Midweek holiday

As July 4 fell midweek this year, I took a mini-vacation the two days and weekend before and traveled to New York City. It was great weather, sunny and cool. I could see that many people also took time off, judging from the sunbathers in Central Park.

I wondered what New York City would be like in the wake of the car bombs in London. There were more police helicopters visibly hovering and a bomb-sniffing dog at the train station, especially for trains bound to Washington, D.C. I spent a lot of time walking through the park and also along the East River. For the most part, security was not highly visible. Yet, people were clearly relaxed and there was a secure feeling in the city.

Fireworks went off without a glitch in New York and in Washington, D.C., except for a tornado scare that sent people scattering off the Mall. The metropolitan police took the occasion to practice evacuation skills and crowd control. They still have to work on it, but over time practice does make perfect.

Some companies and even some government agencies let people leave work a little early the day before the Fourth. Some corporations even allowed four-day weekends after July 4. Midweek holidays can be a challenge -- do you take off before or after or just go to work? What did you do with the midweek holiday?