a history of me

Before getting into today's events I should mention that last night, after I finished yesterday's massive post, Dad and I went out to dinner at a most unusual eatery. Somehow we both decided that we wanted some barbecue so Dad broke out an old Zagat's guide to find a spot. We found a few different listings and we picked the one with the most outrageous sounding name: The Hog Pit.

It's way down in the Meatpacking District (which just happens to be "southwest" Manhattan). It's a trip to walk in there because they have gone to great lengths to simulate a "southern" experience. I highly recommend this restaurant/bar. The food is delicious and very affordable (the entreés include your choice of two side dishes), the beers are inexpensive and the atmosphere is lively. The jukebox is Country & Western heavy which irritated me a little but there was also plenty of kick-ass rock tunes as well. Dad had two cans of PBR and I think he got a little tipsy; he may have been flirting with our waitress. I really wanted to have one but I've already drank way too much beer this weekend.

On to today: I forced myself to wake up early so I could have some fun. Living in this city is offering me new insight on people's behavior. When it comes to crowds, Manhattan is the opposite of the suburbs. Where I grew up, I'd expect to see lots of people out and about on a sunny Fourth of July afternoon, but Manhattan was oddly quiet. I guess lots of people take the opportunity to leave town. I thought it would cool to take a trip out to Coney Island; I hadn't been out there in at least ten or fifteen years. Apparently a lot of people who wanted to leave town had the same idea; getting off the subway felt like I was going to a Yankee game.

I arrived just as the famous hot dog eating contest had begun. I had wanted to witness this event so my timing was pretty good. Unfortunately I had underestimated the crowd; I couldn't see a thing! The streets were packed with fans; boyfriends had girlfriends hoisted on their shoulders. The audio play-by-play was all I could enjoy. The winner this year was reigning champ Takeru Kobayashi who ate a mere forty-nine hot dogs in twelve minutes, four+ dogs short of his world record. This made me want to eat a hot dog very badly but the gigantic lines at Nathan's helped bolster my resolve and I took a stroll to the boardwalk instead.

The weather was beautiful and I felt particularly alone all of a sudden. I don't think I had anticipated the "together" atmosphere as it seemed like everyone there was with someone else, be it friends, family, or significant others. I felt incredibly out of place. Perhaps fueled by despair, possibly boredom or maybe just curiosity, I decided it was time to ride The Cyclone. I've never ridden it before because I was terrified of roller coasters as a child. In case you missed them, you can hear my audioposts before and after the ride.

After scaring myself half to death I slowly made my way back to the Coney Island subway terminal. The hot dog crowd was nearly gone but the media and contestants were still talking things over. I really, really wanted a hot dog but instead I got on the train and went home to Manhattan.

Tonight should be fun: my friend Mike is DJing a rooftop party at the building where he works and I hear there's an afterparty downtown. I don't know if I'll be able to see the fireworks but I hope to enjoy myself thoroughly. And I'll probably drink all the carbs/calories I passed up earlier. Happy 4th to all of you.