Before I could get all pouty, Steve, our neighbor from downstairs, invited me to a DC Nationals baseball game with him. The stadium is about ten blocks from our apartment. So, at about twelve we left to catch the game that began at one.
It was SO hot yesterday. It was in the mid nineties. Storms were warned for later, but the afternoon was clear.
Our seats were behind home plate in section 315. I took my sunscreen in anticipation of sitting in the sun all day. Steve brought us some hats. When we arrived, I was relieved when our seats sat beneath the stadium seats above us. So, not only was our view great, we were in the shade!
(view from our seats)
The game was awesome. In one of the early innings, one of the Nationals guys hit an "in-the-park" home run. It would have been a double, but the FL Marlins made some errors, and the guy made it all the way around. By the ninth inning, the Nationals were down by one (4-3). We had two guys on base and two outs when Ryan Zimmerman stepped up to the plate. He swung two strikes and had one ball against him. The fans were going nuts. The energy in the stadium was growing and people were screaming and chanting. Something big was in the air. The ball was pitched and Zimmerman slammed it out of the park. The Nationals won by two!
(The lady behind us was REALLY into the game. I like to imagine that she's screaming and not yawning.)
(The kid was really into it too (as he glances into the camera lens)...)
It was great... I've never seen a more entertaining baseball game.
After the game, we walked back and each did our own thing for a bit. We had a big storm that gave me an excuse to huddle inside and take a nap (bet you knew that was coming). I mean, I didn't want to be exhausted before the fireworks.
Yup, DC fireworks. Steve and I made our way to the Lincoln Memorial (it was rumored to be less crowded than The Mall) to watch the show. We arrived in time to relax for a little bit before it began. There were so many people around us. The steps leading up the Lincoln Memorial were covered. We looked towards the Washington Monument and could see the sea of people on the lawn ahead of us. It was an indescribable sight. The atmosphere was buzzing with patriotism and excitement.
(the Memorial behind us... about twenty minutes until show time!)
The fireworks began at 9:10 and lasted until 9:30. What a show!! They were beautiful. There were chandeliers, pentagons, circles, shimmering dust, ice crystals, and many other lights. Their sizes ranged, but most (as quoted by Steve) were about 1000 square feet in diameter. Enormous!! They filled the sky and the acoustics from where we sat were perfect. The booms echoed off the memorial behind us and danced all around.
As I sat there, I couldn't imagine being anywhere else in that moment. I'm going to be completely spoiled from any other fireworks in my future.
(These are some shots, captured from Steve's camera, of the fireworks. The second is my favorite. Doesn't it look like a chandelier? They were so beautiful... no way captured by the images.)
We (and the 450,000+ people out there with us) left after the show. What a cattle herding! It took us quite some time to break from the crowd. We opted to walk some of the way home. Then, as we were neared a metro that wouldn't be crowded, we took advantage of it. It took us until 11:15 to get home. However, I did get to see the waterfront and some new restaurants that Steve says are really good. I'm hoping to check one out in the near future.
It was a wonderful fourth and filled with very "American" traditions (right down to eating moonpies as we waited for the fireworks to begin). It's definitely one for the books (or the blog) and one I will never forget.
9 comments:
O.K. it is 7/05/06. so you should be back at work....so tell us about the 4th....or do you have something to do today????
... two projects today. will update as i can. :)
hey, wow that is a lot of reading for me to catch up on. you have been quite busy. vin and i won't be up this summer to visit. we are going to try and wait until ticket prices drop a bit.
understandable. just be sure you come visit sometime!!
Yes, we are spoiled with up to date blogging. When you fall behind, even a day, my face drops when I visit your site.
I want to know who won the game and ......... ed
Hey, I had a blast this weekend, man it flew by. I finally got to see your guy's awesome apartment and it was just great hangin' out and having ice cream for dinner like twice. It's fun to read about it and reflect. Can't wait for some pictures! - dave
ok, the latest dental joke:
"Open wider." requested the dentist, as he began his examination of the patient. "Good God!" he said startled. "You've got the biggest cavity I've ever seen - the biggest cavity I've ever seen." "OK Doc !" replied the patient. "I'm scared enough without you saying something like that twice." "I didn't !" said the dentist. "That was the echo."
and to think I was worried about you being in the big city all alone and then get to hear what a terrific Fourth you had. More memories to keep!
Happy to hear the home team won. Bet James wishes he could have been there with you.
The Lincoln monument is one of my favorite sites in DC. It reminds me of what it is going to be like when I die and stand before Jesus
at His throne in heaven.
The fireworks on TV were pretty but I miss the "boom" feeling of the real ones.
Glad you had such a fulfilling day! There was a lot of that going around.
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