When I told my friend that I was going to try and go to Gasworks Park to watch the fireworks, his comment was, "It's a clusterfuck."
One of the Seattle blogs describes it as "Fuck Wallingford Day," because 60,000 people (and I assume that's a guess) swarm Wallingford neighborhood. For the record though, that blogger was more than a bit miffed because some Wallingford residents didn't want summer concerts at Gasworks Park, blah blah, snipe snipe, NIMBY righteousness, etc.
Well, I did it, and it wasn't so bad. I sat on top of Kite Hill, which was nice and steep, so no one blocked my view. Some people weren't so fortunate and sat right behind the paved path, which became crowded with standing people. This obnoxious older woman tried to shame them into sitting down, but all she managed to do was annoy me.
There was an inflatable Statue of Liberty head. I thought it was silly.
Oh! And no good pictures, because I don't know where my camera is! Rarg! I was super prepared: bottle of water, couple extra layers, book, snacks...and I didn't take my camera! I think (hope) it's at work, and that it didn't get pinched from my bag. That would suck a lot. I'll find out tomorrow.
The show opened with a giant military helicopter flying an American flag around the lake. That was awesome. I'm not so into the military or flag flying, but it was unique.
There were some really awesome fireworks: the typical neat ones--the smiley faces, hearts, Saturns--but they also had some that I had never seen. Cubes! Well, round cubes. And these awesome ones that looked like a single strand of icicle lights that got launched into the air and slowly floated down. And these jellyfish rocket things, that slowly floated up. Those two were my favorites.
And the music was interesting too. They opened with "America" ("O beautiful..."), and I assume it was Ray Charles' version, but I don't know for sure. Then it was all non-patriotic music. U2's "Beautiful Day," "Also Sprach Zarathustra," "Tequila," that one Austin Powers instrumental (I don't feel like googling for it), Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon," (excellent excuse to use the Saturn and star fireworks) "Bohemian Rhapsody," for goodness sake! (They used the smiley faces for all the background voices. It was fun.) They closed with "When You Wish Upon a Star" (Disney? kind of strange), and "Stars and Stripes Forever." Or at least I'm pretty sure that's what it's called.
Notice a trend with the music? Two patriotic songs. Two! Not sure if that's the style these days, or if it's just this particular show, or if it's Seattle being liberal. I enjoyed being able to sing along.
The crowds were super crazy, but I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and I showed up around 7:45pm to get a seat for the 10pm show. I would probably try to get there at 7 or maybe earlier if I was going in a group. It was pretty easy doing it alone though. I didn't time my walk there, but it only took 42 minutes to walk (almost 2 miles) home. Further than I thought, but sure beats the parking and traffic mess.
I'm glad I went, and I would definitely go again next year. Come visit if you feel like braving the crowds and doing a two-mile walk home. Hehe. I'll probably still be here.
Yay, I'm happy now. And this Saturday I'm going to a wedding in California! Everything is great. Oh wait, except for the camera thing. Grarg-ate. Yes, that's it. Goodnight!
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