I know it's been quite some times from the celebration itself but I haven't shared our story about how we celebrated the Independence Day of the US, here in NYC :).
Fireworks.
Fireworks.
Fireworks.
That's what we have in mind when it comes to the 4th of July celebration. The blinding sights of bursting colors and shapes, coupled with thundering sounds, always captivate people's attention. Well, it seems like enjoying fireworks during the 4th of July has been a long tradition here. It's great indeed, because it's the official holiday where the UN is also observing and we can have a family picnic. So no complaint :).
Since 2014, the first year we lived in NYC, July is always in the middle of the holy month of Ramadhan. As much as we wanted to see the fireworks, long days of fasting and coming earlier to get the best spot is not the perfect combination. So by the time the 4th of July in 2017 is no longer celebrated during Ramadhan, we were thinking of getting to the best spot available. If we can. As part of the annual celebration, Macy's 4th of July fireworks have been lit up and displayed on top of the East river for the last couple of years. We have several options for the designated areas for the fireworks. Most of them are in Midtown Manhattan, particularly on the 42nd, 34th, 23rd and 16th and FDR. There are a few in Brooklyn as well. As for Queens, the Long Island City, particularly the Gantry Plaza State Park, was the designated spot. For sure people flock there and that's exactly where we're going :). We know that we have to come early in order to get the good spot. Judging from our previous years' experience, we really had to come early to ensure we have a great place to sit down and take pictures. Ton of pictures :). So we have set our hearts on going at 2 PM and arriving on the spot at 3 PM at the most, before the police close the area. We have been reading and listening about all those street closure for that day. And the fireworks started at 9.25 PM, so we had to wait for at least 6.5 hours. Yes, 6.5 hours. Under the sun. Mind you :). For sure it's no-pain-no-gain-game #whyamiboldingthis.
waiting for the bus :))
So we took the bus to go to Gantry Plaza. The 15 minutes ride by car became 1-hour trip by bus, due to the road closure. Packed with 2 portable seats, our photo gears, food and drink, picnic mat and sunscreen, we went to Gantry Plaza. By the time we got there, it was not that packed yet but the prime spot for photos were almost gone.
cheers..
Good thing we got the spot at one of the piers, got the wristbands and we had to stay there from 6 PM until the fireworks started at 9.25 PM. we were standing right across the UN headquarters, with Empire State Building in the background. Happy!
the wristband :
We waited for 6.5 hours indeed. I bought books, fidget spinners (yes, the kids made sure they put them in the bag), games, tablets and 3 power banks. Just in case LOL. But our friends joined us at around 4 PM so 6.5 hours passed just like that.
With Habib's family :))
And it was hot, hot, hot! Fully packed! And such a loooong line to the toilet. Although the officers in charge said we cannot get out of the pier after 6 PM, but they did understand that the line at the toilet was super long so we sneaked out at 5.45 and came back at 6.15. Still have around 3 hours to go.
the view from my corner
As the time came, we spent beautiful 25 minutes full of fireworks. Light up the sky for the 4th of July celebration at NYC. And I have to say, after 6.5 hours waiting and have the experience on seeing wonderful fireworks in Geneva and Melbourne, Macy's fireworks are awesome! They said it was the country's largest fireworks by the numbers, with 2,400 burst and effects! They also have performances actually, but we can only watch it live on NBC.
the pictures are taken from macys.com
Here are some of the photos we took. Some were taken by iPhone 7 plus, some with our Canon 5D, taken by me or my husband :)
Here's a little video of our adventure to see Macy's 4th of July celebration fireworks
Minal Aidin Wal Faidzin Maafkan lahir dan batin Eid Mubarak! Selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri 1438 H Happy Eid -al Fitr to those who are celebrating it! Belum terlambat kaaaan untuk mengucapkan selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri 1438 H. Yang pasti teman-teman sudah kembali masuk kantor dan menjalankan aktivitas seperti biasa kan. Samaaa dong...kami malah sejak hari ketiga lebaran, karena UN Headquarters hanya libur di hari Senin, hari kedua Lebaran #kokjadicurcol.
The celebration is here, after one full month of revitalizing our hearts and soul through fasting, not only from food and drinks, but also from unnecessary emotional burdens. forged in self-challenged exercise and contemplations, I sincerely hope the holy month of Ramadhan has put us back to our purified path. Setelah satu bulan berpuasa, meskipun sedih meninggalkan bulan penuh ampunan dan berkah, kita semua menyambut hari kemenangan dengan penuh suka cita. Apalagi setelah menjalani bulan puasa yang 'seru' di New York. Baca : Puasa di Luar Negeri? Ini Dia Sensasinya. Dan lebaran tahun ini pun 'istimewa'. Bukan hanya karena hingga detik terakhir Mama Bo et Obi sibuk menghadiri berbagai pertemuan di UN hebohnya yang bak Urban Decay saat launching the Vice Series yang warnanya ratusan #apasih, tapi juga karena lebaran tahun ini Konsulat Jenderal RI di New York dan Perutusan Tetap RI untuk PBB, my office, memutuskan untuk mengadakan acara Joint Open House untuk seluruh warga Indonesia yang ada di New York City dan sekitarnya. Asyik kaaan. Buat kami sekeluarga yang ngga sempat masak makanan lebaran maupun buat kue kastengel kesayangan, ini adalah anugarah dari Yang Kuasa buat para hamba-Nya yang jauh dari tanah air. Kebayang dong, aneka makanan khas lebaran yang meruntuhkan iman, plus suasana silahturahmi yang selalu menghangatkan hati juga kesempatan memakain baju andalah (baru) LOL. But on a more serious note, acara seperti ini benar-benar ditunggu oleh banyak pihak. Setelah selesai sholat Idul Fitri di Masjid miliki komunitas Indonesia di New York City, Masjid Al-Hikmah, - baca: Eid al Fitr in New York City -kami pun pulang sebentar untuk berganti pakaian. Kebetulan karena kami statusnya 'semi panitia', sudah ada dress code yang ditentukan, yaitu busana nusantara. Dan saya memilih memakai kebaya kutubaru warna hijau berpadu dengan kain Batik tulis Cirebon lawas peninggalan nenekku tercinta. I know, it's not purple but I have worn purple in the morning for sholat. Besides, this kain belongs to my late grandma, so it feels like having a lovely part of my family, whom I miss dearly, in this special day. Sementara, suami dan anak-anak kompak sepakat pakai baju putih-putih. Karena hari kemenangan kan memang identik dengan kembali kita ke fitrah-Nya, suci tanpa debu. Tapi aku ya emoh paka putih, soalnya jadi gendut bangeeet LOL.
