Let me start by saying that it took me way too much work to get up out of bed this morning and I'm still considering jumping back in. Either way, here's a long recap of my busy Fourth of July (I still can't believe it's only Saturday):
morning
I was up and out at 10 AM to meet up with my sis and cousin to head over to Coney Island. I'd never seen the Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest Nathan's holds each year (other than on TV) so I thought eh, why not? I had nothing else to do but sleep (which I later wished I had chosen instead). After an hour.five on the D train, we arrived to a mass of people chilling on the streets waiting for the contest to begin. We got as close as we could (which was practically back in Manhattan) and enjoyed the only scenery before us- butts (we're really short). After nearly getting elbowed in the face several times and almost passing out from heat exhaustion, we figured it'd be best if we went away towards a shaded area and grab some hot dogs ourselves (because Lord knows after the contest was over, Nathan's would be packed).
Practicing for my chance at gluttony greatness
The chow-down began at 12:40 or so and despite there being 21 contestants at the table, it was all about former long-time champ Japanese Takeru Kobayashi and the man who stole his mustard belt last year, Joey Chestnut from Cali. In the beginning Joey had the lead, downing 10 hot dogs in the first minute! He kept the lead until Kawasaki made a comeback around mid time. Throughout the rest of the 10 gluttonous minutes it was neck in neck, back and forth between the two and you really had no clue who'd come out on top. It was so close in fact, that in the end it all resulted in the first-ever tie! Tamagotchi and Joey had both eaten 59 hot dogs so they had to go for the Sudden Death round in which both had to eat five more. In OT, crowd fave Joey won and the belt got to stay in America, Land of the Obese.
After the craziness was over, we walked around for a bit because none of us had visited Coney Island in a while. It seems to be more rundown than I remembered, but it still had it's familiar rickety old rides that the suicidals get on, plenty of arcades, and 5000 people on the beach.
It's nice to know there's a place for these types of activities
I had originally wanted to check out The New York City Waterfalls which were installed June 26 as well, but we were all so pooped that I decided to leave that for another day. I did catch a glimpse of the waterfall beneath the Brooklyn Bridge on our train ride across the Manhattan Bridge that morning and on our way home was surprised with a great view of the fall on Pier 35 in the Lower East Side while crossing the bridge again. Maybe I'll get a closer look some time before they take them down on October 13.
View of the Pier 35 waterfallfrom the D train window
afternoonI was sooo tired by the time I got home that I didn't even want to think about heading back out that night. I was also starting to feel out of it/mopey so I decided to lie down for a bit and sleep it off even though I usually wake up feeling worse when I nap. But after an hour of shut-eye I felt a bit better and so hungry. I heated up some yummy left overs while I watched HGTV and later on the Phillies v Mets game. My ex said he'd be going to that game so I thought it'd be fun to root against his beloved team while he and I texted each other throughout the game. Instead I ended up pumping my fist in the air each time the Phillies scored a run (you have to feel sorry for those fans, that team botches up so many games!). The two teams tied in the 6th, but in the end the Phillies broke it at the bottom of the 9th to bring the score up to 3-2.
Meanwhile, I was still on the fence about going out with the girls to Providence Club. I even flipped a coin to see if I should opt for the quiet night at home instead. Then when I realized I was a tiny bit disappointed that the coin agreed to that, I decided to get cutesied up and go shake my stress away. And boy did I...
I managed to get in all the colors
for this red, white and blue affair
nightI met up with the girls and headed to the club around 10:30 PM. When we got there I remembered that I had been there before with my cousin way back when. The music was really good (it wasn't all reggaeton, thank God) and my friends' guy friends came along later on so we had great dance partners all night. Of course there were those strangers who'd pop up every now and then to steal a dance or two, but I mostly danced with the guys we knew. One guy in a faux hawk even said, "I love you" after I told him I was Dominican. Yeah, sure buddy.
And can I please tell you about that super strong apple martini I had minutes after walking in there? I haven't been drinking much lately (because I haven't been going out much lately), but geez, I remember the days when one drink would not do me in like that. My other friend agreed it was strong and we were both feeling tipsy afterwards. Granted, I downed that drink a bit quickly with the intention of getting buzzed without having to pay another 12 bucks so I wasn't upset at all (at least not til this morning anyway when I thought my head was going to pop). I even got the drunken hiccups and the giggles somewhere in there. As well as dead batteries and 5000 pictures on my camera. Do I remember them all? No. Do I care? No. Did I have a great time last night? Yes!
Before and after the tipsiness kicked in (but before my hair looked like a hot mess)