Spectacular!

Today I found the sundeck in my apartment building. After eight months in Manhattan, I have never been so pale, so I was determined to get some sun. For one sun-and-cloud-filled hour (because it seems that a New York summer is all about the clouds), I chilled on a lounge chair, IPod cranked up to drown out the noise, staring off at the airplanes parked on The Intrepid (http://www.intrepidmuseum.org). It is very strange to sunbathe in the city, with no ocean or pool in sight – only concrete. But, pasty-white beggars cannot be choosers.

My first July 4th here was great. This year was Macy’s 30th annual “Fireworks Spectacular”. (Macy’s is apparently the official sponsor of NYC. It is amazing how much that department store does to entertain us.) It is the biggest fireworks “spectacular” in the U.S., using 55 times more fireworks than the average show, and firing off more than 30,000 shells. My friend Mya invited some people over to watch the “spectacular” from the roof of her eastside apartment building. Armed with chips, pizza and sangria (my contribution, natch), we had an excellent view of the show. Spectacular!