2002 July 4th, Independance Day

2002 Events

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Independence Day

Last year, I went to two parties. This year, I went out with my little straight friend Sean and his Wife Maryann. We initially thought the fireworks display would be down at the Embarcadero, but there's a lot of construction down there now so, like thousands of others, we trekked all the way up to Fisherman's Wharf. We found a great spot on the top of a multistory car park. The evening was so clear, we could see the fireworks in several East Bay cities as well as the ones in Saulsalito. In San Francisco, they had two identical, simultaneous fireworks shows; one at the Aquatic Park and the other at Pier 39. We were strategically placed between them and even though the arctic wind kicked in, it was still pretty fun.

In a post 9-11 America, I couldn't detect a greater level of patriotic hysteria. We did hear a huge group of drunk college students sing the American Anthem, or yell the lyrics as loud as they could. Some of the drunkest of the girls then started yelling the pledge of allegiance. When they were joined by their friends, I got the distinct impression that in a few hours time, most of them would be prime candidates for date rape.

Best view from the bay

There were lots of boats in the bay as many were eager to see the fireworks display. I snapped this picture of two guys getting their kayak ready. I'm sure they were a lot colder than we were once the display got under way.

Twilight Trek

Because last year's fireworks were centered in South Beach, Sean and Maryann and I decided to meet in South Beach. We had to trek through three other neighborhood to find the fireworks. At the end of it, the crowds were so huge, I decided to avoid them and just walk home. All in all, we must have walked about 3 or 4 miles. I loved exercising outside and the conversations were nice and the sunset was beautiful. It all contributed to a very nice holiday.