Fourth of July on the National Mall

Saturday, the Fourth of July started off with a nice thunderstorm that dropped an inch or so of rain before 10 o'clock. A check of the weather forecast told us that we had a 50% chance of getting wet if we went to the fireworks show at the National Mall in Washington, DC, but since that was one of the most important reasons that we're in DC, we elected to go anyway.

Not knowing how the game is played, we left Cherry Hill Park at 12:30 and arrived at the National Mall at 1:30 pm. A number of suggestions as to where to watch the show sent us to the grass roughly half way between the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument, where there were very few people. Aha! we thought, a perfect place, so we spread out our picnic blanket and settled in.

About 2:30, the sun was so hot that we were slowly being steamed like a clam. With the wet grass all around and 90+ degrees above, D was beginning to melt, so I went on an umbrella safari. Luckily I found a nice lady selling $2 umbrellas for $10, and I talked her out of a blue one. D already had one of our small ones in her backpack, but the larger blue one helped keep the sun off both of us.

One of the constants of living in the east seems to be that if you don't like the weather, wait 1/2 hour and it will change. Sure enough, at about 4:30 the few people already on the grass began to leave. Wassup, I asked, and then turned around and looked at the sky.

For an hour and a half, the sky opened up and dumped rain. Now we were using our brand new umbrella as it was designed, and the water was pouring off of it. We stood under a tree for awhile, then made tracks for the Metro station 2 blocks away, thinking that if it didn't quit raining soon we were going home. Magically, the rain quit and the sun began to shine through clouds. We were back in business!

A bit damp around the edges, but with a renewed spirit, we resumed our place on the National Mall!

Along with a few of our best friends.

As the evening progressed, the lawn began to fill with people.












And the lines in front of Don's Johns lengthened….

We began to exchange photos with our neighbors. One group of young people had just graduated from Yale University and were in Washington to  drum up work with a lobbying firm. Another family had come in from Raleigh, North Carolina, and were stopping on their way to Boston.  A remarkable group of an estimated 500,000 spectators that were friendly, considerate, and, for the most part very quiet. An unexpected pleasure.

You can see that the weather has not been kind to our hair styles!

As the twilight faded, the lights came on at the Capitol Building. Even cloaked in scaffolding for the ongoing repair work, it is an impressive sight. Turns out that our neighbor in the park is a sandblaster working on the dome. He works 70 hours a week, in a highly toxic environment, cleaning the dome and preparing for much needed repairs. The structure is largely made of lead, and of course the paint is a lead based paint, so he has to wear special clothing and take a shower before leaving work each shift.

A quick selfie as darkness settled, and a look at the overhead security helicopter, and we were about ready for the show.

At precisely 9:05 pm, the show began!

And, 17 and a half minutes later, the grand finale left the mall quiet and amazed. No one moved for several minutes as the grandeur of the fireworks spectacle sank in.

A short two block walk to the Archives Metro station got us on the Green line headed north to home. It amazed us how almost a half million people can be transported efficiently to their destinations. The crowds were orderly and the Metro staff guided everyone in the proper direction with clear and concise instructions. The Archives station is a simple one, with the only choice being north or south, so it was all good after you got through the turnstiles. Thank goodness for automated SmartCards! We just had to swipe and go!

Cherry Hill Park commissioned private buses for its customers, with instruction to go to the last stop on the Green line, Greenbelt station, and board a direct bus to the park. Thank you very much, Cherry Hill, but we should have driven our car to the station. Parking was free in the parking garage, and we wouldn't have had to wait an hour for the bus. Oh, well, they tried, and we appreciate that.

So, it was touch and go for awhile on our Bucket List National Mall Fireworks item, but we persevered and enjoyed the show. It's good when things work out, and we had a great time!