the best fireworks i ever saw

If I had to choose the best fireworks that I ever saw, it would be a tossup between Hong Kong, and Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

The beautiful thing about fireworks in Hong Kong -- each year, for Chinese New Year, a spectacular show is put on. But what makes it really special is that you tune to RTHK radio frequency and get a 20 minute music compilation -- and the fireworks are timed to go with the music. So much of the fireworks experience comes down to the oohing, the aahing, and yes, the noise.

In Memorial stadium, after an Orioles game in the old ballpark, we all stuck around for the fireworks, and that's the closest I've ever been, because it's literally right above you. Well, the ash coming down on your head was not so great -- but wow, what a show.

While in Charleston for July 4th, my family and I bought tickets to cruise on a schooner -- tall sails and all -- to see the harbor and watch the fireworks. It was a beautiful night. Seemed like every island around there had fireworks going off, and we were all impatient for the harbor ones to begin. It was a long wait, but quite spectacular. The wierd thing though, the thing I missed, was the noise. Not much oohing and aahing, just not nearly enough crowd ambience when you're on a boat with 20 other people. Still, quite remarkable, especially when I considered that about 150 years earlier, there were some very different type of fireworks. The Civil War started here, with soldiers on Fort Moultrie firing on Fort Sumter.