celebrating an anniversary

when: july 4, 2002
where: ida lee park, leesburg, va
who: tara and deb

deb had just gotten a new camera, and we were preparing to watch fireworks celebrating the nation's independence, when our lament began. we realized that the unfortunate result of two people spending time together was the lack of a third to take photos. so we improvised. her camera had a 'self-portrait' mode afterall, so we put it to the test. hence the birth of the self-portrait taking which has become synonomous with my attendance at any social gathering.


so as we now celebrate the 4th of july holiday, deb and i are also celebrating an anniversary of sorts. and we did it in style.

having never been to coney island before, i admit, i was curious. i've seen it in movies, and when my uncle suggested it might be 'interesting', that was all i needed.

so we slept in today. magnificently late. we started our day with lunch at a hole in the wall burger joint called 'the burger joint', where the only things on the menu are burgers, fries, and milkshakes..and we enjoyed two out of three before hopping on the subway to make the hour long journey to carnival land.

i was absolutely delighted at what i found. it was filthy and disgusting and crowded, and absolutely glorious. it was everything i had expected.

we had funnel cake and italian ice. we rode the ferris wheel, which, thanks to a swinging car, was a bit more of a 'thrill ride' then we expected. we watched the throngs of people, and felt as though we were visiting another country. it was perfect.

after a couple of hours, we had 'done' coney island, and came back to the city, where we chilled out for a bit before heading off to the evening's activities, which consisted of a rooftop fireworks party downtown.

we arrived just shortly after the fireworks had started and made our way to the roof, where deb ran into a few people she knew, and where i saw a few familiar faces. i was also introduced to some new ones, including tyler, a graphic designer and would be photographer, and rick, a lurking blog reader.

it was a beautiful evening, and after pondering independence days past, spent sweating in the heat, i was grateful for the cool breeze and comfortable surroundings. nothing can compare to the 4th of july in dc, but there is something poignant about watching fireworks explode over the statue of liberty. a fitting tribute i'd say.

it was truly an enjoyable evening, which as it turned out, wasn't quite over.

deb and i went for a walk in battery park, and before leaving the downtown area, stumbled upon the irish hunger memorial--a very interesting structure that combined the stone remains of what appeared to be a house, and an extremely modern 'attachment' with quotes related to the famine.

after spending some time reading quotes and appreciating the strangeness of the memorial, we walked past ground zero to catch the subway home.

new york truly is an amazing place, and each time i visit, the experience is completely different from the last.

for all the pics, click here.