One of the highlights of my industry and my favorite amongst the big shows geared towards the hospitality field is the New York Fancy Food Show held at the Javits Center every June.
The Specialty Food Association sponsors the show every year at the Javits Center
The Fancy Food Show is aisle after aisle of the latest products that will be stocking our grocery stores, specialty shops and gift stores. From the latest cheeses and pates to snack foods, flavorful drinks and waters to the latest heat and eat prepared foods to almost anything else to stock your pantry with, they are being showcased at this show. It takes me the full three days to get through the show just to walk down the aisles and see what new products there are to sample. That is not enough time plus you get over-whelmed with all the foods to taste and flavors to experience.
My first day I concentrated on the first floor of the show. The first several aisles were dedicated to vendor after vendor of cheeses. I have learned over the years to pace myself when I start the show, or you go into system overload. You have to take your time in the first three aisles of the show or else you will not be able to enjoy all the other samples you need to experience to form an opinion.
I was funny that I felt this way because when I said this to a cheese merchant, she repeated that comment back to me. She said, “You know, I keep asking everyone to try our cheese, but they keep saying they have to pace themselves. Why do they keep saying that?” I reminded her that we have aisles and aisles of food to see and a lot of first timers start to fill themselves up on the first three aisles and then can’t handle the rest of the show. She did not seem pleased with that answer and went back to work.
I continued to take my time walking the Food Show. Traveling aisle after aisle of cheeses, crackers, cookies and olive oils. The snack foods selection was extensive this year. I guess the pandemic got people creating food items that they liked, and they want to make a cottage business out of it. The problem is that there are only so many different ways to make caramel popcorn or chocolate chip cookies.
The biggest problem with food items at the show is when vendors are trying to be too specific who they want their customers to be or catering to a niche customer who is gluten intolerant or looking for all natural foods. I have had to keep a straight face when I had to sample all natural sodas with no sugar or cookies without eggs, wheat, sugar and are dairy free that tasted like saw dust. I know what the vendor is trying to achieve but when an item has no flavor no one will want to buy it. Some products can achieve this but somewhere in the recipe they will have to put a few ingredients back.
I found a lot of successful items at the show that did not agree with judges when it came time to give awards out. Some of their choices just had no flavor, taste or appeal to a lot of customers. I judged products by a couple of standards, how different was it in product, how it tasted and was the flavoring different from other items on the market and creativity in packaging. Some of the snack foods and sodas that won awards boggled me because they had no flavor and no enticing packaging.
I found that some of the best products in the French and Korean Food Pavilions. The Asian countries really had the pulse of appealing to a younger customer or an older customer who liked things from their childhood. The French always know packaging. They are famous for it. The color schemes and the pictures just appeal to a sophisticated customer. It is also the taste of their foods. The flavors are direct and intense. Their snacks had more unusual flavors and better cooking methods. There just seemed like they wanted to bring gourmet foods to the snack masses of the United States. I was impressed by a handful of items that I highly recommend to those who want to indulge in a treat.
The following were the best products I sampled on the first day of the 2024 Fancy Food Show and I want to share them with other foodies and culinarians. These products stood out the most for their taste and packaging:
In the French Pavilion, the first brand I highly recommend is the potato chip brand Simply Gourmand brand Brets, whose crispy flavorful snacks were the best potato chips at the show. in the Snack Food category, I thought they were the best I tasted. With their unique flavors, the best being the Camembert Cheese and the Miel Moutarde, the honey Dijon mustard flavors and colorful packaging, were outstanding. I had to beg the vendor for two bags to take home to sample. The crispy fried French potatoes were perfectly flavored and salted and they filled the bag with chips and not air like American companies.
The Brets brand of potato chips by Simply Gourmand
The samples I took home were excellent. I loved the crunch and the perfect seasonings.
The other item from the French Pavilion were the cookie brands by Gozoki Deceures, both the Maison Jacquemart and the Noots. These buttery delights were a treat when I tried the different varieties.
The cookies from Maison Jacquemart were excellent
I sampled the various flavors of cookies from Maison Jacquemart and the cookies look as good as they taste. I was able to try their Les Petits Lunettes, a small type of Linder tart cookie filled with strawberry jelly and chocolate cream and their mini Almond cakes, that tasted like a Madeline. You could taste the sweet butter in the cookie dough and the fresh jelly in the cookie. The crunchiness of the cookie with the sweetness of the filling was a delectable combination.
It was the same with their tartlets as well. There was a thick layer of chocolate, strawberry and apricot jelly on the top of their cookies with a buttery cookie base that showed me that they did not skimp anywhere when producing their product.
