Famous Fourths

In service to the "road" part of the blog, great Fourth of July events of the past. CoSIDA took me on the road the past 26 years to a lot of major American cities, and here's how I'd rate the big fireworks.

1) Boston. On sheer fireworks, nothing compared. Massive low altitude plus high altitude, and the coordination with the local television coverage makes it rival the National Mall.

2) Washington DC. Only the firepower I saw in Boston tips the balance - we're taking the pyro shows - can begin to tip the scale away from the gold standard classic. That said, nothing like watching the PBS national broadcast from the Mall. The atmosphere in DC is without comparison - you can walk the memorials then settle in for the national birthday.

3) Seattle. Who can argue with a humidity free, 70 degree celebration? Plus when we were there, you had two fireworks displays to enjoy.

4) Philadephia. Now on sheer party atmosphere, celebrating Philadephia Freedom with Sir Elton and about 250,000 of your closest friends is fairly epic. But the all day wait and the human car wash of the crowd - and sultry temps - rather opt for something a little cooler.

5) San Diego. You can't go wrong in a military town on the Fourth, and navy dominated SD certainly qualifies.