Fourth Of July Pluses and Minuses
As is our custom, I took my daughter, now age 8, to the Queens side of the East River to see the fireworks last night. Some of our family visiting from Maryland and Barbados joined us as well. There were upsides and downsides to this year's show.
First, the downsides: (1) It rained. (2) For whatever reason, the NYPD decided to close off the three blocks that provide the best view, leaving those of us who always head there to be crowded into one another against barricades, rather than setting up folding chairs wherever we like in a disorganized but uncrowded mess, as we've done for years now.* But hey, I'm sure it thwarted the evildoers. (3) Some power-tripping NYPD captain decided he had to drive right through the middle of this packed crowd just when the finale was starting. This, of course, took him the entire remaining 8 minutes of the show, with the able assistance of a cadre of rookies walking ahead of his car, after which he parked his fat ass in the middle of the street, amply demonstrating that he was lying over his loudspeaker about an emergency situation and really had no reason to do so other than that he wanted to and could.
The upsides. (1) It's not often in life you get to lean into the open window of the squad car of a police captain and explain to him in detail how ironic it is that Independence Day celebrates a revolt from just the type of heavy-handed, thoughtless use of power that he so blithely assumes is his right (ok, fine, so I was exaggerating, just go with it), while he stares ahead like he isn't hearing you and some of the crowd cheer you on. (2) Together with the crowded subway ride, it was a true New York experience, no Disney effects required, for my Bajan guests. (3) When a dozen or so folks in the crowd started chanting "USA! USA!" during the show, my daughter leaned down from her perch on my shoulders to say, in a suitably world-weary tone, "tourists." That's my girl, all right.
*Pre-9/11, a few of us used to park motorcycles on the middle of the span of the 59th Street Bridge and watch the fireworks at eye-level from the bridge's maintenance decks. I can understand why they cut that one off, but while it lasted it was the most romantic free show you could ever imagine happening in New York.
posted by QueensGuy @ 5:43 AM
5 Comments:
You left out one upside- The Yankees lost (again)
Funny now that actually suck, nobody chants it anymore
So let me see if I understand you. According to New Yorkers, shouting "USA! USA!" is for rubes.
Well, anon, it's a bit more subtle than that. If we were, e.g., at the first Mets game after 9/11 and the national anthem just concluded, or at the Olympics with our national soccer team playing in front of us, shouting "USA! USA!" would be deemed appropriate and indeed encouraged by all New Yorkers. But doing so at a rather run-of-the-mill fireworks show in the rain? Yeah, that's for the rubes.
p.s. See, NE'Guy, how easy it is to bring that misery back on yourself? We never say the words "perfect game" during one, nor anything about the Yankees until AFTER they're swept...
This is the kind of charm that's endeared New Yorker's to the rest of the country.
We're not making fun of anyone for chanting it; we're just not participating while (admittedly) feeling trivially more sophisticated. If that's enough to offend your sensibilities and/or reinforce your prejudices, so be it. We'll still be happy to offer you directions when you get lost on the subway.
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