Happy Fourth everyone! We have the good fortune of seeing another fireworks show over the Hudson River this year, and it could be the last for awhile if some of those Brooklyn politicians have their way and the show gets moved to the East River.
There are several events going on around the neighborhood today.
At noon, civil liberties lawyer Norman Siegel will read the constitution in Strawberry Fields in Central Park off of 72nd street while government drones listen quietly nearby.
At 6:30, there’s a battle of the bands at Midsummer Night Swing in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center.
At 7:30 there’s a free concert with Ethiopian performers at the David Rubenstein Atrium on Broadway between 62nd and 63rd.
The fireworks start around 9:20 p.m., and you can generally get a good seat in Riverside Park if you arrive after 8. The barges shooting them off are stationed between 23rd and 42nd streets, but they’re visible from most of Riverside Park. People tend to set up blankets in the park’s various fields or watch from the concrete path next to the Hudson.
If you want to trek down to the viewing areas on the West Side highway, check out Macy’s guide here. And here’s the MTA guide to getting around today.