When nothing goes right, doesn’t it make for the best story?

New Years Eve in Times Square, New York City, watching that ‘ole crystal ball drop in person while millions more watch on TV.  You’ve gotta do it once.

We’d heard that to score a spot to watch this magical event, you had to start camping out around 9 or 10am.  We also had only three days in the city and with it being the first Big Apple trip for three of the four in our group, spending 15 hours sitting on an overcrowded sidewalk didn’t sound all that appealing.  There was a whole city to be explored!  You know, #adventureisoutthere.  But that adventuring might cost us what brought us to New York in the first place: being IN Times Square when the clock hit midnight.

So did we take the risk?  DUH.

After a full day of exploring and site-seeing, around 6pm we finally started making our way over to 43rd Street, where the event takes place. Except, we were stopped when we got to 59th where the crowds had been filled to, and we were told by police officers and layers upon layers of barricades that we couldn’t go any further. So there we were, just hours away from the ball drop and sixteen blocks out. Cue panic and maybe a few streaming tears.

 What were we going to do?

Fast forward 15 hours and there the four of us were, groggy-eyed but giddy as we giggled and recalled the events from the previous night.  Between sweet-talking police officers, free carriage rides, crying on command, taking the service entrance into a hotel and subsequently stumbling into a rich-people-sophisticated-party, and walking through barricades backwards because they were only letting people OUT not IN, we had somehow managed to make it to the grand event.

Swirling confetti, triumphant cheers, blaring music, and the rush of adrenaline as we looked around in wonder and took it all in.  Ringing in the New Year in Times Square was even more magical than we’d imagined.  And the range of emotions that had accompanied our journey of misadventures which got us there only made the experience all the more memorable.

Moral of the story?  You’ve got to risk it to get the biscuit.

And definitely get in line at 9am.

A night we’ll never forget.

Best way to see Central Park?  Rent a bike and get to pedaling!