Hopefully This Date Will Stick: I love hot dogs

B and I have watched the Nathan's Hot Dog Contest since we first started dating. We love it. We think they are true athletes. When I realized that July 4th fell on Friday my first thought was "we have to go to Coney Island." Lucky for me, B was just as excited as I was. So we set the plans in motion and even convinced BFD (Best Friend Debbie for those who have forgotten) to join us.

We thought the contest started at noon but that is when the televised portion starts. They didn't eat until almost one o'clock. This was a blessing in disguise since BFD arrived late as she was coming from E. 91st Street. And she even arrived in the color of the day - yellow (B and I were wearing yellow by accident and then BFD showed up in yellow). We love you BFD!!

While we were waiting, B walked around and happened upon the bus of athletes about to arrive. Like any good fiance he ran over to get me and whisked me to the arrival area that was inexplicably empty. And then they all started coming off the bus - Sonia "The Black Widow", Badlands Booker, Kobyashi.

I missed getting a shot of Joey Chestnut - the reigning champion and world record holder. But I more than made up for that later.

Here are some pictures of the event. In the ten minutes, B, BFD and I screamed, yelled, and clapped all we could but it end in a tie. The first ever tie. To the dog-off we went. 5 hot dogs, first one to finish wins. All or nothing. America versus Japan. It was more than we had ever dreamed of. It was history in the making. And we were there to witness it first hand.

Pictures of the contest...

After the contest we walked up the boardwalk and caught up. We were getting hungry and decided to head to Park Slope for some food and a drink. While we were walking towards the subway we happened upon two crowds. One around Joey and one around Kobyashi. I thought fast and pushed my way to the top of the crowd and B followed. He got Joey to sign his t-shirt and then he muscled in towards Kobyashi and got his autograph. We are now the proud owners of an autographed shirt commemorating this historic day. We are getting it framed. No joke.

Other pictures of the day...