July Fourth!

Ever since I decided that I would be in Boston, I've planned to go to the Boston Pops July Fourth extravaganza. There was somewhere else I wanted to be on July Fourth (BBQ on a roof, anyone?), but c'mon, can you really just let an eight-year-old dream die like that?

I bought those little blue ice pack things, sunscreen (SPF 45), bug spray, water and food. I brought my hat, sunglasses, cash, flip flops, books and iPod. I dragged along a blanket, a tarp, an umbrella and a pillow. I was so prepared. Rain or shine, Charles River Esplanade, here I come!

This being Boston, where the Revolutionary War basically started (technicalities aside), they're pretty patriotic here. Not only do we have "Patriot's Day" off in April, there was also no school on July 3. Exciting, huh? So I spent July 3 interviewing for summer jobs and obsessing over July Fourth. I found out online that gates open at 9 a.m., but people start lining up at DAWN. I got stuff ready the night before and woke up at 3:30 a.m. to shower, pack some more and ... wait until 5 a.m., when the first T train runs.

I get there at five till 6, and where were already lots of people there. Apparently, there were people who planned to camp overnight, but Boston police wouldn't let them until 3:30 a.m., so they had to mill around the area until then. By the time 8:30 a.m. rolled around, the lines (there were three) wound around trees, gates, concession stands .... madness.

When the gates opened, security checked every bag that everybody brought and gave everyone a wristband, but after that, it was a free-for-all. The group of us who got there around 6 claimed the spaces somewhere in the middle of the field called the Oval. My perch was literally in the middle of the Oval. It was perfect.

See? A perfect spot. Notice the flag in the middle is a colonial flag.

From 9:30 a.m. until 8:30 a.m., when the concert starts, it's just me, books and sun. Until it started to rain. At 2 p.m. And 4:30. And around 7. This is where the (waterproof) tarp and umbrella came in handy. Around 8 p.m., there are people crammed in every grass space available, and organizers have stopped giving out wristbands to entry.

The concert was spectacular. Amazing. Definitely worth all the wait. And Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were awesome. Of course, everyone left after Steven and Joe and didn't get to hear "Stars and Stripes Forever." Confetti flew. Fireworks exploded. People cheered. Fantastic!

Rockapella!

Many people missed out on the confetti.

I love Keith Lockhart. Did you know that he got his undergrad at Furman in Greenville?

Another secret crush: broadcast journalism. gag. OK, so print also makes dumb mistakes. But we employ copy editors.

The fireworks ended at 11 p.m., and I got back to my apartment around 12:30 a.m. Utterly exhausted, and there was class the next day. :(