Thursday 1 January 2009
New York welcomes 2009
New York welcomes 2009
January 01, 2009 00:09 EST
NEW YORK (AP) -- They're celebrating in New York and the Eastern time zone, despite bitter cold and uncertainty about 2009.
Former President Clinton and Sen. Hillary Clinton helped Mayor Michael Bloomberg lower the ball atop 1 Times Square for the 60-second countdown to midnight.
Hundreds of thousands of revelers packed a frigid Times Square for the descent of the famous Waterford crystal ball. They were eager to say goodbye to 2008 and hoping to put the nation's economic troubles in the past.
The wind chill made it feel like 1 degree in the area, but that didn't deter the throngs who were bundled against the cold.
At the stroke of midnight many cheered and swayed to the recording of Frank Sinatra singing "New York, New York."
January 01, 2009 00:09 EST
NEW YORK (AP) -- They're celebrating in New York and the Eastern time zone, despite bitter cold and uncertainty about 2009.
Former President Clinton and Sen. Hillary Clinton helped Mayor Michael Bloomberg lower the ball atop 1 Times Square for the 60-second countdown to midnight.
Hundreds of thousands of revelers packed a frigid Times Square for the descent of the famous Waterford crystal ball. They were eager to say goodbye to 2008 and hoping to put the nation's economic troubles in the past.
The wind chill made it feel like 1 degree in the area, but that didn't deter the throngs who were bundled against the cold.
At the stroke of midnight many cheered and swayed to the recording of Frank Sinatra singing "New York, New York."
Mayor Bloomberg
Mayor Bloomberg declares Times Square 'safe as can be' for New Year's
By ADAM LISBERG and JONATHAN LEMIRE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Wednesday, December 31st 2008, 6:57 AM
Officials look up in wonder as the 6-ton Waterford crystal Times Square News Year's Eve ball is illuminated and raised over 1 Times Square Tuesday. Hermann for News
Officials look up in wonder as the 6-ton Waterford crystal Times Square News Year's Eve ball is illuminated and raised over 1 Times Square Tuesday.
Bill, Hil, Mike - and the Jonas Brothers!
A former President, a would-be President-turned-future-secretaryof state, the mayor and the hottest boy band in the nation will help ring in 2009 Wednesday night. And so will thousands of cops.
Bill and Sen. Hillary Clinton will stand with Mayor Bloomberg in Times Square and lead more than a million merrymakers in saying goodbye to a trying year.
The Clintons will push the button that lowers the sparkling New Year’s Eve ball during the final 60 seconds of 2008, setting off wild celebrations.
With the Clintons, the Jonas Brothers band and the mayor on hand, not to mention the crush of revelers, cops will have their hands full.
Bloomberg said that the NYPD is ready.
"Times Square is so secure, it’s the last thing to worry about," he said. "There'll be a lot of police that you see [and] there’ll be a lot of police that you don't see."
All 1,129 cops who graduated from the Police Academy Tuesday will be deployed in Times Square, as well as counterterror teams and Secret Service agents.
Neither backpacks nor alcohol will be permitted in Times Square, where temperatures could plummet to just 17 degrees by midnight.
Five minutes before midnight, 1,000 balloons with the words "Joy," "Hope" and "2009" will drift down onto the Times Square crowd. The 12,000-pound crystal ball will hit bottom at the stroke of midnight.
"American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest will oversee the night's musical program. Longtime emcee Dick Clark, who suffered a stroke four years ago, will make a cameo.
jlemire@nydailynews.com
By ADAM LISBERG and JONATHAN LEMIRE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Wednesday, December 31st 2008, 6:57 AM
Officials look up in wonder as the 6-ton Waterford crystal Times Square News Year's Eve ball is illuminated and raised over 1 Times Square Tuesday. Hermann for News
Officials look up in wonder as the 6-ton Waterford crystal Times Square News Year's Eve ball is illuminated and raised over 1 Times Square Tuesday.
Bill, Hil, Mike - and the Jonas Brothers!
A former President, a would-be President-turned-future-secretaryof state, the mayor and the hottest boy band in the nation will help ring in 2009 Wednesday night. And so will thousands of cops.
