Since getting my pilot's license, I've developed a tradition of going up to watch the fireworks from the air. This time, we brought along a video camera. Be forewarned, the sound is unaltered, so all you're going to hear is the droning of the engine. You may want to turn the volume down.
What you'll see is our takeoff from Paine Field in Everett, headed north, followed by a turn to the west past the sunset, then south. Then, we head down to Seattle, and fly a sort of L-shaped pattern east-west over Ballard, Fremont and Wallingford, with a leg south over Lake Washington, past downtown, then back.
The small lake with the big fireworks is Lake Union, which we're generally north of. Beyond the Space Needle, you can see downtown Seattle and Elliott Bay, where the other big fireworks display is running.
If you listen carefully at the end, you can hear me say, "That was a terrible landing!"
This video is a repost, in order to improve video quality; the content is the same as the previous version.