There’s absolutely no way that I’d go to Times Square on New Years Eve. I have never liked being in packed crowds.
The new security measures make it even less likely I’d go. Being watched by police snipers is not my idea of a fun night.
I wouldn’t and I’m among those that hope to be asleep by 1030. My brother, sister in law, and their adult children are in Times Square for the festivities tonight. I believe they are crazy.
I haven’t been in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, but I’ve been in the subway tunnels under it.
I was en route to a New Year’s Eve party in Manhattan, sometime around 1980. I took the subway there from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, but you can get right under Times Square from there (it’s only a block), and I needed to in order to get my train.
It was packed. I didn’t want to try to imagine what it looked like aboveground.
By the following morning, though, it was deserted there.
I’m really, really, really hoping tonight’s low of 12F will discourage any gun shots or fireworks at midnight.
But, there’s always that one guy that will be outside. 
I was in NYC at the right time one year and a friend talked me into going to an all night (in fact 24 hour) reading of the works of Gertrude Stein instead. Which was an…experience, I have to say, but certainly not the all-American Times Square ball-dropping experience.
At least there was booze.
I kind of wish I had gone back then, because now apparently they put the revelers in cages, so not much chance of me doing it ever. Not wild about crowds pressing on me either, even without the cage.
I don’t like being east of the Rockies much.
I saw Boston about 20 years ago. Not one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, but not quite that bad.
That said, I’ve never been to NYC, let alone Times Square, but the answer to that would be an unequivocal NO. Maybe when I was, like, 22 years old, but not now.
Bragging rights? Seriously? With my friends, I’ll be “bragging” that I had champagne and rum balls with neighbors.
My brag is that I was snuggled in bed, asleep, by 10:00.
mmm
Nope. I guess I would if I ever happen to be in New York for New Year’s with somebody who really, really wanted to go, but I can’t imagine doing it under any other circumstances. Honestly, standing around for hours with a bunch of random strangers just sounds incredibly boring.
Just tried to do it this year. Sure as hell ain’t trying again. I didn’t go early, but I wasn’t seeking or expecting to get close up, but holy hell, I didn’t expect what it’s really like. The police had a 15-block radius around Times Square completely blocked off. They told people that we could get through if we went to 55th street and 8th avenue, but when we got there, they weren’t letting anyone through there either, the rotten liars.
I thought I could see and hear stuff from a reasonable distance. Any “reasonable distance” was completely devoid of people. Great job, NYC/NYPD. Now I hate this city a little more.