Happy Birthday America

As any of my friends know, I'm always late in wishing people a happy birthday. So it's fitting that I post this a day late.

The day started out in Coney Island (as every July 4th does) with a hot dog eating contest at Nathan's. It's been going on for decades, and although Isa and I had heard about it forever, we'd never been. Now we've been...

...along with 50,000 other people. I'll give it to them, the first two or three minutes of the contest is pretty exciting. To see someone eat 20 hot dogs in two minutes is quite a sight. But then it's pretty much the same, but a little slower, for the next 8 minutes. I think it was worth going to once, just for the experience and to say we've been there, but we'll probably not be attending again.

But 62 hot dogs? Seriously? Forget being able to eat that fast, how do you eat 62 hot dogs? How are you not full after 20? Or 5? Or if you're Isa, 2? Who feeds these people for Thanksgiving?

After the contest, we headed home to put together a picnic and then staked out a sweet spot on the West Side Highway for the fireworks on the Hudson. We didn't bring the real camera or the tripod because we didn't think we'd have space. We were wrong.

We were one of the first ones there at 4:30pm (for a 9:20 show, which is surprising considering Bryant Park movies are packed 5 hours before the show) and so we staked out the corner of the spectator holding cell at 30th and 12th Ave.

The weather was perfect and the sunset was beautiful.

FDNY Fireboat sprayed red, white, and blue water

pretty. :)

Isa's pic. LOVE this.

Macy's fireworks did not disappoint. From our sweet vantage spot, we could see four of the six barges clearly. If you've never seen the NYC fireworks, Macy's sets up six barges in a line up the Hudson River and they shoot off fireworks simultaneously, creating a 2-mile wide fireworks display that's pretty dang amazing.

Happy Independence Day everyone. Thanks to everyone who fights to keep this land free. Because I was thinking about it last night, and I really like being free. Like a lot. America rocks.