NYE in Times Square

My brother and I knew what we were in for beforehand. I heard the horror stories from friends. I read about the cold and the lack of bathrooms online. And I got the classic "Are you crazy?" look from almost every Long Islander I talked to. But still, spending New Year's Eve in Times Square is just one of those things you have to do at least once in your life. So we did. And although you won't see me headed back for seconds, I don't regret any part of that night.

Our day started early, a little after 10 a.m., when we caught a train into the city with my friend, Sean (the only other person I could convince to tag along). Since you're not really allowed to leave your spot once you're there (not even for bathroom breaks or food runs), we had a plan: eat a big lunch but drink as little as possible. So, of course, we filled up at Burritoville and took full advantage of the bathroom there before heading back out into the cold. We got to Times Square around 1 p.m. and stood on the sidewalk in what seemed to be a really good spot. Too good, apparently, because we were moved back by police twice before finally being "penned" in really close to one of the performance stages. Can't complain, though. We still had a nice view of the ball, which, by the way, is really little, and celebrities to watch. We were there so early that we heard most of the performances twice: once for a practice run through, and the second for TV. Side note: Most of the performers on our stage, which included way too many American Idolists, completely faked the whole thing. The "real" bands - Velvet Revolver, Kid Rock, and the Bravery - played from a stage high up on the other end of Times Square.

After games of Eye Spy and 20 Questions got old, boredom struck pretty hard. The hour between 7 and 8 was neverending. Surprisingly, there were no bathroom emergencies (although Sean had a backup plan that involved a series of ziplocks and grocery bags). And thanks to the body heat generated by the 1 million plus attendees, we didn't get cold. Our biggest complaint was the pure pain of standing for 11 hours straight. That last minute was worth it, though, as a sea of red hats and orange balloons waited, counted, screamed and sang in unison. That's definitely an image I'll hold for the rest of my life.