Macy’s Fireworks

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 I was so disappointed.  When I turn on the tv to watch fireworks I expect to see, well, fireworks. I can tolerate shots of the singers and musicians who accompany the light show while fireworks go off in the background.  But repeated crowd shots get boring really fast.  And did we really need dancers?


Seriously, they had an hour and a half of air time to showcase the talent, so when it was time for the main event … that’s what the audience should see.

I’m sure Becca enjoyed the fireworks, though.  She and Brendan went up to the roof of their apartment building — they live in the East 20’s, with a perfect view of the East River.

I’ve never seen the Macy’s fireworks except on tv.  I had a chance to see them live once, and Becca is the reason I couldn’t.

July 4, 1992.  The NYC  events were all focused on New York Harbor and the Hudson River.   The Macy’s fireworks would be presented at night, of course.  During the day there’d be a special Op Sail event, a regatta of tall ships in honor of the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage.  

At the time I was working for a company located in Jersey City, NJ.  Our office windows looked out onto the Hudson River, right across from the World Trade Center,   The perfect location to view either the Op Sail event or the fireworks.  

The company opened the building and invited the employees.  Each employee could choose either Op Sail or fireworks,.

I chose … neither. I was pregnant at the time.  Very pregnant.  Very, very pregnant.  As in, July 4 was my due date.  And I didn’t feel comfortable being so far from home — it would have taken almost an hour to get back to our apartment in Queens.

So, instead, I stayed home.  We put Jennifer (then age 20 months) to bed, and we stood on our balcony and watched fireworks all over our neighborhood.

Becca was born 4 days later.

I can’t believe that was 30 years ago …

Comments

  1. Liz A.July 5, 2022 at 5:06 PM

    Maybe one of these days you'll see them live. Personally, I'm bored with fireworks. (From the house I grew up in, I could see Disneyland's nightly fireworks. That gets old, fast.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. songbird's crazy worldJuly 5, 2022 at 9:31 PM

    I would have loved to see fireworks every night

    ReplyDelete
  3. bookwormJuly 6, 2022 at 7:00 PM

    I don't remember fireworks on the East River from my childhood. What I do remember is fireworks in Coney Island, which is some distance from the Bronx housing project I grew up in. But one year my parents took me to the 14th (and top) floor of our apartment building. Near the elevator there were windows, and I could kind of see the fireworks in the distance. I love fireworks, but the one July 4 I spent in New York City (Brooklyn, visiting a friend in 2013) the neighborhood was like one huge fireworks display. And not in a good way, either. She warned me. I thought she was kidding. It went on all night and I mean that literally. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. songbird's crazy worldJuly 6, 2022 at 8:21 PM

      I know. What we saw from our balcony in 1992, none of it was legal or official. In those days John Gotti used to do fireworks for his Howard Beach neighbors. Out here in the ‘burbs they stop around 11 PM, but in the city …

      Delete

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