And The Rockets' Red Glare... Part I

I changed my 4th of July plans at the last minute yesterday... My original plan was to mingle with the 3 million other people slated to pack into the FDR expressway to gaze at the ceremonious explosions over the East River. That's what I did last year, and I was utterly blown away by how entertaining and moving it was... Nestled in with throngs of strangers, a bevy of Neil Young cds (this was pre-iPod) at my side, I sat with my neck craned and watched the ashy remnants trickle down toward us, the thunderous explosions echoing off the buildings at our back so the booming noise came from all different directions...

Okay, I've romanticized it enough, especially since the point of this post was that I DIDN'T do that this year. Instead, I joined Ben and Aimee on the rooftop deck of a friend for whom Aimee is cat-sitting. I wasn't as enthralled by the experience this time around, partially since the fireworks were much farther away and the noise wasn't as devastatingly loud, but the view afforded me some great snaps. From our roof, we could see two of the city's displays, plus countless smaller "renegade" ones. All throughout the night, the sounds of cracklers and bottle rockets echoed through the streets.

These are the highlights from what I shot... To keep this post from getting too bloated, I'm breaking it up into four sections. While I was scanning through what I shot last night, Zack and I commented on how many of them seem like makeshift Rorschach tests...

Since these pictures can (and should) speak for themselves, I'll try to keep my extemporaneous comments to a minimum, but I make no promises... I'll start with the "non-firework" favorites from the night.


***************


The spectators watching from an adjacent rooftop.


The hundreds of tiny light squiggles look like people swimming. Remember what I was saying about those Rorschach tests? Well they're totally subjective...


The smoky landscape to the south.


Aimee and Ben stare off into the distance. Awwwwww...... [Imagine this caption read in Strong Bad's voice. Go ahead, try it.]


These people look like they're partying at the apartment of their good friend, The Secret Of Life. There he is, that amorphous ball of blinding heavenly light peering out the door.


This is my favorite picture of the whole night. That's all I'll say.


[Click to check out PART II, PART III, and PART IV for more firework pictures than you could ever want to see! No really, they're cool and I'm proud of them. Check them out. Or don't. I was just made by the Presbyterian Church.]


*****N*T*G*****