The Fourth didn't go quite according to plan, but we salvaged it.
After going over a list of all the street fairs and fireworks shows in LA and the neighboring counties, we decided to go to Porter Ranch. It was the closest, and I figured that it would be the least crowded, since Porter Ranch backs up against miles and miles of wilderness, as opposed to the others, which were surrounded by city or suburbs on all sides. We got to the site four hours before the fireworks were scheduled, in order to take advantage of the food booths and live music that were promised. Nope, even four hours early, we couldn't park within half a mile of the site. While my back is better than it has been, it's not so robust that I wanted to commit myself to standing for several hours, and then have to walk half a mile uphill to get to my car.
We went home, and I knit for a couple more hours while I came up with Plan B. I remembered a spot on Topanga Canyon Blvd, in the Santa Monica Mountains, from which there is a clear view of the whole San Fernando Valley. An hour before dark, we headed in that direction. Near the top of the hill, we found the street lined with parked cars; apparently, I wasn't the only person who came up with this excellent idea. We positioned ourselves on the curb, and enjoyed at least three big, professional shows, and dozens of smaller ones. The best, by a wide margin, was the one at Warner Center, which made the "Extravaganza!" at Porter Ranch look dinky in comparison. If we feel like braving the crowds, and paying for parking ($15 this year), that's the one we'll head for next year.
Now, back to the knitting. I'm 1/3 done with the second shoulder of the top I've been working on, so there's still a possibility that it'll be ready for tonight.
After going over a list of all the street fairs and fireworks shows in LA and the neighboring counties, we decided to go to Porter Ranch. It was the closest, and I figured that it would be the least crowded, since Porter Ranch backs up against miles and miles of wilderness, as opposed to the others, which were surrounded by city or suburbs on all sides. We got to the site four hours before the fireworks were scheduled, in order to take advantage of the food booths and live music that were promised. Nope, even four hours early, we couldn't park within half a mile of the site. While my back is better than it has been, it's not so robust that I wanted to commit myself to standing for several hours, and then have to walk half a mile uphill to get to my car.
We went home, and I knit for a couple more hours while I came up with Plan B. I remembered a spot on Topanga Canyon Blvd, in the Santa Monica Mountains, from which there is a clear view of the whole San Fernando Valley. An hour before dark, we headed in that direction. Near the top of the hill, we found the street lined with parked cars; apparently, I wasn't the only person who came up with this excellent idea. We positioned ourselves on the curb, and enjoyed at least three big, professional shows, and dozens of smaller ones. The best, by a wide margin, was the one at Warner Center, which made the "Extravaganza!" at Porter Ranch look dinky in comparison. If we feel like braving the crowds, and paying for parking ($15 this year), that's the one we'll head for next year.
Now, back to the knitting. I'm 1/3 done with the second shoulder of the top I've been working on, so there's still a possibility that it'll be ready for tonight.
posted by Marina at 10:55 AM
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