Bill and Sen. Hillary Clinton will stand with Mayor Bloomberg in Times Square and lead more than a million merrymakers in saying goodbye to a trying year.
The Clintons will push the button that lowers the sparkling New Year’s Eve ball during the final 60 seconds of 2008, setting off wild celebrations.
With the Clintons, the Jonas Brothers band and the mayor on hand, not to mention the crush of revelers, cops will have their hands full.
Bloomberg said that the NYPD is ready.
"Times Square is so secure, it’s the last thing to worry about," he said. "There'll be a lot of police that you see [and] there’ll be a lot of police that you don't see."
All 1,129 cops who graduated from the Police Academy Tuesday will be deployed in Times Square, as well as counterterror teams and Secret Service agents.
Neither backpacks nor alcohol will be permitted in Times Square, where temperatures could plummet to just 17 degrees by midnight.
Five minutes before midnight, 1,000 balloons with the words "Joy," "Hope" and "2009" will drift down onto the Times Square crowd. The 12,000-pound crystal ball will hit bottom at the stroke of midnight.
"American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest will oversee the night's musical program. Longtime emcee Dick Clark, who suffered a stroke four years ago, will make a cameo.
jlemire@nydailynews.com
New Year at Times Square
Crowds cheer in the New Year at Times Square despite the cold
BY EDGAR SANDOVAL and RICH SCHAPIRO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Wednesday, December 31st 2008, 11:51 PM
Braving the bitter cold, thousands of revelers from across the globe flooded Times Square Wednesday to ring in the New Year at the biggest party in the world.
"This is something you do once in your life," crowed an excited but frigid Brian Arnone, 44, of Orlando, Fla., as he huddled next to his wife, Kelli.
"I said to myself, 'I better do this before I have kids. I need to scratch that off my list.'"
The Arnones joined a buoyant throng of merrymakers, many of them tourists in brightly colored party hats and oversize 2009 sunglasses, gathered around 1 Times Square to take in the festivities led by Bill and Sen. Hillary Clinton and Mayor Bloomberg.
David Hubin, 23, drove out from Columbus, Ohio, with four pals to see the city and ring in the New Year.
"We were all on break from school and we'd never done anything like this," said Hubin, who was in the thick of the crowd last night. "I've never seen anything like this.
"I love New York," he added. "It's amazing."
Ken and Lisa Mills saved up some cash and also traveled with their three teenage daughters from Ohio to New York to watch the 12,000-pound crystal ball touch down at the stroke of midnight.
But after a few hours of withstanding wind chill temperatures that plunged below 10 degrees, Lisa Mills, 44, was wondering if she could take any more of the cold.
"I'm wearing a sweater, coat, scarf and gloves and I still can't keep warm," Mills said. "I hope to make it through the night."
Still, she remained positive.
"We are looking forward to 2009," Mills said. "It's going to be a great year."
Wearing red and green oversize 2009 glasses and layers of sweaters, her three daughters, Shelby, 17, Kendra, 18, and Kara, 16, cheered with the crowd as they battled to stay warm.
"I hope to graduate from high school this year and hope all my friends graduate too," Shelby said. Her sister, Kara, had a different set of hopes for the New Year: "I want to make more money," she said.
Other cheering revelers had equally modest goals.
Friends Soo Hyun Lee, 26 and Jewon Lee, 23, students from Korea, cheered passersby and embraced each other to keep warm as the temperatures plummeted.
Reflecting on their goals for the New Year, they looked at each other before saying, in unison, "We want to find boyfriends!"
"It's hard to find a good man in Korea," Soon Hyun Lee said.
"American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest was set to oversee the night's musical program, which includes a performance by the Jonas Brothers.
Longtime emcee Dick Clark, who suffered a stroke four years ago, was expected to make a cameo.
All 1,129 cops who graduated from the Police Academy Tuesday were deployed to monitor the crowd, which was expected to swell to more than a million people.
The officers were joined by counterterror teams and Secret Service agents.
Taylor Patton, 17, and Cate Carl, 18, both from Middleton, Md., did not seem to notice anything - or anybody - other than each other as they waited for midnight.
