NEW YORK—New Yorkers and tourists alike flocked to Coney Island Wednesday, taking in the sights, sounds, and tastes while celebrating our nation’s Independence Day.
The beaches were packed with thousands looking to cool off from the sizzling temperatures (a high of 95 degrees at 5:05 p.m.) with a swim in the Atlantic Ocean. Patrons lined the boardwalk, sampling all the favorites from Nathan’s Hot Dogs, to funnel cakes, and fried clams. Screams from children (and even some adults) filled the air, as they rode the rides at Luna Park amusement park, and smiles were everywhere.
“It is a tradition to come out and enjoy Coney Island. Where else would you rather be on the Fourth of July?” asked Stanley Fox, a lifelong resident of Coney Island. “This is a place where you come to hang out and forget about your troubles for a couple of hours.”
Fox said July Fourth is typically the busiest day of the year for Coney Island, with people flocking from all over. “If you look around, you see every country in the world represented, every state in the Union, and every nationality and race.”
Rochelle and Mitch Chapman flew all the way from Melbourne, Australia, to ring in the Fourth, and celebrate Mitch’s 40th birthday. It was their first time in the United States, and the first time sampling some of America’s favorite summertime foods.
“I had my first American burger. It was great; I loved it! Never get a taste like that in Australia,” Rochelle said with a laugh.
Mitch said, “We went to the hot-dog contest, had some piña coladas, and now a walk down the pier.” The couple planned to take in the fireworks in Manhattan in the evening.
“This is where I was meant to be on the Fourth of July,” Mitch said.
Great Day for a Hot Dog
The Chapman’s, like many of the thousands of visitors to Coney Island, started the day off watching the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest on the corner of Stillwell and Surf avenues.
Many in the jovial crowd were decked out in red, white, and blue, or donning the stars and stripes. Chants of “U.S.A!” and spirited renditions of “God Bless America” could be heard from the pre-match festivities through to the end.
Emcee George Shea, from Major League Eating, rallied the crowd for an hour and a half prior to the start of the women’s competition, which featured Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, 45, looking to defend her title.
Thomas bested her record of 40 hot dogs and buns set last year by devouring 45 hot dogs in 10 minutes, meeting the goal she had set for herself at the weigh in Tuesday.
“This means a lot to me. I am proud of myself to win in whatever I do. Not only eating, but working and everything in my life. I want to be the best,” Thomas said after winning the women’s title.
Joey Chestnut, 27, also defended his title, winning the contest for the sixth year in a row by eating 68 hot dog and buns in 10 minutes. The mark tied his record, set in 2009.
“I know my body has a capacity for 70 hot dogs, I know I have the speed. I should have been able to do it, but I didn’t,” Chestnut said after the contest.
Mike McGowan came from Boston just to watch the competition live. “It was fantastic. It is impressive in this heat,” he said. “We had one [hotdog] each before hand and felt stuffed just from that.”
Deb Street, who was visiting from Australia for the first time, said the contest was: “Amazing. It is gluttony—but amazing gluttony.”
While the contestants were not too keen to digest any more hot dogs, those watching sure were. Lines at all Nathan’s locations were 10–15 minutes long after the contest. A manager at the newly remodeled store on the boardwalk said they expected to sell 8,000 hot dogs Wednesday.
The crowds and smiling faces once again at Coney Island are good signs of a resurgence to the aging New York icon.
“I have been here since the 1940s. We had great amusements in those days. In the ‘60s and ’70s, it went down,” Fox recalled. “Coney Island is a survivor and it is coming back in a big way.”
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