The Fourth of July has to be one of my favorite holidays to celebrate. Let’s all think about it shall we:

This is one of the few holidays that has the capability to bring our entire nation together. You gather with friends or family or both and celebrate! It’s one of the simplest holidays, the only times police are lenient with the illegal activity of shooting fireworks from your yard (trust me), and a great excuse to eat the most American of foods and as many of them as you like!

Being so close to the capital has its definite benefits all year round. However, it has to stand out the most on the Fourth of July.

I’ve had the benefit of celebrating every fourth in my life sitting under the National Monument. Not just anyone gets to claim that. Whether I’ve been proactive enough to make plans ahead of time or whether I woke up on the fourth with not a single idea of what I’ll be doing in the afternoon, I end up under the best display of fireworks I’ve ever seen. And every year they seem to get better, if that’s even possible.

This year my parents surprised me with reservations to a rooftop dinner directly under the fireworks and all they had to do was call a week in advance. The year before we had no plans so about an hour before the fireworks were to be set off, we decided to drive into DC. We parked in the first parking spot we could find. We walked three blocks and we were at the National Mall. We found a comfy spot to sit down on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and as we took our seats, fireworks launched over the reflecting pool.

No matter how you approach the fourth, DC has made it possible for you to have an incredible experience and truthfully nothing compares.

When you're walking in DC around the fourth everything has a constant feeling to it. It’s almost as if you’re taking your seats in a stadium where everyone is rooting for the same team. It’s immediate bonds and indescribable sights.

The Fourth of July is one of the only times where nobody minds if you’re late or early. Waiting for those fireworks is one of the few times no one cares if it’s raining or not. If they’re sitting on wet grass or spilled beer. The fourth is absolutely the only time where it’s acceptable to say we partied like it was 1776. It’s the only time you won’t be weirded out to see everyone around you wearing red white and blue like war paint as if ready to go into battle.

Truthfully, it’s one of the few times people from all over the nation sit down once it’s gotten dark, let everything stop, put everything else on pause for a few hours, and watch some lights flare up in the sky. And that’s pretty awesome if you ask me.

I’m extremely grateful to have the heart of the United States so close in the start of July and if you haven’t come to see this incredible display for yourself under the monument I’ll be frank when I say it’s a must.

Because no one does the Fourth of July like DC. And that’s a fact.