Gozoki Douceurs products were my pick for best baked products at the show
The samples they gave me of the Strawberry Jelly and the Chocolate filled tarts were delicious
In the Canadian Pavilion, around lunch time on my first day of the show, I sampled the Chicken Nuggets by Al Safa Foods and these were impressive especially the spicy ones. They were juicy on the outside and crisp on the inside and the spicy flavor had a nice kick to it.
The Al Safa Chicken nuggets were one of the best chicken products I tasted at the show
What I like about Al Safa Chicken products is the quality and taste of the chicken. The product cooked up nicely and the taste would appeal to children and adults alike.
in the Italian Pavilion, there were many honey products being sampled at the show but the best flavored honey was from Casa Folino were stood out for flavor and packaging.
The Casa Folino flavored honey is a different alternative to jellies when topping toast or biscuits
The Casa Folino line of honeys had a zippy set of flavors and were unique to the show. Other vendors offered different flavored honeys due to the bees or the region they were produced but this company added the flavorings to the high quality honey making a unique accompaniment to biscuits an
The Asian Pavilion offered so many amazing products and these are the best of the best when I walked this part of the show:
I was very impressed with food items from both Korea and Thailand with a few vendors from Taiwan as well. What I liked about the Asian food products is the unique flavors and bright packaging of their products. They made their food products appealing to the eye and engaging to the senses and the packaging was fun. Once they reeled you in with the engaging packaging, the flavors were very intense with different tastes like Rose, Melon and Mango for sweets and peppers and cheeses for their savory products.
These Cheeseburger popcorn snack from HBAF were very impressive. The seasonings really did taste like a cheeseburger and you could taste the beef and tomato flavorings in the popcorn. Their other snacks had unusual flavors as well. I think these innovative snacks will work well in the American market. They also sampled a Cookie & Cream Malt balls and Honey Butter Almonds that were also delicious. All their products had a delicious taste and engaging packaging. The perfect stocking stuffer at the holidays.
Yummy LOL has the most interesting packaging
Yummy LOL candies had some of the most creative packaging in the candy category. The vibrant colors and the way that the company combines the use of candy as a toy makes this packaging all the more fun. The product was candy and a toy all in one package.
The quality of the candy is very good. The flavors of the candy have a high level of sweetness and I notice sometimes that the Asian made candies have a more intense flavor than their American counterparts. I think it is the use of different fruit flavors being used and the way these taste.
In the Thailand Pavilion, the Sappe products had the top beverage of the show. I have not tasted such refreshing sodas in a long time with such unique flavors. The use of unusual fruits and things like rose petal gave the sodas a bite and a flavor that I had never had before. I loved the Aloe Vera sodas, the Mogu Mogu beverages but the standout of their products was these floral Keaf sodas that were so refreshing and had such a bite to them that they were the perfect accompaniment with any spicy dish.
Keaf Sodas have an amazing and zesty taste to them
The Keaf sodas Relaxing Mood, Day Dreamer and Romantic Date Night flavors when well chilled have refreshing flavor due to all natural ingredients and just the way the tastes combine together. These sodas will not be on the market until next year but should be a huge hit in the specialty soda category. Their sodas were the best at the food show.
Of the American made products that I was most impressed with I have talked about in previous blogs on the food show such as Wein-Chuan Chinese Dim Sum products which are such high quality and taste homemade like they are made in the restaurant. Another was Goodie Girl cookies with their packaging and cookie flavors almost mimic Girl Scout cookies. I have found the high quality and consistency and packaging to be excellent.
Goodie Girl Cookies I have mentioned in past blogs as being a high quality brand of cookies and crackers. These delightful treats remind me of a version of Girl Scout cookies and even the Rep told me everyone gets confused by them. Even the packaging and flavors of the cookies are very similar to the latest versions of the scouts cookies.
The best part about Goodie Girl cookies is that you do not have to wait until once a year to buy them. Their Birthday Cake cookies have a creamy sweetness to them and the Fudge Stripped are a crisp sweet cookie and both can satisfy any sweet tooth.
I spent a lot of time visiting the Wei-Chuan booth at the show during meal times to sample all their products and I highly recommend the whole assortment.
The Wei-Chuan products of Dumplings and Spring rolls
Wei-Chuan is another American based company that makes high quality Chinese-American Dim Sum products. They were sampling two types of dumplings, the Chicken and the Pork along with their delightful crisp Spring rolls. I have always been impressed by the quality and taste of their appetizers. They are a product that are restaurant quality and you would have thought they were made in front of you.
A new standout product that I thought was fun and had a lot of promise was Sweetapolita, a specialty sprinkle set for kid’s parties.
Sweetapolita packaging of their specialty sprinkles for children’s birthday parties I think would be a huge hit with adults as well.
