Few traditions in America have over a century of history. The Times Square Ball is the most prominent New Years celebration in the Western Hemisphere, but few know that it was started by The New York Times. I doubt many even know that Times Square was named after the newspaper’s former headquarters at Broadway and 7th Avenue. The event has inspired imitators around the world, but only New York City has the original.
If you want a really good spot, arrive six hours early in diapers and a poncho for the last ten seconds of the year. If you don’t want to stand in the rain and cold without bathroom access for hours on end, you could pay thousands of dollars to secure a private table at one of the dozens of private venues around Broadway and 42nd Street that include an open bar, buffet, and entertainment for the night all indoors. It’s true, in America, cash is king.
If you want to be the Neil Armstrong of the Ball Drop, you have to be really important to be able to touch the crystal ball. In most cases, the ball is the same at whichever angle you see it, just like the moon. The Waterford crystal panels surround the ball on all sides with the light pattern rotating around it. For all the Americana the event represents, the crystals were manufactured in Ireland. Perhaps a gentle reminder that all things American, like English, the industrial revolution, and the concept of a constitution, once originated from the Old Country.
