The fireworks were staged along the reflecting pool between the Lincoln and WWII memorials (well, at least a couple hundred shells were staged there; I should've taken my camera along on the morning of the 5th). Last year, too, much of that area was blocked off for a long time after the display/performance as a safety precaution so that they could shoot off any shells that didn't launch on cue earlier. It took some improvisation to find a route from Memorial Bridge to the Washington.