and unabashed displays of patriotism, far outweigh the short-lived hassle of parking and traffic.
I took my four kids last night to our city’s Independence Day bash, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The kids had a blast.
Instead of fighting with the out-rushing horde at the end, we just gave it about twenty minutes for the mad dash to decrease to a tolerable level, and made our exit. Took all of five minutes, and we were in the breeze.
I live in flyover country. The fireworks in Eitzen, Minnesota were great last night. We watched from our car as a local AM radio station was played patriotic songs. It took us about 45 seconds to get from our viewing location to the highway. Being a “clinger” has its rewards...
Yeah ...
I think I'll "get over" shooting, eating tasty food, and sleeping with my wife.
After all, you've done it once you've done it a thousand times.
Boooooring ...
There were so many fireworks going off in my neighborhood last night that my car was speckled with ashes this morning.
I understand what you are saying. We usually go to one that we can walk to in our neighborhood. Last night we went to one in another town at my brother in-law’s neighborhood. It was extremely crowded. He got there at 9 in the morning to get a table in a good area. We didn’t get there until after 6 p.m. So it was convenient for us, but he had to stake out a spot all day. It was a nice area though.
We show up 3 hours early and get the best parking spot. I then walk over to Chucky Cheese with the kids for dinner and a couple of hours of games. We walk back to the car and get ice cream from one of the ice cream trucks in the parking lot. We play cards in the back of the Suburban for the remainder of the wait (less than an hour).
Over the years we have found the fastest way out. If we loop back behind the Hilton, we only have to wait 10 minutes for them to open the road and then a 15 minute ride home.
Well, we didn’t even have fireworks in most central Texas cities because of the drought. Normally, we walk to the #1 green next to our street and watch from there. We can also go to a hilltop about 1.5 miles from the house and see three or four different shows.
My daughter goes to college in a small town. They had a wonderful fireworks display last night. She said they parked in the Ace Hardware parking lot about a mile away and had a wonderful view with no crowds no hassle.
As I live in a large city, I would not go to one of those things if they paid me. I used to take my daughter when she was a kid and paid my dues with crowds and little kids.
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