Top of the Gate

sophie kalaj

10 / 10

i went to this for the first time last Fourth of July and i haven't shut up about it since. my coworker basically dragged me there — i thought paying that much for a rooftop was insane — and then i stood at the railing on top of the Watergate Hotel watching fireworks explode directly over the Washington Monument and i completely fell apart. like i had to excuse myself to collect my feelings. the Potomac below you, the Kennedy Center lit up to your left, the Key Bridge in the distance… every direction is a different painting. what gets me is that you're not watching DC from a screen — you're standing inside it while it celebrates itself. last year i brought my roommate and she cried too. we're going back this year. this is the one.