The Fourth of July is anything but a small event here in DC and I was able to get right in on the action. I started by heading down to the Lincoln Monument around three where the celebration was already in full swing. They had the west side of the mall on lock down so I had to go through security to get in and then I was able to wander around by the memorials and monuments. The number of people that were already out was crazy and then there were also those that had already claimed their spots along the mall. These people were determined to have good seats since they still had six hours before the big show. I was directed down a different walkway then what I normally take because they had closed down one of the main paths for the fireworks to be set up. I was able to see a little bit of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial that is still under construction and should hopefully open before I leave DC this summer. I made my way down the mall towards the Washington Monument and from there went to the festival that the Smithsonian is hosting for the next couple weeks. There were multiple tents with live music and lots of food vendors who had food from around the world. The fourth of July BBQ was happening up by the American Indian Smithsonian although I don't think it was being put on by them but rather just a large group of people making hotdogs and burgers. I made it up to the Capitol where a lot of the damage from the storm had been cleared, with a few tree limbs here and there, and was able to see the large crowd that had already gathered on the west lawn and steps of the Capitol for the concert. It was then a little after 5 and time to go get dinner and drinks with another intern. I was able to learn a little more about the streets of DC after going to the NW instead of SE...oops. I however did find my way to the right spot and was able to get inside a nice air conditioned bar which felt amazing after almost three hours of walking around the the humid heat. After some drinks and pizza we headed back towards the Capitol in hopes of finding some where good to watch the festivities and did we get lucky!! As we were walking down Independence I noticed a sign that staff entrance and decided to ask if that meant Congressional Staff. After being asked what building I worked in and to see my id badge (which I had on me, thank goodness) we were told to go down to the security check point and then we were in. It was a couple more wrong turns and asking with a smile to get through that made it so that we were sitting at the top of the Capitol steps with a good view for the concert and an amazing view for the fireworks. By the time we sat down the concert was starting in twenty minutes and we heard that they had stopped letting more people into the concert. The concert was great with some good old American songs and a few random ones. As soon as the orchestra started to play the Sousa marches the fireworks started going off and there is no way to explain how amazing it was to be sitting right where I was. After the firework show the rest of the night was mainly fighting my way up stream in really big crowds. At the metro station it took about ten minutes just to get through to the platform but then the train came in fairly empty since it had yet to go through the main mall area. By the time I was trying to get off at Foggy Bottom I had to get past three strollers, a wheelchair, and the countless number of people. It was definitely a fourth of July that would be hard to top.
The Fourth of July is anything but a small event here in DC and I was able to get right in on the action. I started by heading down to the Lincoln Monument around three where the celebration was already in full swing. They had the west side of the mall on lock down so I had to go through security to get in and then I was able to wander around by the memorials and monuments. The number of people that were already out was crazy and then there were also those that had already claimed their spots along the mall. These people were determined to have good seats since they still had six hours before the big show. I was directed down a different walkway then what I normally take because they had closed down one of the main paths for the fireworks to be set up. I was able to see a little bit of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial that is still under construction and should hopefully open before I leave DC this summer. I made my way down the mall towards the Washington Monument and from there went to the festival that the Smithsonian is hosting for the next couple weeks. There were multiple tents with live music and lots of food vendors who had food from around the world. The fourth of July BBQ was happening up by the American Indian Smithsonian although I don't think it was being put on by them but rather just a large group of people making hotdogs and burgers. I made it up to the Capitol where a lot of the damage from the storm had been cleared, with a few tree limbs here and there, and was able to see the large crowd that had already gathered on the west lawn and steps of the Capitol for the concert. It was then a little after 5 and time to go get dinner and drinks with another intern. I was able to learn a little more about the streets of DC after going to the NW instead of SE...oops. I however did find my way to the right spot and was able to get inside a nice air conditioned bar which felt amazing after almost three hours of walking around the the humid heat. After some drinks and pizza we headed back towards the Capitol in hopes of finding some where good to watch the festivities and did we get lucky!! As we were walking down Independence I noticed a sign that staff entrance and decided to ask if that meant Congressional Staff. After being asked what building I worked in and to see my id badge (which I had on me, thank goodness) we were told to go down to the security check point and then we were in. It was a couple more wrong turns and asking with a smile to get through that made it so that we were sitting at the top of the Capitol steps with a good view for the concert and an amazing view for the fireworks. By the time we sat down the concert was starting in twenty minutes and we heard that they had stopped letting more people into the concert. The concert was great with some good old American songs and a few random ones. As soon as the orchestra started to play the Sousa marches the fireworks started going off and there is no way to explain how amazing it was to be sitting right where I was. After the firework show the rest of the night was mainly fighting my way up stream in really big crowds. At the metro station it took about ten minutes just to get through to the platform but then the train came in fairly empty since it had yet to go through the main mall area. By the time I was trying to get off at Foggy Bottom I had to get past three strollers, a wheelchair, and the countless number of people. It was definitely a fourth of July that would be hard to top.
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