Who remembers it 25 years later?
I was going to Williamsport PA from Reading PA and just outside Frackville it was foggy but on top of the mountain the fog broke and I was like WTF is that?
Pulled over and looked at for a while and thought UFO or what.
Anyway was kinda cool to see it hang around for weeks on end and then slowly it went off on it’s journey.
Some said it was the Star of David coming back, don’t know but was cool to have lived thru that time.
In a similar vein, we’re in a great position in the USA right now for catching a gaze at the International Space Station. If you’ve never done it before, go to https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ and plug your location in. It’s worth your time.
I definitely remember Hale Bopp. I think it might have been the second comet I saw with my own eyes, although I can’t remember what the first would have been.
Regardless, it was definitely my favorite. The only other comet that even came close for me was 2007 McNaught, which actually was significantly brighter, but due to my latitude, I was only ever able to see it right at sunset, while the sky was still very bright. So Hale Bopp appeared more impressive to me.
I remember standing around with some friends one evening after church, and they were pretty amazed when I pointed it out to them and realized they actually were seeing a comet for real.
I wish that ridiculous cult didn’t commit mass suicide at the peak of the Hale Bopp comet. I can’t think of the comet without thinking about those fools. It just goes to show you how crazy off the path of reality some people are willing to go. Anyway, what a remarkable celestial sight that was. I was living in Northern California at the time. Had a gorgeous clear view of it.
I remember Halley's Comet in 1986.
I don't remember Hale-Bopp Comet. 
Comet Hyakutake in 1996, a year before Hale-Bopp, was also very amazing.
I remember it well. Neat that it was visible for so long, could be clearly seen with the naked eye, and during daylight hours as well. The universe is fascinating.
I was living in So. Cal during Halley’s and Hale Bopp. We went out to Joshua Tree, to get away from light pollution, to view Halley’s. Hale Bopp, we sailed a sailboat about 25 or 30 miles off the coast of San Diego and drifted around for a few hours. The comet was pretty cool with the naked eye, but looking at it with high powered binoculars was spectacular.
Little did we know there was a wacko cult group committing mass suicide in San Diego around the same time. Remember the Heaven’s Gate group? They thought there was a UFO hiding behind Hale Bopp’s tail, waiting to pick them up.
Brings back fond memories. Toward the end of its visit I accompanied a friend onto some mostly wild ranch property that he was buying, surrounded by nothing but more wild ranch, most of which was ungrazed for years. We took a long wandering hike to explore the property, saw some coyotes and an armadillo, stumbled onto a hidden pond that was sunken below the surrounding prairie grass and very shallow drainage wash. Redbud trees were blooming and it was warm, smells of springtime. In that pond we saw a little ribbon snake (I think) just floating there in the middle…soaking up sunshine I suppose. Early dragonflies with the red/orange wings. We ended up lounging there until almost sunset when we started to head back to the road. Beautiful twilight skies but as the light faded it became a very dark night. We weren’t sure where the comet was supposed to be in the sky, but it didn’t take long to spot it. It was a beautiful sight…so many stars and coal black sky around them, and then this brilliant comet light way up there. Neither of us had a flashlight so we stumbled in the grass tufts and ran into some thorny sand plum bushes several times, passed by a skunk a bit closer than anyone would have done otherwise. We finally made it back to the car around 11:00pm. This was before cell phones and his wife was just about to phone the sheriff, but those extra few hours in the middle of wild darkness witnessing one of nature’s beautiful displays…totally worth it.
I remember it
Hale-Bopp was good from light polluted skies because of its surface brightness. Hyakutake was awesome in a dark sky with a faint tail up to 100 degrees long but didn't show up well in the brighter light pollution. Also, Hale-Bopp was predicted long in advance, 20 months, compared to Hyakutake that was only discovered 2 months before closest approach.
We are overdue for another great comet.