BBQ & Fireworks

For having lived here all my life, there are many basic Bostonian things I’ve never done. Until this year, I had never gone to the marathon. And I had never seen the Boston Pops/fireworks spectacular.

I fought my way through freezing, gross, drizzle to watch the marathon for a whole five minutes before I deemed myself miserable and went inside for a beer.

Fourth of July, however, I decided to stick it through. Visited the fam for a wonderful barbeque under the gorgeous July sun... Unfortunately, the sun suddenly disappeared behind thick gray clouds, and the rain started. It was light, but it was cold. My cousins, aunt and uncle, who watch the fireworks every single year in the exact same spot, were undeterred.

We braved the rain. I didn’t have a raincoat, an umbrella, or even a hood. And I was in heels. (Yes, my own fault, I know. Still, I’m going to wine about it.) We arrived in the “usual” spot... three and a half hours early. Seriously.

“Normally you can’t even move by now, because it’s so crowded,” the family explained. Maybe that’s true... but this year, we were just one of three very small groups standing in the middle of Storrow Drive.

That’s what struck me immediately. I’m standing, totally unprotected, feeling oddly vulnerable, in the middle of the asphalt that — every other time in my life — has been packed with quickly moving cars. I’m standing in the middle of a highway.

The rain continued to fall, washing away the excitement of location. By the time the Pops started, I was on the brink of bailing. It was cold. It was wet. And I was less than intrigued.

Hanging out with the family kept me rooted to the spot. When the fireworks started, I was glad.

All my life, I’ve only ever seen fireworks on Cape Cod... or in the distant horizon, as I watched them explode over the Med from the safety & height of Cap Camarat. The year the Falmouth barge caught on fire — that was a show... and every other year was a cute little display of lights. We made our own fun with sparklers and, later in life, beer.

But Boston does it differently. I have never seen anything like it in my life! It was magic. An impressive half-hour display of synchronized lights and music, gloriously exploding shapes, a mirage of sparkling colors. I was in awe of ancient China… and impressed by how much technology today allows us to do.

But the street was empty(ish). When I headed over, an veteran Boston Pops/Fireworks goer said, “The most amazing thing is that you’re there, sitting in the middle of Storrow Drive, with a half million other people. It’s like New Years in Times Square.” That, I missed.


I did, however, encounter the millions of other people on my travels home… which absolutely sucked.