When I talked with the founder of the company, she said that when she used to have parties for her kids and said the best part of the party is when the kids had their own toppings. She said she created the product because she found that kids loved sprinkles and the creativity of decorating their own cakes. She found no product that fulfilled the need the way she wanted it so she imagined her own line and that was how she created her brand.
After the first day of the show, I had covered the whole first floor which is like walking four football fields of food. The SFA sponsored on the first night of the show the ‘Five Boro Block Party’ for all the attendees of the show. I was so stuffed from all the sampling that I had been doing at the show that I had no appetite whatsoever. There was a series of food trucks offering complimentary to all the vendors and attendees’ things like tacos, quesadillas, hot dogs and ice cream. Of all the times that something like this was free.
The Five Boro Block Party at the end of the first night of the show
They gave the attendees who wanted to have something to eat a generous sample of the different ethnic foods. Even though everything looked and smelled delicious, all I could manage after a day of sampling foods was a soft serve ice cream cone with a cherry dipped topping.
The variety of food trucks made for a nice light meal
This gave attendees a chance to socialize after the first long day of the show. They had a great DJ at the food truck festival and an actress walking around as the Statue of Liberty on stilts doing photo ops with all the guests. I thought that was fun evening and stayed for bit before I dragged myself back to Port Authority.
The Statue of Liberty who walked around the show greeting guests
I was so tired and stuffed with food that leaving early was no problem for me. So many of my friends imply that it must be so much fun to sample free food all day. It is a lot of work not to be tempted to try everything and to walk what is about four football fields of different types of food can really throw off your body. Too much of too many different things. I had to walk around the City for a bit before I went home that first day of the show.
I love walking around the City during the early evening
The second day of the food show I was raring to go and started the show on the bottom level of the Jarvis Center, where parts of the show was broken down by category and by country and state not just by product, so it gave me a chance to spend some more time in the country pavilions.
The dumplings or Momo’s were a Nepali dumping that were spicer than than their Chinese counterparts
The Momo’s had a spicer flavor to them due to the chilies in the dough and meats
The selection of Momos had a fiery flavor to them and reflected the colder climate where these types of dumplings originated. They are a different twist to typical Asian food. They used different spices and were hotter than most dumplings I tried at the show.
In the Chinese pavilion, one of the most popular vendors was ACC Foods LLC. The women who worked there were making everything fresh and right in front of us.
ACC Foods out of China had some of the best quality Dim Sum at the show
They had employees making fresh pork dumplings and soup dumplings as we watched and then cooking them fresh as we waited for them to come out of steamers and frying pans.
All the samples for ACC Foods were prepared right in front of us
Everything at this booth was made from scratch and then cooked and served under the heat lamps. Trust me, nothing lasted that long where food sat at this booth. The quality, consistency and taste were all excellent.
In the Taiwan Pavilion, Pocas Foods had some of the most amazing food products from the show
Pocas Foods had a fantastic display of items at the show in both the beverage and the candy categories. I was blown away by the quality of their beverages and flavors of their candies. I have not tasted products that have such a vivid taste and in such unique flavors like melon, pineapple and mango.
The Tik Tok beverages to me were some of the best in show at the Food Show. Not only were each of the flavors I tried delicious, but each had small pieces of gelatin inside the bottles to add another sweet treat to each beverage. These were made in Vietnam.
Their freeze-dried candy was so intensely sweet and crunchy. Such a delicious and unusual candy and with each bite it seems to get sweeter. I loved crunching on these and they are addictive.
Another excellent spread that I had tasted was by Trai foods. This brand of sauces were fiery and flavorful.
Their sauces had amazing taste. They gave me a sample of the Amarillo Pepper to take home and delicious hot sauce added a nice kick to chicken and hot dogs.
There were several small batch snack makers I met in the Innovation and New Products Pavilion on my last day of the show. The popcorn from Little Lad’s was delicious and had flavors that I did not see in the more commercial brands.
Little Lads is a high quality product
The representative from Little Lad’s was so impressed by my comments of his product that he sent me home with a big bag of his Sea Salt & Olive Oil Popcorn which was a delight. I loved the subtle flavor of the popcorn and their was a nice saltiness to it.
Another unique and delicious snack were the Caulipuffs snacks. These puffed snacks were made with dried cauliflower flour and then air puffed into a type of ‘doodle’ snack.
Caulipuffs were a big surprise to me at the Food Show and one of the most delicious snacks. Not only were they lighter than most of the snack foods I sampled but they were flavored so nicely. Both the honey barbecue and the white cheddar had a rich flavor and the had a nice crunch in every bite.
The Jaju Pierogi had delicious fillings and great flavor
I had tried a variety of pierogi at the show, but the brand Jaju stood out the most. These small batch dumplings had a variety of fillings, and the Sweet Potato with the Caramelized Onions had a sweet and savory flavor in every bite. They were also the perfect size for a side dish or a snack and cooked up well.
