It has been said that former New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller once gave ol’ Nathan’s the ultimate politico compliment: “No man can hope to be elected in his state without being photographed eating a hot dog at Nathan’s Famous.”

While we may not have any official record of Nathan-eating New York voters, we can tell you that this hot dog “stand” on Coney Island’s wind-swept boardwalk, started in 1916 by Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker, has become an NYC institution. Chef Michael Lomonaco of Porter House concurs: “Nathan’s Famous, Coney Island original location, on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the middle of July at 2.15pm – this IS New York at its most authentic.”

While you can certainly find a package of Nathan’s in your local market anywhere, the best way to experienced one of these all-beef dogs is to hop on an F train to the very last stop, get one with the works, and stroll on down to the white-capped shores of the Atlantic just like ol’ Woody Guthrie used to.