The Frakarsas
Asyiknya lagi, saat tiba di sekitar KJRI yang menjadi tempat acara, kami pun langsung dapat parkir. Ini lumayan ajaib lhooo..karena KJRI yang letaknya antara Fifth Avenue dan Madison Avenus yang tersohor itu selalu terkenal dengan parkirnya yang susaaahnya minta ampun. Rezeki anak sholehah yaaa pastinya :). Ini beneran lho jarang terjadi, karena at least kita harus muter-muter blok sebelum dapat parkir atau end up di gedung parkir yang harganya nonjok banget, sekitar $30 PER JAM. iya, PER JAM. Jadi parkir 2 jam bisa dapat dompet Fossil yang lagi sale >_<.
Tiba di depan gedung KJRI, kami disambut oleh antrian pengunjung yang sudah panjang dan mengular. Memang kapasitas gedung KJRI terbatas, sesuai dengan peraturan di kota NYC yang mewajibkan setiap ruang pertemuan mengumumkan dengan jelas batas maximum occupancy. Alhasil, para tamu harus bersabar gantian dengan tamu lainnya yang sudah masuk di dalam terlebih dahulu jika batas maksimum sudah dicapai.
Di dalam gedung, para tamu langsung disambut oleh Konsul Jenderal Indonesia untuk New York, Bapak Abdulkadir Jaelani dan Ibu Yanti Jaelani, serta Pak Dubes/Wakil tetap RI di PBB, DUbes Dian Triansyah Djani beserta Ibu Yanti Djani. Nama istrinya kebetulan sama :). Serunya, mereka berdiri di depan backdrop cantik bunga-bunga Indonesia buatan temanku/tetangga tercinta, Ditut.
Selesai bersilahturahmi dan maaf-maafan dengan banyak teman, tamu dan kolega, waktunya menikmati hidangan khas Lebaran. Yaaaaay... Kalau sudah ngomongin makanan khas lebaran, hati rasanya nyeeees. Terharu melihat aneka hidangan lezat yang bukan saja nikmat di mulut, tapi juga mengingatkan pada keluarga besar di Indonesia dan perasaan hangat saat kumpul bareng keluarga besar dan orang-orang tercinta. This year, we have a wide variety of Indonesian traditional food for Lebaran Day!
As you can see on the pictures above, we have our traditional menu, which consists of: Lontong, - rice cake Opor ayam,- Indonesian chicken curry with coconut milk, Sambel goreng kentang dan daging,- spicy beef and fried potatoes, Sayur ketupat lebaran,- Indonesian spicy vegetable soup with coconut milk Tahu Petis,- eggs with traditional petis sauce. Selain itu ada kue-kue dan cemilan khas Indonesia juga, seperti pastel, kembang goyang, tape ketan, rengginang dan lain-lain.
Pokoknya urusan perut, bahagiaaaa deh :). Judulnya, cheating day dan lupakan diet sejenak >_<. Dan asyiknya lagi, sambil terus menikmati hidangan istimewa dan bertemu teman-teman maupun keluarga besar Indonesia yang ada di New York dan Sekitarnya, kita pun tiada henti berfoto LOL. Termasuk behind the scene alias di dapur :).
Cheers
Kalau mau lihat keseruannya, check out this video on my YouTube, please.
Lebaran memang selalu istimewa ya, di mana pun kita berada. Bersyukur rasanya bisa kembali menikmati sejuk dan berkah Ramadhan serta Hari Raya Idul Fitri yang penuh keriaan. Terima kasih banyak untuk tim horeee nan cihuy KJRI New York,- Pak Konjen dan Ibu, Pak Win, Chichi, Anissa, Shinta, Mas Jatmiko, Gustaav et Mela, Kika, Myrna, Asep, Sandy, Sita, Lutfi, Mas Temy, dan semuaaaa yang ngga tersebut di sini. You guys rock! As always :). Dan juga keluarga besar PTRI New York-ku tercintaaaah. Bagaimana cerita lebaran teman-teman?
I hope everyone has a great summer and 4th of July Celebration.
After a little warming up at Astoria, we decided to see the fireworks in NyC as well.
At Brooklyn Bridge, to be exact. Or, perhaps, near our office, at the 34th street Midtown Manhattan, one of the official sites of Macy's 4th of July.
Meanwhile, we had a great summer indeed, kicking of with a day in the pool here in Astoria and strolling around Rockefeller Center to see the giant ballerina :).
How do you start your summer?
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