There were many frozen and fresh pizzas that I sampled at the Food Show but PiOOa Pizza stood out not just for the quality and taste but for the ethical stance they took in the company.
PiOOa pizza frozen pizzas stood out not just for their delicious flavor and consistency in the crust but the owner is deaf, and the company gives opportunities for those who are deaf employment in the company. The staff here works together to create these wonderful frozen pizzas.
One of the friendliest vendors I met were the Mother/Daughter team at Miss Hannah’s Gourmet Popcorn.
The mother/ daughter team behind Miss Hannah’s Gourmet Popcorn
One of the surprising popcorn snacks I sampled was in the New Products Pavilion were the deliciously sweet Miss Hannah’s Tutti Frutti and Caramel Popcorn. Made in small batches by hand it is right now only available online. This decadent popcorn tastes like each individual popped kernel was coated individually with a touch of sweetness in every bite. It’s delicious taste and simple but fun packaging will make a wonderful gift or host present.
The candy from UpTop Treats was very unique both in packaging, taste and in the logo. I thought this was a great product for children especially ones who were interested in the Space Age. The candies were freezes dried fruits that were sweet and crunchy and were the perfect snack for kids. Even this big kid (me), was impressed by the flavor and quality as well as the portion size of the product.
I loved the logo and the little space creature they created for the candy. I told the vendor that these would wonderful to sell in the Natural History and Children’s Museums. This is their get selling point. She had not even thought of that angle for the product. I also liked the little stuffed animal the had and said it was another good selling point.
On my last day of the show, the vendors were trying to get rid of their samples because no one wants to travel home with boxes of samples. The vendor from O Sole Mio was explaining his product to me that it was a refrigerated, fully prepared meal that just needed to be unwrapped, mixed in the enclosed container and then microwaved and served. He offered me two samples and I foolishly took only one. It was delicious and easy to prepare.
The packaging and the dinner I prepared at home
The product was delicious and so easy to to put together. Each part of the entree, the sauce, grilled chicken and the pasta were fully prepared and in their own individual bags. I just put them into the microwaveable container, mixed it up and cooked it for four minutes and dinner was done.
The quality of the entree was excellent and it had a nice creamy rich flavor
I thought the product was a nice alternative to these expensive food kits and if you are in a rush or tired after a long day at work, this is a very nice alternative to eating out.
The best for last was a vendor that I have featured a few times before in my blogs on the Food Show. Featured in the Korean Pavilion, Melona frozen desserts. These were excellent and some of the best frozen ice pops and novelties of the show. These fruit purée ice pops are the best at the Food Show but hard to find at the supermarkets.
They have about a dozen different flavors of ice pops and not your typical flavors. Melona frozen foods have some of the most original and creative flavors like honeydew melon, mango, watermelon, banana and green tea. Their ice cream products, some in the shape of fish which has symbolism in Korea, were filled with vanilla ice cream and fruit syrup wrapped in a sweet rice flower dough. Not just beautiful to look at but delicious in taste.
Melona’s version of an ice cream sandwich filled with Vanilla ice cream and sweet strawberry syrup
The selection of frozen treats by Melona products put other ice cream companies to shame with their unique flavors, beautiful packaging and delicious taste. I had to keep coming back to their booth just to try all the flavors all three days of the show. They could not have been more generous with their samples and their representatives encouraged you to try more.
The New York Fancy Food show had many other quality products to sample and purchase for stores but these were the products that really stood out to me in taste, flavor, packaging and originality in the product itself. If I owned a grocery store, these are the products that I would stock and recommend to customers. In the three days I attended the show, these were my set of winners. They were wonderful in every way.
I will be looking for them in grocery stores soon. I look forward again to the Fancy Food Show in 2025.
I have been coming to Coney Island since 1970 and I have to say that it is still has a grittiness to it even while other parts of Brooklyn have been under hyper gentrification. There may be lots of building going on around the amusement area but still there is a feeling of edginess to it around each corner and as you leave Surf Avenue to walk the side streets.
Arriving in Coney Island in the morning for the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest
I had to leave the house early to take the bus and then the subway to Coney Island. The internet said that the Women’s Contest started at 10:30am and I wanted to get in the viewing area before that. Thank God, the City was quiet and both the bus and subway were right there when I needed them. Talk about timing.
I lucked out for the hot dog eating contest. I thought it was going to be cloudy all day and it ended up being a very sunny and pleasant morning when I got there. The crowds had not been that big when I arrived so I got a good spot near the stage that was perfect for taking pictures. The only problem was the women’s contest did not start until 11:00am. The entertainment was very good and kept the crowd engaged.
