Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Happy New Year from the Big Apple!
Like most New Yorkers, Michael and I are spending a nice quiet warm New Year's Eve at home watching on the tee vee all the miserable bastards in Times Square freeze their naughty bits off. It's very cold out tonight; in the 20sF with the wind blowing and the snow falling. And the NYPD forbids booze, and backpacks. What's more, they're all locked in there. They can't leave until the cops say they can, and no bathrooms. You can imagine what the mess is like the next morning. And they've been there since around 6PM when the cops close the Square.
Happy New Year
ReplyDeleteA time to be glad to live in the Southern hemisphere where the temperature did not fall below 20'C (68'F). Nearly 12 hours ago now but
over 1 million people crammed the Sydney Harbour foreshores to see around 100,000 fireworks launched from the Harbour Bridge, six barges across the Harbour, and from the top of several Sydney skyscrapers.
The storm-like display was part of this year's Creation theme, reinforced by the Harbour Bridge effects, which transformed from a star to a flower and finally into a large glowing sun.
Grandpère and I stayed in, too. We don't go to New Year's Eve parties. He went to bed before the big turning of the year, but I had my glass of wine until the moment passed and then went to bed, too. Such excitement that my old heart almost couldn't stand it.
ReplyDeleteThe folks in Times Square looked pretty happy for standing in their own frozen pee. I'd do it from a window in a high building, maybe, but not on the street.
Happy New Year to you and Michael!
We had a similar evening here. Michael went to bed early, and I stayed up and watched the ball drop on TV. It was 19F with the wind blowing. I did not envy those people at all, no matter how happy they looked. Security these days is omnipresent and heavy handed at these events after 9/11. I remember old photos of New Year's in Times Square with Broadway and 7th Avenue packed as far as the eye could see. Now, the cops close off whole blocks with long stretches of vacant no-man's land. depressing.
ReplyDelete