Thursday, July 3, 2008

Check it Out: Coney Island





















With the forecast looking grim for the upcoming holiday weekend (that is if you are sticking around the city), we suggest heading out to Coney Island to watch two really skinny dudes chow countless hotdogs as fast as possible! That's right, the world famous Nathan's Hotdog eating contest goes down on Coney Island every Fourth of July. This year it looks like some serious rivalry between the reigning champ Joey "Jaws" Chestnut and the Japanese sensation Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi (yes, these guys have their own websites -- but who doesn't these days?). Apparently, "Tsunami" holds the world record for hotdog eating as he downed 66 dogs in 12 minutes. However, he was defeated by "Jaws" last year at the Nathan's event. If that doesn't get you all fired up, then perhaps you can take your chances with the weather at Brighton Beach.

If the weather turns for the worse, you can always check out the New York Aquarium, and it just so happens that Fridays after 3pm are the "pay what you wish" day. They don't close until 6pm so that gives you plenty of time to check out the sea anemones and the sharks.














Just an FYI (see the last post on the re-zoning of Coney Island), this very well could be the last year to catch a glimpse of the historic amusement park before it is transformed into a tourist attraction so it may be worth the trip if you are around the city. Anyhow, enjoy the Fourth and just remember not to hold the bottle rockets in your hand.

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