The band kept everyone pumped before the contest began:
I got close to the stage and being tall I was still able to get great pictures and view the contest up close. Trust me when I say that people take this contest very seriously and there is a lot of pomp and circumstance to all of this. Last year’s female winner, Miki Sudo, the woman from Japan and the 2021 winner all looked very determined to win this year. These woman had looks on their faces (and I mean all of them as I was close enough to all of them when they announced their names) that they were there to win!
Nathan’s was the place to be on the 4th of July
The MC for Nathan’s, George Shea, has been doing this for a long time and I could tell took this contest just as seriously as the contestants. He was just as engaged with the crowd as he was with the contestants and made sure between the entertainers as well as the contestants had a good time.
The MC for the afternoon George Shea
The MC had started out by saying that Joey Chestnut would not be coming this year because of endorsement he made with an all natural vegetarian hot dog and he did not want a conflict. I read later that you as a contestant must pledge their support to Nathan’s Hot Dogs, which I believe is true. It also opened the contest to a new winner which made the Men’s Division so much more exciting.
After the speeches, announcements and entertainment were over, it was time to eat and they started the Women’s Division first. Most of these women were pretty thin and well-built in their category and most were competitive eaters. Some had won numerous contests that I could never win let alone contemplate ever participating in. What it could do to your health would worry me but that did not take the fun out of the contest.
We started the contest with the National Anthem and these two annoying hot dog mascots who were always in the way of our shots.
Then the Bugaboos came out to perform and work he crowds before the women made their entrance
Then the women came out and their names were announced like prize fighters coming into battle. Some of these women were serious eating champions of things like Mac and cheese and strawberry shortcake. I was impressed as I could never do that.
The women’s Division before the start of the contest
There was a lot of anticipation between the returning champion, Miki Sudo, the Japanese competitor and the 2021 champion. This was serious competition. The top three competitors were going to go at it.
The returning champion thrilled to have won the title again
Reining Champion, Miki Sudo, ate a record 51 hot dogs to keep the Women’s Division title
Winner Miki Sudo giving the crowd a welcoming speech on their support
The women showing great sportsmanship at the end of the contest holding their trophies and the pink belts
Then it was time for the Lemonade Chugging Contest. There was one guy who was the raining champion and he was about 400 pounds. I do not know how anyone could beat him.
The men and women of the Lemonade Chugging contest
Then they were off and running. After it was over one poor guy got so sick they had to delay the men’s competition just to clean up. So they brought back the entertainment and we were delayed by twenty minutes. Once they were cleaned up and reset, they brought out the Men’s competitors like the ladies. Who won what eating contests in the past and the ranks they fell in the world competitions were announced as they entered the stage area.
I have never heard of most of these competitions but these guys won dumpling, mac and cheese, hot peppers and chicken wings like pros. They were also announced like prize fighters and again almost all these guys were in excellent shape.
It was almost a photo finish how it went back and forth in this contest but only one winner prevailed and that was Patrick Bertoletti with 58 hot dogs. The other guys put up the battle but he just steamrolled ahead of the competition.
The winner Patrick Bertoletti holding the flag
The proud winner after the interview holding the ‘Mustard Belt’
After the competition was over, Nathan’s was mobbed with people ready to eat their own hot dogs and I did not feel like dealing with that crowd, so I waited until the crowds died down. I went to walk around the amusement park area and see what was going on there. The place was mobbed with people after the contest and people still arriving to Coney Island by subway.
The crowds on the Midway by Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park
People still walked around with their foam Nathan’s hats on around Coney Island
I waited on lunch and took a tour around the amusement area which was mobbed after the contest. Deno’s had lines I had not seen before and families waited patiently to get on the Wonder Wheel and into the Haunted Mansion.
This was just a small glimpse of the growing lines at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park at 3059 West 12th Street
What amazed me was the amount of tourists versus the locals that I saw and heard in the crowds. It is nice to see the tourists rediscover Coney Island again. Even walking along the Midway with the new Luna Park in the distance, it still has that rough feel about it. I sometimes wish they would do more with Surf Avenue as it really does look unattractive. Nothing like the pictures from 1910 when the amusement area was at its peak in Coney Island innovation.
I then made my way to Luna Park, which was a little quieter than Deno’s. I keep thinking is because Deno’s has more adult rides where Luna Park is more geared to kids and families. The space they have in both parks limits both the types of rides they offer and how far they can expand.
We discovered that when my graduate school paper in Customer Relations from NYU on Luna Park discussed these challenges and those of the ‘Harvest Fest’ Halloween event and the first ‘Frost Fest’ during Christmas time. Our group visited the park to experience what Luna Park had to offer:
After taking a walk through both parks and dodging the crowds, I took a walk on the Boardwalk and headed to the aquarium before lunch. I love the characters on the Boardwalk. People were doing everything from barbecuing and selling food to singing, playing disco and salsa music and dancing to showing off their giant snakes (ugh). Everyone was having such a good time on the 4th of July and it showed.
