Hassle-Free Fireworks Show

Every Bostonian knows that setting out at the crack of dawn on July 4th just to secure a spot fairly close to the Esplanade on the Charles River in order to watch the fireworks show, is strictly for tourists, die-hards, and university students who live close enough to foot it back home after 11 o’ clock at night. Although seeing the show that close up is a must at least once, it’s a tedious all-day affair that loses its charm pretty much after the first time. Luckily, residents of Somerville don’t have to put with all that planning and rig-ma-role.

At around 20 minutes before the fireworks show starts, we all head to The Castle on Prospect Hill Avenue, a monument erected to commemorate a decisive battle in the Revolutionary War of Independence and the site where the first true American flag (of the thirteen colonies) was raised. The grassy slope of The Castle overlooks the entire city below and provides a great view of the fireworks show exactly where everyone else sees it: in the sky above the city’s skyscrapers. We all huddle on the grass in good spirits because we spent the day barbequing instead of fighting the crowds on the riverbank. The great thing is that there’s no crowded T-ride home, but the best part is the double significance of seeing the Independence Day fireworks from an actual battle ground of the war that made it possible, and where the first flag of the nation was raised.