July 3rd Fireworks Did Just Fine

The City of Chicago Stuck with its Wednesday Schedule, So We Celebrated Early

Chicago fireworks — Photo by Bob Benenson

I mentioned recently that we get to watch fireworks over Chicago's Navy Pier from our apartment on Wednesdays and Saturdays. In most past years when July 4th didn't fall on those days, the city put on an additional fireworks show.

This year, though, city officials decided to go with just the Wednesday show on July 4th Eve, leaving the Independence Day displays to the suburbs. Some people were disappointed but given our level of pyrotechnic satiety, it was no big deal for us.

Besides, the Grant Park Music Festival — a series of free, world-class classical music concerts, and one of our favorite things about Chicago — is on. And after we enjoyed an excellent performance of Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony, we ambled to the winding bridge from the Jay Pritzker Pavilion to Maggie Daley Park and found a perfect location to watch the fireworks taking place a short distance away.

My photos came out so sharp that I'm sharing a few here. If you're watching fireworks tonight, may your skies light up this beautifully.