Macy's Fireworks

I've only been a New Yorker for five days, but I've already managed to do a ton of things I've never done before. Yesterday I fit a few firsts into one day: my first time cutting my jeans into shorts (it was pretty hot, to say the least), my first time traveling to New Jersey (not on my way back to Ohio), and my first time seeing the Macy's fireworks in person.

After pretty much a lifetime of watching it on TV, I finally got to see the Thanksgiving parade in real life last November. It was much better to experience first hand, but I think even more is lost in translation when you watch the fireworks on TV. In person, they were spectacular. A major part of the entire fireworks experience is the noise, the crowds, being outside, smelling the smoke and really feeling the explosions as if they were happening inside of your own chest cavity. 

My friend Trent suggested that we take a ferry to New Jersey and watch them from Weehawken, and it turned out to be an amazing spot. For the last five years the fireworks have been over the Hudson, but I'm hoping they return to the East River eventually so I can watch them from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade — can you think of anything more romantic? 

The New Jersey waterfront was surprisingly nice and not anywhere near as hectic or as sweaty as standing in a pen with hundreds of other people in the middle of the 90-degree streets of Manhattan. We even had time to grab some appetizers at what appeared to be the only restaurant in Weehawken — P.F. Chang's (lettuce wraps!) — and walk along the water, stopping every five seconds to take yet another photo of the amazing view.

Although brutally hot and humid during the day, the weather was perfect as the sun went down, and the breeze off the water made it downright pleasant. 

When the fireworks finally started, we realized that there was a streetlamp blocking our view, but we were able to walk a few feet and had an amazing view of the show. I've always loved everything about fireworks, and I think they are the perfect way to celebrate America — they're ridiculous, extravagant and in-your-face, and the Macy's show was no exception. 

They did throw in the occasional shaped firework, which I'm never really a fan of — I feel like 90% of the time you're straining to guess what they're supposed to look like. I did catch a glimpse of a smiley face, but it's the huge, glittering, classic firework that I love. There was one particular group of enormous, gold, sparkling fireworks that pictures, of course, can never do justice, but that didn't stop me from trying to capture every moment. 

Trent and I have already discussed trying to view the fireworks from a different place each year, and maybe one day we'll be rich enough to take one of those fancy cruises and watch from the river with a drink or two in our hands. But until then, paying $9 for the Weehawken ferry isn't a bad alternative.