There is nothing like the Coney Island boardwalk
The beach was busy but not as packed as I thought it would be on the 4th of July. I remember seeing pictures of the beach in the 40’s after WWII and there was no place to move. There are some old movies of what Coney Island was like in the 1940’s and 50’s where you could not move on the beach. Even at the turn of the last century with work rules changing, ocean bathing became a new nation phenomenon even in 1904 (how bathing suits have changed!):
Dancing the “Cake Walk” on the beaches of Coney Island
The Coney Island beach started it all. Sun bathing got its start on this beach
Not as busy as I would have thought but the day had not started yet
I headed over to the New York Aquarium for the afternoon. I wanted to see the seal show and walk around the shark tanks again. The aquarium like the rest of the boardwalk was really busy but this was filled with families escaping the heat of the beach and the boardwalk with airconditioned buildings and nautical displays.
The New York Aquarium at 602 Surf Avenue has gotten much better since Hurricane Sandy. The aquarium has upgraded itself since the flood
The New York Aquarium is one of the reasons why I joined the Wildlife Conservatory again. I love the seal shows and walking around the ‘Spineless’ exhibition and watching the jellyfish move around. This aquarium is so different in feel than the Jenkinson Aquarium on my recent visit to Point Pleasant. Just a different set up and way to approach the animals. The first part of the aquarium you enter is the coral reef displays.
The coral reef exhibition at the aquarium shows what a healthy reef should look like in the ocean
The fish passing by in the reef
I got there as the seal show was starting. The seals in the show were both born at the aquarium so they only know life in captivity. Sometimes I think they do have a bit of a New York attitude.
The Seal Show at the New York Aquarium
The show was mobbed with people watching the seals do all sorts of tricks but I could see very disciplined animals just having fun with the crowd. It also gives them a bigger tank to move around in.
The seals know when to ham it up
The seals that live at the aquarium were born here and are native New Yorkers
The seal and his trainer welcoming the crowd
Good communication
The seals perform like pros and react beautifully with their human trainers. There seems to be a real bond here
I think it is an excellent way for humans to understand other mammals
This is one of the best parts of the aquarium to experience on a nice day. The breezes are fantastic, the seals are so talented and the staff take such good care of not just mammals but the performance area, making it comfortable for everyone. You have to see the show at least once.
The view of the aquarium and beach from the top of the theater
Then it was time to visit the Shark Tank exhibition which is the newest part of the aquarium and the most impressive display of wildlife.
The Shark exhibition
I love walking through the Shark halls as you feel like you are in an underwater adventure. The first time I had experienced this was when I was on Sentosa Island in Singapore at their aquarium and that feeling of exploring the deep by walking through it. You can see the sharks swimming on top of you. I am glad they created the same sort of tanks that you can walk through to experience the deep from the bottom looking up.
Experiencing life under water
The thrill of seeing a shark on top of you at a safe distance is a great experience. There is underwater magic going on here.
The underwater magic of the sea
When I arrived at the main tank, that is when I could see the sharks and stingrays up close along with all the colorful fish.
Seeing one of the baby sharks up close
The sharks interacting with the other fish in the tank
The school of sharks in front of us
I walked around the aquarium looking at the penguins home, the coral reef tanks and the ‘Spineless’ tanks with all the unusual jellyfish swimming around.
The jellyfish are so elegant swimming around
They are the most beautiful creature up close but don’t get near those tentacles in real life.
The penguins were milling around themselves in their home as they waited for their feeding. They standed direct and the group of them looked like they knew what time it was for them.
The Penguin home at the aquarium
What I thought was interesting and caught my attention was the nautical artwork the was displayed all over the grounds. The works created by ‘Washed Ashore’, were made of plastic products found in the ocean. It really does show the consciousness we should show to our bodies of water and what we throw into them.
The Angus the Longhorn Fish sculpture sign
The Angus the Longhorn Fish sculpture
Choppers the Tiger Shark sign
The Choppers the Tiger Shark sculpture
The Nora the Salmon sculpture sign
The Nora the Salmon sculpture
These were some of the many sculptures that were dotted around the aquarium. I thought they brought light to how much plastic there is currently in the ocean. I took one tour around the aquarium and then it was back to Nathan’s for a late lunch. I thought at this point the lines would be slowing down. It was still busy even by 3:00pm.
