Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Times Square, New Year's Eve: Are We Having Fun Yet?







I shot this at a bit after noon today. These folks are waiting for the ball to drop at Midnight. As they wait, it will get colder. Well before Midnight tonight, the temperature is expected to drop to around 22 degrees. By getting there early, these people hope to be seen on television.  As of noon, they already been there for a couple of hours. None of them are actually from New York City.  Few are from America.  A disturbing number seem to be visiting our planet for the first time.

Unlike the happier New-Year's-Eves-In-Times-Square of my youth, when you could wander around, drink beer out of cans in brown paper bags and not be overly concerned with being blown up, the crowd in Times Square is now carefully watched and divided in penned off areas, kind of like what they do with cattle at slaughter houses. No beer or wandering allowed. Police let folks in to these areas, but if they leave for any reason they can't come back. So these are the faces of people who are prepared to stand there for 12-15 hours. No bathroom breaks.  

Think about it.

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