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July 4th: Business booming on North Beach

Posted at 2:45 PM, Jul 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-04 15:45:45-04

There’s plenty of fun for North Beach visitors this Fourth of July holiday. Besides the beach, there are nearby restaurants and other attractions to enjoy, making the Fourth one of the busiest days of the year.

Dora and Jesse Banda are visiting from the McCallen area. The two are staying for a week, and like many others, didn’t waste any time getting to enjoy what North Beach has to offer.

"We’ve gone over to the aquarium," Dora Banda said. "We went on a boat ride, eating a lot of seafood and taking in a lot of sun," she added.

The two are staying at the Radisson Hotel for a week-long vacation over the holiday, which also falls on their 30th anniversary. They booked their hotel room months in advance which was a good idea because hotel staff says no rooms are available the evening of July 4th. Those who did get rooms booked stays for three or four days at a time. 

But it’s not just the hotels seeing big business this holiday. Nick Catalano, the owner of Yo Philly Cheese Steaks says business began picking up on Friday.

"I’m doing [selling] between 150-300 sandwiches [a day]," Catalano said. "So we’re pushing some sandwiches out the door."

Catalano says they usually sell about half of that on any other day. He adds it’s the large customer base on days like today that keep Yo Philly and other North Beach businesses busy this season.

"Everything has a factor," Catalano said. "We’re not in a residential spot so it all depends on weather and what’s going on the city," he added.