4th Of July

Believe it or not, 4th of July is not one of my most exciting holidays. This is largely due to California banning fireworks in most counties making it so no one can really have any kind of fun. Before the banning of fireworks when I was a kid, I remember my dad buying boxes of different fireworks where we would spend hours in the streets with all the other neighbors playing with the sparklers and shooting off various noise makers. Slowly though, the state stopped selling fireworks in certain counties forcing us to join huge crowds of people crammed into stadiums to watch the fireworks together. I remember specifically my dad taking my mom, grandmother, aunt, and I to San Jose State's Spartan Stadium to watch all those gorgeous lights being shot into the air over the football field. Eventually though, this stopped due to budget cuts in the city. Now, the only places you can see fireworks in California are at amusement parks and in the downtown areas. However, with over 6 million people living in the Bay Area alone, the unbelievably huge crowds makes it a deterrent from wanting to even venture out into the city. Most often, my friends and I stay home, BBQ, and forget about seeing any kind of sparks in the air these days.

Atlanta is no different I found out. Fireworks are pretty much banned from people setting them off in their neighborhoods leaving the only places to see them in the downtown areas or public amusement parks. However, The Tyger and I were set to make the best of the situation. This is the first time we've been together for 4th of July in a new city so that alone made it more exciting for us.

First we spent the day relaxing and watching the Braves kick Houston's ass! Then I got to work in the kitchen. Our menu included fat yummy Bratwurst that I grilled using The Tyger's new grill pan, a Caribbean potato salad made with lots of chili powder and fragrant cumin, and an avocado salad that I threw together using left over tomatoes. Of course, what's a 4th of July dinner without beer, right??? With our delicious Brats, we made our usual toast to "summer and us" spliting a six-pack of Coronas. After stuffing ourselves with meat and carbs, we both fell into an overwhelming food coma and continued to watch TV for the evening as we drank our beer. TLC was having marathons on What Not To Wear to which we quickly got sucked into.

At around 9:30pm, we began to hear the booming sounds of fireworks being shot off near the downtown area. We sat there for a minute bummed that we wouldn't be able to see them when I decided to go out on the balcony to check things out. I stepped out, looked to the left, and to my surprise saw that we had a very clear and close view of all the fireworks being sent into the air. Jumping up and down with pure excitement, I called The Tyger outside to where we stood for the next half-hour watching all the those beautiful lights, colors, and sparks being shot over the buildings in downtown. The Tyger's location in her apartment complex really did give us the best seats in the house!

Spending 4th of July with my close friend, getting our beer on, eating Brats, and having the chance to see some amazing fireworks was a great way to spend this holiday in Atlanta. It definitely was a nice change of pace from spending this day in California and I was very glad to have been here in this city to experience that. Atlanta, you're beginning to grow on me!