This past weekend was the 4th of July, which in the US brings thoughts of fireworks, parks, BBQs, beaches, and to us this Saturday morning, a HOT DOG EATING CONTEST!!! Yes, the world famous Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Competition takes place at Coney Island in front of Nathan’s flagship store each yeah on the 4th of July. It’s been a tradition since 1916 to have the contest at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island, making this year the 94th annual hot dog eating contest.
A permanent tribute to the hot dog eating contest in Coney Island with a countdown to the next competition as well as the number of hot dogs eaten for the male and female world records
We arrived about two hours before the event started, getting our place in the large crowd that was to grow even larger as the competition neared. They had some cheesy entertainment before the big event; trampoline jumpers, dancing hot dogs, bunette cheerleaders, and even one of the contestants rapped about eating food. There was even an announcer who ended up on a riser that rose at least 40 feet above the crowd. I felt like I should be at Kaiju Big Battel or something, but I love it when silly things are made even more over the top.
Though there were about 20 contestants total, the main bout was between Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut who have been battling it out for number one the past few years. Kobayashi had won six years in a row until 2007 when Chestnut won two years in a row. Would Kobayashi be able to come back after a two year absence of number one, or would Chestnut continue to reign supreme?
The video I took above is of the last 30 seconds of the race, though somehow without the zoom on. It was a close race with Kobayashi coming out with a lead in the beginning and ending up being just bites behind Chestnut for the remainder of the race, but the end total ended with Kobayashi 64.5 hot dogs, and Chestnut eating 68 in 10 minutes – a new world record!! The previous record had been at 61, yet the Nathan’s billboard said 66 since apparently the two champions went into an overtime dog-off last year because they tied, and the first to eat five dogs (Chestnut) won! A very exciting race this year, and if I end up going again next year I definitely plan on getting there early to get a better view.
The rest of my day was a bunch of fun. We all went to have a beer at Cha Cha’s on the boardwalk, and then went to see the Coney Island Side Show which I had never attended. That was pretty fun and funny and I would recommend checking that out as part of your trip to Coney Island (most of my friends were surprised I had never been, seeing as how I go to Coney Island at least twice a summer).
Then since we were in the area and I had free admission my friend and I checked out the NY aquarium! I almost forget that NY has an aquarium since it’s so out of the way from the other main museums in Manhattan, and even though I’ve lived in NY for most of my life I had never been! I do love aquariums and water and looking at fish, but this was probably the least impressive aquarium I’ve been to. Since we went later in the afternoon some of the animals had gone in for the day, we could barely catch a glimpse of the penguins all the way in the back, but we did see an otter, seals and walruses (walri?), and of course lots of feesh!
And what is the 4th of July without fireworks? Specifically fireworks from a rooftop in Bushwick. I was super bummed to hear that the Macy’s fireworks were moving to the Hudson this year (another reason to hate Jersey), but we were still able to see parts of it by the skyline. And there were fireworks from all other directions to keep us entertained as well. Oh and the smoke from the building in Williamsburg catching on fire too! How crazy. Usually my July 4ths are pretty dull, but this year was an action packed day, hooray! Good times indeed.
