But thank you for mentioning it. I hope some who read this thread are able to see it.
I've seen various partial eclipses, and one excellent annual eclipse. My very first total eclipse was the one in 2017. I'd learned of it several years before, and originally thought I'd visit my son living in Portland, OR to see it. A bit less than a year before I went on line to see if I could book a motel in Oregon, and to my horror I learned there were no rooms available except for a Motel 6 or Super 8 (both of which I happily stay at) for about $400.
Darn.
In January of that year I was at a science fiction thing, and someone I know in the science fiction community said they were planning to see it in Nebraska. I then asked them if I could perhaps join them to see the eclipse. They said, yes, of course! and I booked a room at a hotel near theirs. I didn't want to overstay my welcome, as one of those I'd be joining is a very well known person in the s-f community. In the end, it was a wonderful experience. We stayed in Kearney, Nebraska, and on the day of the eclipse drove to Ravenna, a small town which was incredibly well organized for the eclipse. There were several parks there. We went to one, parked, and spent our time making friends with those there to see the eclipse also. It was a total delight. Everyone was happy, friendly, and generous. I'd baked chocolate chip cookies I'd brought along, and happily shared with everyone in the park. Others had watermelon, apples, grapes, and melons, and we all feasted well.
The next day, I needed to get gas before I headed back home. Everyone at the gas station had also seen the eclipse, and we were all still high from the experience. It was amazing.
The closest thing I've experienced to that was the Bicentennial. I lived in the Washington DC area then, and a month or so before the actual day made up my mind I'd go down to the Mall that day. My older brother who also lived in the area also scoffed at me, saying there would be violence and demonstrations. I told him he was wrong, and that I'd be there, no matter what. On the day itself, I had to work (I was a ticket agent at DCA, National Airport) but got off at 4pm. I went home to my apartment in Alexandria, VA, changed from my uniform to regular clothes, and headed back to the Mall. At least three busses passed me by because they were totally full, but finally one could squeeze me on. The mood on the bus was wonderful and amazing. Everyone was happy to be there. The normal racial tensions simply didn't exist. Everyone chatted, shared stories.
My brother had phoned me a couple of hours earlier to tell me where we should meet, and that worked very well. About an hour after we connected that part of the Mall was closed off because there were so many people there. I'd just made it.
Some hours later, after the fireworks ended, we split. Brother, his wife, and their two kids lived in Silver Spring, MD. I lived in Alexandria, VA. We'd all taken the bus to get to the Mall. I started walking with many thousands of others. The next day there was a picture in the Washington Post showing Memorial Bridge completely overtaken by pedestrians leaving the Mall. I was with them.
I walked all the way to National Airport, and stopped to rest at one of the bus stops there, mainly because I saw a couple of guys also stopped. We chatted a bit. They had a car parked at the Marina, offered to let me walk with them and they'd then give me a ride the rest of the way home. I was very grateful for that offer. And yes, I felt totally safe.
My point is that the Bicentennial and the 2017 eclipse had in common the phenomenal friendliness of those who were there.
I've decided that I will go to DC for July 4, 2026, our nation's 250th anniversary. I already know the hotel I want to stay at, and recognize that the room rates will probably be a lot of money, but I have time to save for it. When I am there I plan to tell everyone I see that I was there 50 years ago. Oh, and I plan to make my son be there with me. I'm sure he will roll his eyes every time I say that. But I've already told him that I expect him to be in DC on July 4, 2076. He will be only 93 years old at that point, and on his father's side they live well into their 90s. That year he needs to tell every single person he sees that he was there 50 years earlier, and his parents were there (his father was at the Bicentennial also, but we didn't meet for a couple more years) 100 years earlier. How cool will that be?
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