The fireworks was still hours away, but the celebrating had already begun in Coral Gables outside the Biltmore Hotel Thursday.
That’s where food trucks stopped on a green of the Biltmore Golf Course and people picked out their spots to see the annual Fourth of July fireworks show.
“I was here last year and it was amazing. They have the best hamburgers, the best hot dogs – a lot of good food,” Gustavo Adan said.
For Eulises Portela-Silva, the day is extra special. It's not just America's birthday – it’s his too. After moving here from Cuba when he was just 9 months old, the day means a lot to him.
“It's given me a lot of opportunities – went to college, have a job, my family is here from Cuba. I feel much better in this country than in Cuba,” Portela-Silva said.
Thousands were expected to watch the sky get lit up starting at 9 p.m.
Portela-Silva’s group picked their spot because the fireworks were going to lift off right across a nearby canal.
“We are able to see everything,” Brenda Lint-Kanashiro said. “If we come later, everybody comes, and there's no place to get a good shade.”
Cindy Sam said she wanted to be comfortable
“The fireworks are straight ahead and then we get our burger,” she said. “The burgers here are really good too.”
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Photo Credit: NBC 6 South Florida