Coney Island For the Fourth of July

Hello strangers!

Here’s hoping you’ve had a great week after a long weekend for those of you reading this in the United States. Although my holiday weekend recap is coming several days later than I planned, I wanted to pop in and share the highlights with you today.

Since moving to New York City, Scott and I have been on a mission to take advantage of living here. While we don’t have the means to see all of the Broadway shows or dine out at the nicest restaurants in Manhattan, we frequently research events and enjoy (mostly free) happenings that take place right in our own backyard.

Every weekend presents a chance to experience something new, so I hope you like reading about our adventures as I document them.

Here’s what we were up to this year for July 4th!

 

Sunday

We started our Sunday with a trip to Midtown to attend a service at Hillsong NYC. We really love it there, but we still want to search around a bit before naming it our home church. Our friend Katlyn joined us, and we might have been matching, unintentionally of course.

After church, we trained down to the East Village to eat at a restaurant called Prune. It was closed when we arrived, so we walked back to a spot that looked just as great on our walk over.

Mocondo Taperia Latina is known for Spanish tapas, but they also offer fabulous brunch options including endless mimosas for $15. Scott wanted to start off with something sweet, so we ordered the french toast appetizer called Torrija. It was just as delicious as it looks.

In order to get the $15 mimosas, you had to order an entree for $12, so I picked the Huevos Rancheros with scrambled eggs.

I loved sitting at the bar which felt like outdoor seating (pictured above), and the service was great. Everything was really, really good, and we will definitely be back!

Scott had plans to meet up with a few of his friends from work later that night, so we got dressed up (and just happened to be red, white, and blue) for a night out in the City.

We met at LAVO (on E 58th Street) which is an Italian Restaurant that turns into a Nightclub. Feeling hungry, we started on the restaurant side that certainly felt like a nightclub with insanely loud music and dancing right next door. We split a brick oven pizza and then headed downstairs for the night.

The environment was really fun, but I wasn’t a fan of the music. It was very house-y, which made it hard to really dance or get into. I’d be interested to find out if it’s always like that, or if we just caught it on an off night. Late-night spots that play 80s, 90s, and fun throwbacks are always my favorite.

 

Monday

We talked about going to the beach for the Fourth, and while I voted for the Rockaway, Scott argued Coney Island.

July 4th is a famous day there, after all … does Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest ring a bell to anyone?

Scott always likes watching the contest on television, so he really wanted to catch it in person this year. We arrived later than expected, but we were able to catch the tail-end of the event and even meet some of the contestants.

Former New York Knicks player Stephon Marbury was there handing out free sneakers from his own shoe line, and Scott was lucky enough to get a pair! His Starbury shoes are extremely affordable, by the way. He created the line to be able to bring stylish basketball and athletic shoes to people who can’t afford them otherwise. Really cool.

After we walked around the venue, we got in line to try the famous Nathan’s hot dogs out for ourselves. The lines were out of control, but we stuck it out and ordered two chili dogs and a side of fries. When in Coney Island, right?

I don’t eat hot dogs very often (in fact, I usually despise them), but when we are in an area that is known for them, I’ll give a dog a try. Surprisingly enough, I loved it. They tasted extra grilled (which is the only way I like them), and I could have easily had another. Next time!

With full and happy bellies, we walked over to the Boardwalk and then beach which was really crowded.

We found an empty spot in the sand and relaxed for about an hour before we packed up and walked the Boardwalk some more.

Due to motion-sickness, amusement parks and rides don’t excite me. At all. If you’re one who likes to go on rides, however, there were plenty to choose from all down the Boardwalk. There’s also the New York Aquarium, which is something we will be back to visit very soon.

Getting to Coney Island was really easy for us! After a quick five minute walk from our apartment, we hopped on the F train and took it all the way to the last stop, about thirty-five minutes later. So easy!

We got back to our apartment by late-afternoon, which was just in time to change and head out to a backyard barbecue. We were invited to a friend’s house by my friend, Lauren, and I loved spending time with her.

While we were watching the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks show from the rooftop, we kept getting messages from loved ones saying that they were watching the show on television, asking if we were anywhere near a good view of them. That we were!

It’s still crazy to me that we actually live in New York City, and that we are able to see monumental events like this in person.

We had a great weekend!

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Thanks so much for checking in today. I know I’ve been more off the grid than normal this week, but I hope to return to more of a normal posting schedule soon. One thing I know is that I’ll be back bright and early with Friday Favorites tomorrow.

Have a great day!