DC Fireworks!

Yesterday I experienced my first ever Fourth of July in a big city, and it wasn't just any big city, it was DC!

Well, technically I never left Arlington, but that's just getting technical.

My friend and I decided that rather than braving the crazy crowds that were clogging up the metro and the National Mall, we'd take it easy and walk over to the Air Force Memorial to watch the fireworks instead. What a great idea.

Air Force Memorial

For those of you who don't know, the Air Force Memorial is on a hill in Arlington that over looks DC and the surrounding area. From there you can see the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, Arlington Nat'l Cemetery, and the Pentagon. More importantly, you can see the National Mall's fireworks display. Added bonus? You can also see the fireworks displays from tons of surrounding areas... no lie, the whole of the skyline was filled with fireworks. It was awesome.

USAF Band playing the 1812 Overture

The USAF Band was playing a Fourth of July concert when we got there, which was very cool. I absolutely loved that they played the 1812 Overture at the end of the concert, complete with cannons (which totally freaked out the little girl who was sitting next to us) at the end. They were super loud and bright, but we were also basically sitting right next to them.

Smoke from the cannon fire...
So glad they included them!

As soon as the overture ended, the big fireworks show started. It was very cool to watch fireworks bursting over DC, although it made me realize how much I love watching fireworks in the valley. You see, one of my favorite things about fireworks is the sounds they make... I love the booms and crackles and wizzes. These sounds are magnified 10-fold at home because the sounds bounce off the mountains and reverberate through the valley. In the city, which is relatively flat and mountainless, the fireworks made almost no noise. It was crazy!

Fireworks over DC.
To the right you can see the Washington Monument.

On the way home, we each picked up an American flag from the information booth. It was a great end to what has so far been quite the stressful week!

Happy Fourth of July everyone!