Surf Avenue in the mid afternoon and things are changing fast here
The lines never stopped at Nathan’s at Surf Avenue. The contest ended at 1:00pm but lines on both sides of the restaurant were out the door and when I got in line there were literally thirty people behind me. They were fully staffed and that line went quickly. I was ordered and eating my lunch within ten minutes. The staff worked really hard that day and they got all the customers through the lines very quickly.
The lines at Nathan’s at 1310 Surf Avenue in Coney Island on the 4th of July seemed endless
I love going to Nathan’s. I have been eating here since my first trip here with my cousins in 1974. I still remember what I ordered then, a slice of pizza and a Coke. Since then it has been a hot dog, a medium fries and a Coke.
My Nathan’s meal when visiting Coney Island
I love the crispness of the garlicky hot dog and the crispness of the fries. The fries here are legendary and I remember them winning awards in the 1970’s.
The best lunch on the 4th of July
No wonder people eat these hot dogs by the dozen
The fries are amazing
Williams Candy next door has been a Coney Island institution for years and their windows are filled with all sorts of candy apples and marshmallow treats on a stick.
The crowds kept coming at Nathan’s
What I like about Williams Candy is the assortment and the smells of cotton candy, popcorn and ice cream when you walk in the door.
I was eyeing the candy coated marshmallows but when I realized that the other marshmallows were dipped in the candy coating and then rolled in the sprinkles, I chose the red, white and blue one.
The Marshmallow on a stick at Williams Candy
I can’t tell you how good this is when you bite into it. Between all the sprinkles packed on top and the crunchy candy coating was sugar heaven.
You can’t miss this sugary treat. What a great patriotic dessert!
I now had to work all this off so I went to tour the boardwalk and decided to walk down to Seagate at the end of it. It was an interesting walk. Everything was going on that afternoon. Families were out barbecuing, disco dancing, line dancing and dancing to salsa music. There was a lot of energy on that Boardwalk.
The Boardwalk was jammed that day
With all the talk on the revival of Coney Island, I passed the old parachute jump and it still looks it is going to need a lot of work in the future.
The parachute jump
The funny thing about Coney Island is that it is an island of contrasts. On one hand there is a lot of building going on in the central part of the island with luxury housing being built around the baseball field (where Steeplechase Park once existed) and then you have some of the most dangerous public housing in the City just two blocks west of that. Then at the very end is Seagate, a gated community that seems to keep to itself on the other side of the fence.
I walked to the end of the Boardwalk and back watching families barbecue, dance and having a good time. By the time I got back to the amusement section of the island both the aquarium and the museum were both closed, Nathan’s was still packed and this section of the Boardwalk got busier as people were leaving the beach and wanting to get dinner.
All that walking was making me hungry again as it was getting closer to dinner time. Both Gargiulo’s Italian Restaurant and Totonno’s Pizzeria were both closed for the day and the rest of the restaurants on the Boardwalk were either packed or everything was deep fried and I did not want that after my meal at Nathan’s for lunch so I decided to head back to Manhattan.
I did not know if there would be fireworks on the beach that evening but with the clouds rolling in and the threat of rain, I did not want to get caught in it. The subways were mobbed and the bulk of the people were illegally walking through the emergency doors. I swear nothing changes. No one was watching what people were doing.
When I got back to Manhattan, I did not want to run around looking for a place for a quick dinner. I remembered that there were a few Chinese restaurants by the Port Authority and I stopped at Awesum Dim Sum at 612 Eighth Avenue for quick dinner before I left for home. The restaurant was surprisingly busy for food you don’t equate with the 4th of July.
I love the selection of Dim Sum at the restaurant and ordered a small dinner for myself before I left the City. I had to have the Bacon Wrapped Fried Shrimp, which I was craving, the Scallion Pancakes and the Cream filled buns for dessert. Everything was cooked to order, fresh and was excellent (see TripAdvisor review).
Dinner that night at Awesum Dim Sum, Bacon Wrapped Fried Shrimp, Scallion Pancakes and the Cream Filled Buns
It was a nice change from barbecue foods and since I already had a hot dog for lunch, I thought this would make a great dinner. It was just enough and made the perfect meal. Then I was on my way home. Their Fried Shrimp with Bacon is excellent. The shrimp mixture has a nice sweetness to with the contrasts of the smokiness of the bacon.
The Fried Shrimp with Bacon
The Scallion Pancakes were crisp and had a nice taste especially with the dipping sauce.
The Scallion Pancakes
The Cream Buns were the perfect way to end the meal. They were crisp and sweet on the outside because of the rice dough and rich and creamy on the inside. I thought it was a nice change and a great way to end the day.
The Cream Filled Buns
It really was a nice 4th of July and I really enjoyed my day in Coney Island. I have to admit that the neighborhood is rough when you leave the beach area but like the rest of the City, you just need to watch were you walk and stick to the Boardwalk area, you should be fine. The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is something everyone should experience once.
