This piece is pretty old, I wrote it after attending one of my annual NSNC conferences (National Society Of Newspaper Columnists) in 2006, and a version of it appeared in my old weekly newspaper column. I may have even posted it here in the past, so if you've read it already, I do apologize.
Still fun though, so enjoy, and to all my American compadres, have a safe and happy 4th of July!
My First Fourth of July
After decades of celebrating Canada Day here at home, my wife and I had a chance to experience our first-ever Fourth of July celebrations on U.S. soil, around this time last year. We happened to be in Boston, a city literally brimming with history.
However, this story has two parts, beginning on the 3rd of July.
That morning, we were getting an early start to our day, having breakfast in our hotel - The Omni Parker House. The restaurant in this hotel has seen a fair share of history itself. It happens to be where John F. Kennedy proposed to Jackie. It also boasts Malcolm X as a former busboy. I understand a couple of recent American Idol contestants are going to be future waiters there...
After breakfast, we had time to fill, so we rushed off to Prudential Center, where we caught a "duck" ride, a city and river tour on a World War II amphibious vehicle. Over hill and over dale, that was a total hoot - even though technically ducks don’t hoot.
Zipping back to our hotel afterwards, we caught our breath before we had dinner, and took in a pre-4th of July Fife & Drum concert, in the courtyard of Old City Hall. Very cool! Made me wish I had taken my high school fife lessons more seriously... Boston is one history-filled place to attend the Independence Day holiday!!
All of this time-filling led to our eventual destination - we closed our evening with the free dress rehearsal of The Boston Pops, on The Esplanade. You literally enjoy the exact same 4th Of July show that will be broadcast live on national TV the next evening. We saw the entire dry run, with hosts Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw, plus guests like Steve Tyler & Joe Perry doing a couple of huge Aerosmith hits. And of course, The Boston Pops masterfully running through the famous “1812 Overture”. Absolutely surreal...
After experiencing the dress rehearsal for The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular however, we thought we might not want to be in a cozy little crowd of 500,000, for the real deal. So, we booked ourselves onto a “fireworks cruise”.
Which is how we eventually spent our first-ever Fourth of July, in the United States…
When we arrived at the harbor the next afternoon, there were a couple of ships lined up, so we settled onto a bench, chatting with a nice couple from Chicago.
There was one cruise boarding before ours, and we were surprised to notice that a modern, sleek twin-hulled catamaran was being loaded for that one. An older, somewhat rusty tub appeared to be the only one left for the next group - our group. You could hear the ripples of concern begin to circulate throughout the crowd on the dock...
So as not to allow those of us who had arrived early to get cold feet, they began to board The Rusty Tub. In the surprising crush of people anxious to embark on what looked like a retired tugboat, my wife and I ended up in the lower level, where we were about to enjoy a cozy three-hour sauna.
Once finally underway, I imagine it was with our safety in mind that The Rusty T made its way out to the “general area” of the fireworks, but kept to a very safe distance of what seemed like several miles away, in case I suppose any of the fireworks embers might ignite the original wood hull. We became concerned that we may ironically end up watching "The Spectacular" on a cell phone screen. Several Lions attending an international conference were quietly planning a mutiny, gathering up a supply of the onboard hot dogs - stiffer than billy clubs...
Suddenly though, the Floating Rust Barge hauled anchor over to another vantage point, where we could see the illumination of fireworks, from behind a row of tall buildings. The crew simulcast the audio of The Boston Pops over speakers throughout the ship. I’ve never, ever seen anything like it before. It was unforgettable...
We all had a few laughs on the cruise back to port, and nobody seemed to mind the accommodations that much anymore.
Rust is relative after all, as long as it floats you back home…
Later!
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