OCEAN BEACH, CA. Fireworks at the end of the OB Pier are always good for a huge crowd. The beach, the pier, the surrounding blocks, the overlooking hilltops, and the cliffs are packed. It seems like the whole world comes to OB for the fireworks every 4th. And why not? They’re great!
To capture this part of the end of the world, Jeff Stone took these last night up at the top end of Del Monte Avenue.
Some people in OB refuse to leave the community for the entire day, afraid of losing their parking spot or not wanting to deal with the crowds anywhere else. There’s no need to leave, so why bother?
But everyone in this neighborhood knows that it’s on Independence Day every year that we have to share our fine town with the world. For, don’t forget, the Declaration of Independence was signed this day in 1776. The nation was born. For better or worse.
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
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Like ’em all, like the first and fourth the best – cool shots! Tried to get a couple of the crowd from the end of my block, but my cheesy digi doesn’t do art like this justice…
I had a DJ gig at Yogi’s and didn’t see any out there and missed it at OB this year…Thanks for the photos Jeff
(Anybody got video?)
Best Fireworks in Town!
So enjoyed celebrating our 233rd Independence Day on the beach in OB. While pondering what the 4th originally stood for, this word & these phrases came to mind….Freedom: Freedom from oppression, Freedom from religious tyranny, Freedom to express who and what I am at my own pace in my own time (no wonder I love living in OB!). I do wonder, though, what happened to Freedom from taxation?!? Our early settlers came here to be free and develop their own lifesyle free from political and religious rules….surely that’s what’s draw us all here to OB.
Enjoy the video…. (sorry, don’t know how to put the video in here).
Sunshine – nice thoughts, generally. If crime and rowdiness are going down statistically, why do the cops need more and more parking spaces for their vehicles on July 4th. I understand ifrom a Reader article today that a couple dozen RV owners were ordered out of the pier parking lot by police under threat of arrest at 8am July 4th – our freedom day. The police also take over the lifeguard parking lot as well usually on the 4th. I don’t if they did that this year or not. Does anyone know?
On the taxes issue, we have regressive taxes (sales tax – the rich person and the poor person each taxed the same rate), the government taxes unemployment – which is a damn crime. Poor people should not be taxed that much. Then we have very lenient tax breaks for corporations who are paying less and less of their share historically.
Also, Californians have one of the least tax rates in the country.
Okay, so if we did away with taxes – which is what you imply – who or what would pay for the schools, the roads, the mail, the damns, the infrastructure and all the stuff that government provides?
We need universal health care. That’s more important than almost anything. I would pay more taxes if we had it.
One of the issues in 1776 was taxes, it is true. But it was taxation without representation, remember? We have taxation with representation. So, what’s the issue?
Oh, yeah. Taxation without representation….I guess I forgot that part. Must have missed that day in school due to good surfing conditions.
I don’t mind paying taxes to enjoy all the things that the government provides as you stated…..roads, mail, infrastructure, etc. What I do mind is lack of governmental accountability as to where it is spent.
Healthcare is indeed needed for all. Try raising a teenager without medical insurance and watch your life savings slip away.
Yet, I digress….the topic of this blog was about the fireworks in OB and they were delightful and amazing.
Sunshine – yeah, raising a teen without health ins is a bear! and then with health ins is expensive.
Hey Bodysurferbob,
Yeah, the cops took over the Main Lifeguard Tower parking lot starting on the 3rd. We were having a bite to eat across the street and notice a near army of police gathering there. Within their taped off area we could see all sorts of police vehicles including: patrol cars, ATV’s, SUV’s, van’s, and some sort of huge delivery-looking vehicle all painted so nicely as to be easily identified as the San Diego Police Department. I took 5 pictures of their ‘gathering’ yet, seriously have no idea how to post them on here for you to see.
Don’t know about the other parking lot at the corner of Newport & Abbott though. Can’t recall seeing it shut down and taped off as the lifeguard parking lot was.
With this much overt police presence on the 34d and 4th, how in the world did the injuries happen to Dr. Chris and no one has come forward to say anything? Where were all the cops? You can’t tell me that not one of them bothered to walk inland as far as Newport & Bacon….
Yet, I’ll reserve my other comments about this for another forum on the OBRag.