I had to plan my trip back to Coney Island like D-Day to see the contest again. I had been on the Island recently for the Mermaid Parade and could not believe how fast the 4th of July weekend arrived.
I was so tired from being in the City the day before trying to finish walking Chelsea, going to one of my fellow volunteers Memorial Services at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen and then a Jazz Night at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. That on top of posting grades for class, I was pooped from all the running around.
I got off to a late start that morning still tired from running around Brooklyn the night before. By the time I caught the bus at 8:00am and got into the City just before 9:00am, I knew I was behind schedule.
I had planned on having breakfast on 23rd Street at a place I liked but there was not enough time. So I stopped at Villa Pizza inside the Port Authority for a breakfast Stromboli.
Villa Pizza inside the Port Authority
The assortment of Breakfast Stromboli
The breakfast items at a pizzeria
For a chain pizzeria inside a bus terminal, breakfast here was not bad. I had always seen the Breakfast Strombolis in the case and wondered what they tasted like.
My breakfast the Bacon, Egg and Cheese Stromboli with a freshly squeezed orange juice
The Bacon, Egg and Cheese Stromboli
The Breakfast Stromboli
The selection of both breakfast and lunch dishes at Villa Pizza inside
After breakfast was finished I took the Q back down to Coney Island. The subway was packed with people heading to the shore. People got off at all the beach spots and when I got into Stilwell Avenue, Nathan’s was already packed with people trying to get to the stage area. I ended up standing outside the press stage with an ‘Exit’ sign blocking my views of the screen (that’s why there is an exit sign in all of my pictures and videos).
Arriving at Nathan’s as the band was performing
Nathan’s has been in this spot since the 1920’s
The band that had entertained last year
The brass band playing before the contest
The band really got the audience fired up and with some local dance groups performing and then the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ performed, it was time for the contest to begin.
First was the Ladies competition
Miki Suto was defending her crown
She won her record 11th belt
After a series of entertainment, the Men’s Eating Contest started. The crowd went wild when they announced Joey Chestnut’s name. The place went wild.
The crowd was ten times what it was when I got there
The excitement built before the contest
The crowd was all for Joey Chestnut
Then the man of the hour got on stage
The excitement building before the contest
The crowd going crazy during the contest
The crowd was going crazy during the competition
The contest that I could from behind the bleachers
The man of the hour Joey Chestnut won the contest with 70.5 hot dogs. Last year’s winner came in second with 53. Both the Men’s and Women’s winners did not come close to their records. It was not like last year but it still was an exciting contest.
The celebration after the contest was over for the 4th of July
After the contest was over and the winners took their pictures, I wondered around Coney Island and explored the Boardwalk and amusement areas.
There is such an energy in Coney Island on the 4th of July
Walking through Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park
Walking through Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park
The famous Wonder Wheel
The Spook A Rama, my first ride on Coney Island as a kid
The Boardwalk on the 4th of July afternoon
Looking down the Boardwalk from the Aquarium
The beach by the Aquarium
I decided to go to the NY Aquarium before lunch. Every restaurant was a line so I figured to come here first.
I made I in time to see the Sea Lion Show
The Sea Lion Show
The second group of sea lions
The end of the sea lion show
After the Sea Lion Show, I toured the Shark Tanks and walked around the exhibition.
The Shark exhibition
The Shark exhibition
The underwater tanks
After a nice walk around the Aquarium, I was getting hungry and decided on a late lunch at Nathan’s. I figured that the lines would be down at this point and when I got there, it was only a ten minute wait to order.
Arriving back at Nathan’s Famous for lunch
My favorite lunch at Nathan’s, a plain hot dog, medium fries and a Coke
The taste has not changed in fifty years
Yum!
Lunch at Nathan’s is always an experience. You have to share the tables outside when it is busy and you never know who you will be sitting next to for lunch. Some woman parked herself at the table and asked if she could eat with me. I guess I looked safe.
After lunch, I took one last tour around the Boardwalk and Surf Avenue and realized I want to put my feet in the water.
Off went the shoes as I walked along the beach
Even though the beach was crowded with families, it was not the crowds that I saw in old pictures when thousands of people would pack the shore on a summer weekend or holiday. Still to walk these iconic beaches on the 4th of July is quite the experience.
The Coney Island beach on July 4th
I made my way back to the subway and walked along Surf Avenue. It is amazing to see the changes to this area in the last 100 years.
Passing Nathan’s again across from the subway
The sign for the hot dog eating contest at Nathan’s
The Mermaid Parade sign from two weeks ago
It really is a fun experience and you have to add the Hot Dog Eating contest to the bucket of things to experience when you are in New York City.
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