AP Photo/Yanina Manolova
… and Joey Chestnut is its Rafael Nadal. Earlier today, just as Nadal was winning his second Wimbledon crown, Chestnut won his fourth straight victory at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. After setting the world record by consuming 68 hot dogs in under 10 minutes during last year’s contest, Chestnut looked much less impressive this year, edging out the competition with just 54 dogs.
Visitors who’d like to take on Chestnut’s record at the spot of his greatest triumphs can easily get to Coney Island from Manhattan via subway. Even folks who have no desire to eat more than a couple dogs should make the trip if they have the time. Coney Island has seen far better days, but it’s an astonishingly important part of America’s cultural history. Together with Blackpool, England, it basically invented the entire cannon of the commercial seaside resort and the amusement park. There’s still plenty to do and — most importantly during these incredibly hot days — it tends to be 5 to 10 degrees cooler there than in Manhattan.