Saturday, July 2, 2016

4th of July Fireworks in New York City!


Last year I was fortunate to be in New York City during the Fourth of July weekend and able to watch the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Display from the Brooklyn promenade looking at the Lower Manhattan skyline.


My husband, and I and friends gathered early in the evening in order to get a good viewing point. You can see one of the Macy's fireworks barges in the East River preparing for the show.  This year will be the 40th anniversary of the annual fireworks display.


As the evening progressed more and more people arrived and passed through security to line up along the fences. There was a definite air of happy anticipation in the air!


The fireworks would not be shot off until the sky was dark, so we waited and waited.  My husband used to work in a building along the lower Manhattan East River shore so we would go into his office to watch the fireworks in the past. Click here to see an older post about that.


The buildings of the city skyline began to glow with their interior lights and we knew the show was about to begin.  One of my friends brought a radio so we could hear the announcers and music of the Macy's show. It began with the Star Spangled Banner and then......


Boom!  Boom! Boom! 


It was a fun sight to see everyone holding up their cell phones cameras to record the fireworks!


There were many barges in the East River shooting off fireworks of all kinds but I was only able to get a good view of the one directly in front of me. The view on TV is much more coordinated to give a better over view of the entire display....


...but it was still very exciting to be there in person to enjoy the show!


The crowd said "Oh!" and "Ah!" and kept clicking their cell phones.


It definitely was a sight to see!


Bookmark and Share
Posted by at 44 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Monday, June 27, 2016

Fire Island National Seashore and Lighthouse


On a visit to see my brother and sister-in-law and family on Long Island, NY, we took a trip to visit the nearby beautiful Fire Island National Seashore.  (All photos in this post will enlarge for easier viewing if clicked on)


Fire Island is one of the barrier islands that lies parallel to the south shore of Long Island, and is separated from Long Island by the Great South Bay.


Most visitors take a ferry or private boat to reach Fire Island but there are also two bridges. The Robert Moses Causeway--see photo above--on the western end of Fire Island, that leads to parking lots at Robert Moses State Park. The William Floyd Parkway leads to Smith Point County Park on the eastern end of Fire Island, where there is also a parking lot.  The rest of the island has no paved roads.


Fire Island National Seashore encompasses 26 miles of Atlantic Ocean and bay shoreline, lush dunes, maritime forests and 17 residential communities.


It also contains the historic Fire Island Lighthouse.


We walked on the boardwalks that lead to the lighthouse. The boardwalks help preserve the terrain and also protect walkers form coming in contact with poison ivy.


The Fire Island Lighthouse is operated by the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society, under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service. The light is still owned by the United States Coast Guard, and is maintained and operated by the Society as a private aid to navigation.


I love to visit lighthouses--they are such stalwart vestiges of the past. 


The ruins of the original 1826 lighthouse that stood 74 feet tall. 


Please click on the photo above to read more about the first lighthouse.


In 1857 the US Congress approved the construction of a new 167 foot lighthouse, which is what stands today.  Its height and First Order Fresnel Lens would allow for better viability for the ships at sea.  You can read more about the history of the lighthouse of the Society's web page.



View from the bottom


There was an interesting visitors center next to the lighthouse, as well as exhibits in the former lighthouse keeper's home, about the maritime history of this area and the lighthouse.
click to enlarge

 The visitors center housed the First Order Fresnel Lens and information about it. This lens was used in the lighthouse from 1858 to 1933.


One could spend hours reading all the interesting exhibits in the two story keeper's quarters

Click to enlarge

A display about former lighthouse keepers.

click on to enlarge

A placard with information about the different communities that exist on Fire Island.  About 400 people live on the island year round.


After visiting the lighthouse we returned to the beach to continue our walk, and enjoy the beautiful shore.  Having lived most of my life in the south shore of Brooklyn, near the Atlantic Ocean, I enjoyed seeing the ocean again, and more importantly spending time with my brother and sister-in-law. One of the joys of visiting New York is seeing our families, as well as seeing the famous city sights again.  More about our trip on my next post!

I'm linking this post to the following blog events:

Thank you to all the blog hosts!
Bookmark and Share
Posted by at 43 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)