The Ideal Fourth of July

I've come a long way from running up and down 15th Avenue in Mount Vernon with a sparkler in my hand.
Over the course of my life, I've gone through several series of different celebrations for Independence Day, which is really one of the only holidays everybody in this country can celebrate together. There are no religious overtones like Christmas, Easter, or Yom Kippur. It is all about freedom and being an American. Except maybe for your crazy Communist Uncle Oscar, who can't get into that?
So, there were the years for me when I was a kid and I did the sparkler routine like I was some lunatic Rockette on fire. While the other kids in the neighborhood were shooting off cherry bombs, sky rockets, and a very inappropriately named explosive called a "nigger chaser," I was relegated to nothing more inflammable than my mother's ash tray. Of course, years later, I still had the ability to attempt to play the piano, while I'm not so sure some of my goofball friends could count their fingers up to ten.
When I got older, I outgrew firecrackers and found myself spending the Fourth of July in some baseball park. And, to enjoy this truly American sport on this truly American holiday, I wasn't choosy about the stadium I would enter. Whoever was playing home was where I would be. Shea Stadium. Yankee Stadium. I didn't care. It was baseball and sometimes fireworks and always perfect. I can remember one year there was a doubleheader for the Mets and Tom Seaver took a no-hitter into the ninth inning. One other year, there was a day game at Yankee Stadium, where it was hotter than hell and there was an explosion of gnats on the field level.
Nowadays, I am in my Hollywood Bowl/July 4 phase of life. Unless the Dodgers are home and shooting off some shit on the day, I am seated upon the hill that overlooks Highland. Listening. Absorbing. Enjoying. And, tonight, it will happen one more time. And, ironically, they are combining the best of both worlds. The theme of celebration will be the 50th Anniversary of the Dodgers in Los Angeles (actually, it's 51 years). There will be a performance by Randy Newman as he does the Dodger victory song "I Love LA" live. Dodger organist Nancy Bea Heffley is on board as will some Dodger greats, although that could be limited since the team is on the road in San Francisco. If there's a free buffet table someplace, I am guessing that Tommy Lasorda shows as well. I have no idea what to expect, but it can't help but be grand. This officially starts my Hollywood Bowl season and my summer.
Enjoy your day. I will be relishing my night.
Dinner last night: Turkey burger at the Cheesecake Factory.