Watching Ourselves

There are many unique things about New York City and one of them is how often we watch ourselves. This is most evident on New Year's Eve when the country, and much of the world, turns their eyes here for the greatest New Year's party and the legendary Times Square ball drop.
As I wrote in yesterday's posting, the very popularity of the event also makes it a reason to avoid direct participation and it on TV like the rest of the world. It is a little strange perhaps, knowing that the event is a subway ride away, but this really misrepresents the situation. At this point in time there is no way to attend this event in a spontaneous way. People now wait at least 7 hours in the freezing cold, getting there well in advance to have a position where they can actually see the ball drop. I attended the millennium celebration in 2000, but even arriving there hours in advance, the closest I was able to get was eight blocks away near Macy's. I experienced the spirit of the celebration but was able to see only people - no ball drop or confetti. 
Today's photo was the scene at a friend's party as we watched the revelry on a big screen TV and ushered in 2009 - watching ourselves and watching others watch themselves. Happy 2009 and thanks for watching :)