The Manhattan skyline at left is seen as the Macy’s 4th of July fireworks explode above the Hudson River Wednesday. (REUTERS)
Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and tourists wished the USA a happy 236th birthday last night as spectacular fireworks lit up the sky over the Hudson.
“We love America. America gave everything to us,’’ said Martha Vaca, of Pennsylvania, who was celebrating her 41st wedding anniversary with her husband.
“America gave everything to us. I came here for the American dream when I was 18 and I found it,’’ she added.
Neil Povall, a teacher from Wales who is in New York with a group of his students, said, “This country is very patriotic. A lot like ours. Being here highlights the similarities.’’
One of his students, Jessica Phillips, 15, said, “We are finally seeing what people mean by ‘light up the Fourth of July.’ ’’
Gerald Koval, 19, an ROTC student at Fordham, said, “Being here today makes me think about the veterans who served before me. It’s all about America, freedom and our values.’’
But not everybody walked away happy. As many as 10,000 people who jammed onto West 42nd Street, normally a great viewing area for Macy’s annual fireworks bash, left disappointed. The fireworks barges were moored farther south than in past years and the prime view from 42nd Street was lost.
Earlier, thousands of people at Coney Island enjoyed the all-American display of competitive gluttony put on by Joey Chestnut, who won his sixth straight Nathan’s hot-dog-eating belt.
Chestnut, 28, downed 68 franks with buns in just 10 minutes, beating his closest challenger by 16 dogs.
“I feel pretty damn good,” said Chestnut, of San Jose, Calif. “There’s a $10,000 prize, plus the recognition. I push myself, and once I’m in a good rhythm, I can just push the dogs down.”
The women’s champion, Sonya “Black Widow” Thomas, admitted queasiness as she downed 45 dogs.
“I try to swallow all the food and try to let air out so I can eat more,” said Thomas, 45, an Alexandria, Va., resident who also took home $10,000 for her exploits.
Mayor Bloomberg went to the annual parade in Staten Island’s Travis section and said, “It’s a great privilege to be an American.”
Some paradegoers heckled him over his plan to limit sales of sugary drinks bigger than 16 ounces.
“Give this guy a 17-ounce soda!” one spectator yelled.
Additional reporting by Christine Parker and Erin Calabrese