Where did I want to spend the
last few hours left in 2012?? In Times
Square , New York
So, there I was at 4 in the
afternoon at 47th & 7th. I was already bushed from
all the walking and the sightseeing. My bright idea was to get there as early
as my worn out limbs would permit and occupy one of the front rows which have a
direct view of the Ball Drop. I got there to see that there was this sea of
people already geared up and an army of cops with Tommy guns who were busy
cordoning off sections of 47th
street and those around it. Talk about riot
control!!
Apparently there were a million
people in front of me right there and that the crowd was going to get bigger
and rougher as the evening progressed. A cop was kind enough to warn me that if
I wanted to get out, I needed to do so in about a couple of hours from then
before all the streets and subways are shut off. Did I mention it was 0° C
outside?? So, now the question was, was I going to stay put standing for
another 8 hours in 0° C amidst a crowd of a million people with no water or loo
breaks to watch a shiny disco ball drop from a height?? No sir. Not me. True,
Train and JB were going to be performing. But I didn’t have any tickets to
lose! I’ve mentioned in my earlier blogs that I am a bit of a comfort person. I
grew up in place where it is hot for ten months and hotter for the other two.
So this to me was inhumanely cold (My bad. I had not been to the Grand Canyon yet). All the restaurants at Times Square
were either closed for a private party or were closed. Finally found one open
with HEAT and so I sat down to ponder on my status over a steaming cup of
coffee. I gracefully admitted defeat and silently saluted the million who were
passionate enough to brave it all for the disco ball. I spent New year’s at a
bash with a few friends, and watched Times square
in the comfort of warmth.
Would I try this again?? Yes. I
want to be at 47th & 7th for the ball drop. New York is a beautiful
place to be in at any time. It was all about the people, the unimaginably tall
sky scrappers, the street art, the lights, the colors, the subways!! Everything
had a character attached to it. When you are in New York , New York New York
was on my wish list, but am not done with it to check it off my list just yet.
