Play in the City : The Big Bang

July 01, 2005

The Big Bang

I went to the Big Bang with mom and Dave last night and it couldn't have been a more beautiful night for the fireworks. I remember last year we were freezing by the time the fireworks started, but last night it was breezy and warm. My candle and our sparklers wouldn't light because of the wind, but it kept the bugs away, so it was a fair tradeoff!

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We got down there by about 7:45. We picked a prime spot in the plush grass and watched as more and more people arrived with their blankets and food and kids in tow. We ate and visited and ate some more. We met a purebred labrador that we played with for a bit, and we watched the wings of the Milwaukee Art Museum go up, which is something I'd never actually seen before. We watched as the sailboats and yachts floated out onto the lake in preparation for the show - I wished I could have been on one of them!

Mom and I ventured to the bathrooms around 9:50 and we were in line for probably a half an hour. A lady came by with a box of Kleenex from her car parked nearby saying that there was no toilet paper in any of the three stalls in there. Thank goodness for that woman!

The fireworks started at 10:30 and, as always, they were spectacular. It's like one giant grand finale for 20 minutes straight! Each blast lit up the water beneath it - red, blue, green, purple, white. Fireworks are fun no matter if they're in your own backyard or your local park, but these are above and beyond any I've seen. When they were over, the crowd cheered and then it was time to head home.

We had paid $5 to park down by the marina and I remembered parking there two years ago, so I knew it'd take a while to get out. It ended up taking us almost an hour to get out onto Lincoln Memorial and in that time, we almost got into about five accidents and we witnessed about ten verbal confrontations that we thought were going to escalate into full out fights. People were insane! Whenever a car didn't wait their turn or tried to bully someone else, I got a bit worked up, but I tried not to yell since my mom was in the car with me. Dave was in the backseat yelling at everyone and laughing, and my mom kept shushing him, thinking we were going to get beat up or something. It was pretty hilarious.

Summerfest was just letting out, too, when we were driving by the grounds, so we had to wait awhile for the streams of people to go by. The people walking by us and crossing the street in front of us were funny and happy (read: drunk) and we yelled random stuff back and forth to some of them while we waited and that got our spirits back up a little bit.

I LOVE the Big Bang, even if the parking and bathroom situations could be better. There are fireworks at the lakefront every year on July 3, too, and those draw a much huger crowd than even the Big Bang does. Thousands of people camp out all day in order to get the good spots. I've never been to those fireworks, and I won't be able to see them this year, either, since I have to work, but I hear they're fabulous, too! Get there early!

Not too much in store for the holiday weekend, unfortunately. I have to work the next three nights and then I have Monday off but I'm not sure what I'll do that day. I'm sure I'll figure something out, though!

Have a great weekend!

Posted on July 01, 2005 | Permalink

Comments

I think you're being a bit critical of the fine folks in the parking lot. I recall someone - let's just call her Erin - flipping out two years ago and acting like the very same people she's now criticizing. You're hilarious. Even with the parking lot insanity that occurred afterwards I still enjoyed myself. Plus there are now more cute pictures of me on the internet.

Posted by: Dave Bob | July 01, 2005 at 01:56 PM