the day was characterized by patriotism- and drama. from the beginning of the day, we felt that we were plunged into a terrible television drama.
we spent the morning at home, playing with lucy and getting our stuff packed and ready- as we were to fly out ridiculously early on the 5th and planned to stay out raging for the fourth. getting into my patriotic spirit, i painted my nails, donned a necklace and red and blue attire. stepping outside the house, i ripped off all these items realizing that nobody else was getting involved and i just looked silly. smooth operator, no one suspected a thing...
heading into the center, we headed for beacon hill. it is a historic neighborhood known for its narrow, gas-lit streets and brick sidewalks. its regarded as one of the most desirable and expensive neighborhoods in boston. it was a really beautiful area, and a perfect day to saunter with the sun shining and blue skies.
from beacon hill, we went into the city center, and sought out a spot of retail therapy (surprise surprise!). we headed towards tj maxx, a department store that sells designer stuff at super reasonable prices. beautiful dressed for 20 dollars were enough to catch my eye, and mum was also impressed by bits and pieces that she bought up.
getting pekish, we headed for sweet. an award winning cupcake bakery, they had an array of different flavours, different colours and highly decorated. choosing red velvet, double chocolate and a pink lemonade, we sat down and took in the lovely interiors of the bakery. from there, we decided where we were going to go to see the fourth of july fireworks. we decided to buy picnic dinner and head to the boston common.
entering the park with our picnic bits, we saw a woman frozen like stone. she stood atop a box dressed as a marionette puppet. we decided to sit nearby and watch her interactions with others. she was really quite phenomenal at what she did. we sat for about two hours, snacking and watching her, small children dropping in dollar bills to see her come alive. their faces lit up with excitement as she came to life- curtsying and interacting before propping herself back up and once again freezing to stone.
the original cheers bar!
we moved further into the park as the night grew darker, and the crowds gathered into the common, as the esplanade area overflowed (jennifer hudson pulls in quite a crowd it would seem!). perched atop the hill, we played the waiting game, snacking and people watching. the clouds gathered and we weren't sure whether or not we were going to miss the rain and thunder. it looked to have subsided and we all breathed easy as we sat and waited. we saw crowds of people coming up from the esplanade. turns out the storms posed a hazard so the packed crowds were evacuated from the water front.
minutes before the planned starting time, and a wave of excitement flowed through the crowds. people began to cheer and applaud. however, it wasn't fireworks causing excitement. we looked around to see a man, down on one knee standing before his loved one. people went wild- they played out the motions. she said yes and super mushy stuff followed. a man with a guitar and a singer emerged from behind a treee. they embraced and danced close to one another as the man played and the woman serenaded them. super mushy- yes. but also pretty beautiful!
as the fireworks began at about 10:30pm, people got excited and cheered. u-s-a! u-s-a! the crowds watched as the sky lit up with explosions of colour and light. rain drops began to fall. oh really? now!? you choose to rain now!?!?! the rain fell in giant thuds, and people were soon fleeing for shelter under the trees. we decided that we still needed to pack for our flight that was now in a number of hours, so headed home.
the train ride home was no ride in the park. the subways stinking hot, and people flowing in rapidly- we waited for our train that took its time to arrive. climbing aboard, we managed to get seats relatively close to the door. a station or two later the doors opened to the screams of women and cries of children. people pushed their way onto the train, a woman screaming in a blind rage. a few steps from her, we remained silent and tried to avoid eye contact. she screamed at another woman on the train, threatening her life. her child, just five years of age, begged her mother to stop through heaving sobs. other children aboard began to cry in fear. she lashed out, throwing punches into the air. we waited with baited breath, hoping to all the gods that we emerged from the train in one piece. getting off the train, and breathing a sigh of relief, we returned home around midnight to pack up to leave boston.
boston, you've been great. however, i will not be altogether unhappy to leave you.
