I went to Time Square on New Years once. It was awful!

People start lining up for it the morning before, and there’s limited space in the actual area around the ball. I lined up at like 3PM and got a spot without being able to actually directly see the ball. I could see some of the fireworks, and they had big TV screens set up but tbh what’s the point of that? To actually see the ball you really have to be waiting in line well before noon, so maybe like 16 hours or more of waiting?

Also while you are waiting, you are checked before you come in so you are limited on what you can bring to entertain yourself. No alcohol. They won’t sell food or drinks so you have to bring that yourself. If you leave to go to the bathroom you risk losing your spot. There’s no trash cans anywhere so people just throw trash on the ground.

So all those people you’ve seen on TV? They are starving, bored out of their minds, and have been sitting outside all day long for the like 5 minutes of spectacle. Absolutely a wonder how they manage to look cheerful for the cameras.