Celebrating the 4th DC Style

My first 4th of July in DC! I was very excited to celebrate our nation's birthday in the nation's capital, but I was sorely disappointed in the parade and fireworks. Don't get me wrong, it was neat to see so many people decked out in red, white and blue regalia and to be in DC amongst all the hype, but can you believe no one threw candy at the parade??? I've never in my life been to a parade where they didn't throw candy into the crowd. I mean really, why would someone go to a parade in 100 degree weather to stand with a million sweaty, smelly spectators all to see a couple gigantic character balloons and watch people walk down the middle of a street?? I'll tell you why, it's because the people walking down the middle of the street are suppose to throw candy to the crowd! I was so sad when I realized there wasn't going to be any candy....Sam warned me he didn't think there would be, but I just couldn't for the life of me imagine a parade void of candy. Oh well....

Now for the fireworks....the main DC ones were lame but the local ones were amazing! I didn't go to the mall for the fireworks because it was absolute mayhem with security checkpoints and a million people, so perhaps if I was actually at the Washington Monument with the live music, it would have been better. Instead, Sam, myself and some friends walked towards the fireworks until we could see them. They were just eh....nothing spectacular and a very very short display! I'd say 15 minutes maximum! But on our way back, we all stopped at a park and watched the locals setting off firework displays that rivaled the main ones! They were unbelievable and lasted a good 45 minutes to an hour. We all agreed that we would rather have skipped the main fireworks all together and just stayed at the park! Ha!

Overall it was an unforgettable 4th of July and there certainly was never a dull moment. Most of the residents in my apartment building, along with our friends and family, all got together for a BBQ in the afternoon. We ate and played games and had a great time getting better acquainted and celebrating.