Last night I was peacefully reading on my couch when I heard booming noises outside. It sounded like thunder, or fireworks, or maybe something scarier, but I was absorbed enough in my book to ignore it for several minutes. When it didn’t show any signs of stopping, I went on Twitter, typed in Brooklyn, and found out that it was fireworks on the Hudson, in honor of the Super Bowl. I should probably confess that this is one of my main uses for Twitter: finding out what the sirens or shouting or whatever outside my window is all about.

I got up, opened my blinds, and watched the rest of the fireworks from my window. Some of the show was blocked by the tops of buildings, but I still enjoyed it. On the 4th of July my family was visiting and we watched fireworks from the same window—some over the river, and some set off in the street by neighbors.
When I was a kid we would hop in the car and drive at least fifteen minutes from the suburbs into the city to see the fireworks, and being lazy, I never really wanted to go, especially since at New Years it involved standing out in the cold. I had a similar experience this year on New Years Eve at Grand Army Plaza, when after a lovely time with friends I missed the bus and had to walk about two miles home in the bitter cold.
What I’m trying to say is, last night’s fireworks suited me perfectly. NYC: Where there’s so much happening, you don’t even have to leave your apartment to enjoy it.