New Year’s Eve at Times Square

I’ve lived in New York City for 56 years and have never gone to Times Square on New Year’s Eve to see the “ball” drop at midnight. I never even had the slightest desire to go. I am perfectly happy watching it drop on my television as they count down from ten to “Happy New Year!” I never did understand what the big deal was and I still don’t.

I never had the urge to stand outside for hours, in freezing temperatures, amid one million people to watch this traditional, magnificent event that lasts ten seconds. It seems to me that it’s a lot of effort, time and inconvenience to get to Times Square and then add to that how uncomfortable it has to be to stand for hours, in a huge crowd, with all the noise, as you shiver in your coat. I think that’s the last place I want to be on New Year’s Eve.

It’s amazing to me that there has not been, to my recollection, some kind of maniac shooting bullets at the crowds of people or some kind of terrorist attack. Thank God for that, because it would be devastating. There is no place to run or hide in Time’s Square if something were to ever happen. It is literally like being packed in a sardine can with no way out. People would be trampled to death if anything set the crowd off in a panic. How can you screen a million people? They can’t and they don’t. Anyone can go there with the intentions of doing harm and succeed. That has always worried me, but not as much as it has in recent years.

And, even the best of all possible circumstances, leaving Times Square after the ball has dropped, has got to be an ordeal. You have to wade through a sea of a million people to find your way to the subway to get home. I never heard anyone complain about it, but it can’t be easy.

So I’ll watch it on television again this year, in the comfort of my home. Have my champagne, toast a Happy New Year to my family, shut the television and go to sleep!

Here's a sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hATF1zWc1k get it out of your system, lol.
Here’s hoping 2011 is a lot better than 2010! One thing is for sure, it doesn’t have to try very hard to succeed.