Independence Day, 2010 – last minute thought: Maybe this was the year to move to Hoboken after all.

As most of us living in the outer boroughs of NYC have discovered by now, the place to watch the fireworks tonight will be the West Side Highway or across the Hudson in Hoboken, New Jersey.  In Manhattan, 24th – 50th Streets will be blocked off for jolly revelers.  If you’re not the one to brave the scorching 95 degree heat, sweaty (and weekend/holiday slow) mass transit, and a reprehensible lack of public restrooms once you have locked in your viewing spot, then this is the guide for you:

• Immediately: Grab an ice cold beer from the nearest supermarket/deli.
• Get ready: Make sure your TV antenna is working, and your television set is tuned in to NBC at 9:00 p.m.  Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular will kick off at 9 p.m., with fireworks starting at 9:20 p.m., and lasting approximately 26 minutes.  This promises the biggest, flashiest fireworks display up to date, with over 40,000 shells exploding in less than half hour.
• Know: There will be more smiley face fireworks than last year, and be ready for even more color, especially more reds, whites and blues permeating the explosions. Fireworks will reach heights of over 1,000 feet in the air.
• Fun: If you haven’t been up to date with pop music, tonight’s program should fill you in on what you’ve missed in the past year.  Teen pop king Justin Bieber (goodbye Jonas Brothers?) is set to kick off the festivities, followed by Enrique Iglesias belting out his newest hit, “I Like It” (produced by the production team behind many of Lady Gaga hits.  It is also the current theme song for MTV’s Jersey Shore season two.  No word if the show’s cast will grace New York’s fireworks with its presence.)
• Warning: If the above reasons were not enough to make you stay home and watch the fireworks on TV, you have one other option left: Get out.  Turn the radio to 1010WINS (which will be broadcasting Macy’s Fireworks), and go outside.  Make your way to the roof of your building, the closest park with hills or wide open spaces, or even an outdoor parking lot of a large shopping mall, and stay put.  Soon, you’ll witness rogue fireworks vigilantes from your neighborhood in action.  Their shows may be a bit less flashy than Macy’s, but they will make you feel as large a part of New York City as the open, gushing fire hydrants on a hot summer day.  During the years when the East River fireworks are canceled, options to improvise and stay close to home in the outer boroughs — while enjoying the show — still remain.

Fun New York City Fact You Should Know: After declaring itself an independent state on July 9, 1776, New York finally became the 11th state on July 26, 1788.

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