Gettin corny on Coney
I need to start by reminding you that clicking on the pictures makes them bigger. Okay, now that Internet 101 is over, let's continue.This 4th of July weekend 2006 was a good one. Went to friends' and got the grand tour of NYC. We did almost every burrough, double-decker bus tours, ate famous NYC foods, took many pictures, and more. Since we did so much, I'll post sporatically so I don't overwhelm my audience. All one of you (myself).
On the first day to New York City, we went to Coney Island.
It was the typical boardwalk fiasco: 5 t-shirts for $10, funnel cakes, carnies, rusted out & dangerous rides, lots of people in the blazing heat, beach, B.O., and more. You know, everything to make a good holiday that more American.
Coney Island is one of several staples of NYC. And on Coney Island there are even more legendary places to visit. One of those places is Astroland, one of the several amusement parks on Coney Island.
Astroland has the famous roller coaster, The Cyclone.
Initially, I wasn’t enthused about hopping on this ride. But I did it just so I can say I rode The Cyclone. Now that I have, I must say that I highly underestimated it. This thing will kick your ass!
Forget that it has been in existence for 75 years. It snaps you right & left. Hard! The dips aren’t terribly high, and you only reach 60 MPH, but the switchback turns make you believe otherwise. It’s a must if you’re at Coney Island.
Another landmark is Nathan’s Famous. They have been around since 1916.
This is the location of the famous hot dog eating contest every 4th of July. (I was there on the 2nd, so I just missed it.) It’s amazing how a 113 pound Japanese guy, Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi, eats 50+ hot dogs (and buns!) in 12 minutes. Even more amazing is when you see him standing next to his 300+ and 400+ pound competition! He won this year and every year since 2001.
I didn’t quite eat that many. I merely tasted a meager two dogs: a chili cheese and a plain.
Had I been there by myself instead of with a group, I would have thrown down a few more. Living in D.C. makes me crave the hot dogs of Chicago, especially Best’s Kosher and Vienna Beef. Now I long for the next time I’m at Nathan’s.
Special thanks to George, a fellow foodie, for taking me to all these places.
And that's the last time you'll see me refer to myself as a "foodie." I guess that's the term, but it sounds too queer.
Stay tuned for my next post. And visit George's blog.
posted by Unaverage Joe @ 12:56 AM
2 Comments:
I love it... one question though... who's the girl in the pink? I don't remember that being on the menu. :)
The great Kobayashi wins again! I was there to see it and it was a good show (even though my view of the eaters was limited). Incredible amounts of energy in the crowd, which they estimated was 20,000 deep.
If you were there, unless you got there two hour early (like I did) you wouldn't have been able to see Koby at all.
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