Love, Money + Real Estate
Happy July 4th Memories
Dear Friends,
Happy Fourth of July!!! I thought I’d take this opportunity to share some of my favorite memories of this holiday.
When I was younger, my parents would take us to the Chicago lakefront to see fireworks. I grew up loving these bright, shining, flaming colorful flares, and couldn’t get enough of them. Seeing them sparkle, reflected on Lake Michigan, was nothing short of magical.
In my late teen years, fireworks were combined with Taste of Chicago. We’d eat our way through the festival, a turkey leg in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other, then sit and swing our legs over the ledge at Monroe Harbor while watching these spectacular lights.
When Sam and I were first married, we’d go up to our building’s rooftop to see fireworks. You could see fireworks bloom all over the city, here and there, and we could just make out what was going on at Monroe Harbor. So, we’d invite our friends over for a barbeque and watch the lights twinkle in all directions.
For the past 30 years we’ve lived in our house, I’ve walked to the lakefront to watch our town’s 20-minute show. It’s great, although the trees have grown taller and if a firework doesn’t get enough height, the branches get in the way. I like to have a clear view. Our town used to have it on the beach and shoot the fireworks from a barge on the lake. We’d host a BYOBV picnic with our friends, then lean back in our chairs, beers in hand, and feel as though the stars were exploding and falling on top of us.
There were only a few years where I didn’t get to see fireworks: kids were sick, or we were out of town. Truth be told, I always felt a little cheated. Like I’d missed the best show of the year.
Wherever you find yourself this July 4th, I hope you see something magical in the sky, and find something delicious on your place. Seems that bringing these two things together help make memories that last a lifetime.
I’d love for you to share your favorite July 4th memory. You can use this link here:
Happy 4th of July! I’ll type to you again, soon.
Hope you had a nice 4th. Mine was pretty laid-back.
Steve Larson
Delavan, WI
Hi Ilyce, love the newsletter. As a kid, me and my friends would light off fireworks around our Brooklyn neighborhood just to be an annoyance. Now, though, comes a more enduring and satisfying occasion, at our "second home" in Phoenix, where we gathered at the highest point in the city, atop the elevated 15th tee box of the Biltmore Links golf course, with our "Valley" friends, and watched the fireworks displays all around The Valley which that viewpoint enabled. It was a breathless, 360-degree panaroma of dazzle, eleven years ago, just after we bought the place and were spending a rare hot summer weekend out there furnishing it for fall/winter. We were able to turn in any direction and see fireworks while sipping a cold beverage. Still a crystal-clear memory.