Tomorrow is Independence Day, and in honor of this annual celebration of our great country, we'd like to take a minute to talk about our great city. See, there's a rumor going around that New York is different from the rest of the country. That it's fey and dirty and full of rich people and sinners and Europeans and that New Yorkers are patronizing and unfriendly and think "amber waves of grain" is something served at the Tasting Room. And it is just false.

Okay. It's a little true. But in many other ways, New York is just as American as apple pie, peach cobbler, and the DMV. Especially when it comes to the Fourth of July. This year, as Americans across the land trot out in their Keds or whatever to see the fireworks, we will be, too. We'll be having our barbecue and going into our own version of a backyard where we sometimes play football.

And so, in a gesture of solidarity with our hearty brethren across the nation, we're taking it upon ourselves to dispel the rumors of New York's superiority complex, by giving you a little mini-presentation we like to call "New York: It's Just Like America!" After you've clicked through, we're sure you'll see it our way.

See?

In the meantime, we're off until Monday. See you then! And to you, Raffaello Follieri, Anne Hathaway, Christie Brinkley, A-Rod, Madonna, Lenny Kravitz, Cynthia Rodriguez, Ron Perelman, Patricia Duff, and David Paterson — well, try not to do anything too crazy while we're gone.