At first when my parents told me they wanted to visit me in Washington DC over Fourth of July weekend, I groaned a little bit internally. Don't get me wrong, I've been really excited to have my parents visit. For once I feel like they won't want to fall asleep when I tell them what I do at my internship because I actually get to do some really exciting stuff and work with some pretty amazing people. I was much more worried about trying to navigate DC that weekend because all I had heard about it was the crowds, the heat, the influx of tourists, and, oh yeah, the crowds. As I started to do a little bit more research though, I realized those crowds are completely justified in waiting extensive periods of time for an event because DC knows how to throw a Fourth of July celebration.
1. There are pages and pages Google search results regarding DC Fireworks shows.
I think you could honestly just spend the entire day traveling from one neighborhood's fireworks show to the next. I'm not even exaggerating. There are daytime shows, parade shows, night shows, boat shows, or basically any other sort of firework show you could ever dream up. Some lucky person probably has the dream job we all wanted as children and gets to spend their entire work day planning out fireworks shows.
2. There is a parade on every street to go along with the 1000 fireworks shows.
So many parades. I don't even like parades that much, but these websites have me figuring out how to strategically hit the most parade routes. Washington DC is like the Target of Fourth of July parades; you can't leave without picking up at least one parade route before you leave.
3. My head is still spinning from the number of special exhibits.
The history buff in me just died and went to heaven. And then it came right back because it discovered that heaven was actually Washington DC on the Fourth of July. A special Declaration of Independence celebration at the National Archive? A presidential portrait gallery presentation? (Say that 5 times fast!) Mount Vernon military battle reenactments? If someone could steal that time-turner from Hermione Granger so that I could be in 12 places at once, that would be great.
4. The National Mall basically turns into a giant block party filled with some of the greatest monuments in our country.
Do I even need to say anything else about this? As if seeing these great attractions isn't great enough, the hard work and preparation of the National Park Service makes it possible to also enjoy festivals, concerts, and shows throughout the day.
5. You probably will never feel quite as stereotypically American as you are surrounded by years of American history, patriotic music and attire, and thousands of other Americans trying to celebrate Independence Day.
So now that I think about it, my parents knew exactly what they were doing coming this weekend. Good thing I had them to make me experience DC Fourth-of-July-style.