Their bodies wrapped in a thick, red blanket, Patton and Carl stared into each other's eyes, oblivious to the excitement around them.
For the New Year, more money, a new career or other life goals took a back seat to love, they agreed.
"In the New Year we just want to be together," Patton said.
"I just want to spend more time with him," echoed Carl.
Ashley Cormier, 16, and her friend Zoe Jourdain, 16, of Owings Mills, Md., were also huddled together and covered with a red blanket in the hours before the ball dropped.
"I'm gonna stay in my blanket the whole night until I see a famous person, then I'm gonna come out," Ashley said.
And so she looked around and waited, and waited.
BY EDGAR SANDOVAL and RICH SCHAPIRO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Wednesday, December 31st 2008, 11:51 PM
Braving the bitter cold, thousands of revelers from across the globe flooded Times Square Wednesday to ring in the New Year at the biggest party in the world.
"This is something you do once in your life," crowed an excited but frigid Brian Arnone, 44, of Orlando, Fla., as he huddled next to his wife, Kelli.
"I said to myself, 'I better do this before I have kids. I need to scratch that off my list.'"
The Arnones joined a buoyant throng of merrymakers, many of them tourists in brightly colored party hats and oversize 2009 sunglasses, gathered around 1 Times Square to take in the festivities led by Bill and Sen. Hillary Clinton and Mayor Bloomberg.
David Hubin, 23, drove out from Columbus, Ohio, with four pals to see the city and ring in the New Year.
"We were all on break from school and we'd never done anything like this," said Hubin, who was in the thick of the crowd last night. "I've never seen anything like this.
"I love New York," he added. "It's amazing."
Ken and Lisa Mills saved up some cash and also traveled with their three teenage daughters from Ohio to New York to watch the 12,000-pound crystal ball touch down at the stroke of midnight.
But after a few hours of withstanding wind chill temperatures that plunged below 10 degrees, Lisa Mills, 44, was wondering if she could take any more of the cold.
"I'm wearing a sweater, coat, scarf and gloves and I still can't keep warm," Mills said. "I hope to make it through the night."
Still, she remained positive.
"We are looking forward to 2009," Mills said. "It's going to be a great year."
Wearing red and green oversize 2009 glasses and layers of sweaters, her three daughters, Shelby, 17, Kendra, 18, and Kara, 16, cheered with the crowd as they battled to stay warm.
"I hope to graduate from high school this year and hope all my friends graduate too," Shelby said. Her sister, Kara, had a different set of hopes for the New Year: "I want to make more money," she said.
Other cheering revelers had equally modest goals.
Friends Soo Hyun Lee, 26 and Jewon Lee, 23, students from Korea, cheered passersby and embraced each other to keep warm as the temperatures plummeted.
Reflecting on their goals for the New Year, they looked at each other before saying, in unison, "We want to find boyfriends!"
"It's hard to find a good man in Korea," Soon Hyun Lee said.
"American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest was set to oversee the night's musical program, which includes a performance by the Jonas Brothers.
Longtime emcee Dick Clark, who suffered a stroke four years ago, was expected to make a cameo.
All 1,129 cops who graduated from the Police Academy Tuesday were deployed to monitor the crowd, which was expected to swell to more than a million people.
The officers were joined by counterterror teams and Secret Service agents.
Taylor Patton, 17, and Cate Carl, 18, both from Middleton, Md., did not seem to notice anything - or anybody - other than each other as they waited for midnight.
Their bodies wrapped in a thick, red blanket, Patton and Carl stared into each other's eyes, oblivious to the excitement around them.
For the New Year, more money, a new career or other life goals took a back seat to love, they agreed.
"In the New Year we just want to be together," Patton said.
"I just want to spend more time with him," echoed Carl.
Ashley Cormier, 16, and her friend Zoe Jourdain, 16, of Owings Mills, Md., were also huddled together and covered with a red blanket in the hours before the ball dropped.
"I'm gonna stay in my blanket the whole night until I see a famous person, then I'm gonna come out," Ashley said.
And so she looked around and waited, and waited.
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