This is a revised version of a post that originally appeared on New Year’s Eve 2016.
When I was a kid I used to watch the New Year’s ball drop in Times Square on TV. Dick Clark used to be the host. Man, he was old, but I guess remembering him makes me old now, too. I remember thinking how much fun all the people there were having, at least from the looks of it. I have a sense now that maybe, just maybe, the folks in the production truck might have been making sure not to show images of people huddling, shivering, and muttering that they’d rather be home on their couches, like I was on mine.
I’ve been living in New York City since the end of the last century. Times Square is just a subway ride away. Yet even before I had kids I never went. I definitely thought about it, but I never did it. I’ll never say I never will, but I have a feeling the chances of me going in the future have, shall we say, dwindled. Let’s get real. I haven’t even made it to midnight with my eyes open the last number of years. I’m certain that my kids are far more likely to be the first members of our family to go.
This year, again, I’ll just have to live with seeing the spectacle virtually. How about all of you? Have you ever done New Year’s Eve in Times Square? Have you ever wanted to? Does it sound like the worst possible idea in the world? Or just maybe the best? Come on in and share your thoughts, and let’s celebrate together. Happy New Year!
And in that spirit, here are some great photos to enjoy from what I hope, for all of you, is a warm, comfortable spot.
Ian Reifowitz is the author of Obama’s America: A Transformative Vision of Our National Identity (Potomac Books).