By the time I got off @ 3pm, the crowds had solidly reached 45th. The sellers of knockoffs were out in full force, muttering - Rolex? Rolex? to those passing by and making sure to have their purses on easily moved carts and blankets so they could pick up and go when the cops came along. The "legit" vendors had added plenty of "2008" New Year's
garb added to their carts and I caught places like the Palace Theatre boarding up their glass doors in prep for the evening - it looked like they were preparing for hurricane season, but no...just New Year's Eve! Yikes!
I have to say, from where I took pics on 45th - it wouldn't even be worth standing there. You have to be @ just the right angle to see the ball drop (You can just barely see the pole above the Toshiba sign on the skyscraper in the distance) and if you aren't at that angle then well, I guess some could watch live performances on the stages set up for the "Dick Clarke's Rockin' New Year's Eve" - but no ball.
Pics taken - now it was time to get the heck out of here! Most main streets in the area were being shut down at 3:30pm.
I headed home and packed (am planning on starting my move tomorrow). Then all too soon it was time to head out again to be at the restaurant my roomie was working at, at about 10pm.
Already the subway was filled with those that had partied enough for the evening. I had one guy with crazy plaid pants and bed head (he caught a glimpse of himself in the window and attempted to make it look better but didn't) sit closer than even my friends sit to me and ask me about the book I was reading (it was an autobio of Eli Wallach - great and quick read, especially for actors) - he asked if Eli was a good writer - not realizing he was an actor. I explained that Eli was an actor that was in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly and then he knew who I was talking about. In the meantime, his friends that were sitting across the way were trying to get his attention to give me some space - he of course didn't think he was close @ all - he was just talking. Fortunately another person that he knew got on the subway so they all moved.
Finally got to my destination and got to enjoy some champagne and be adorned with a New Year's eve crown - cause you can't celebrate w/out one. ;)
Once the new year had officially been rung in and the restaurant was officially closed - my roomie and I joined her coworkers and went over to the Rodeo Bar. I'd never been - but I liked it! I would actually like to go back when it was a more "ordinary" day and eat there.
Since it was about 3am now - Happy New Year to the West Coast - we all decided to call it a night. As my roomie and I were waiting for a light to change, we heard what sounded like crumbling plastic - when we turned to look, we saw an SUV that appeared to have blown a tire. However, the longer we looked we realized in horror that the trouble the car was having was not from a blown tire, but from a human being that was hit by the car and now rolling with the tire. The guy was flung lose and run over by the SUV again as they continued driving. I truly could not believe my eyes. This was the 2nd time I'd seen something like this happen - the first where I wasn't in a vehicle nearby.
No one that knew the guy seemed to be around and unfortunately the first ones to rush over to the guy were drunk and flipped him over - I cringed, not knowing if he had internal injuries that may have done more damage. My roommate went over and said they were trying to see if the guy was breathing and others were calling 911. My next worry was that as the crowd built that some other drunk idiot would take another person out in the street - cops were out everywhere else, where were they around here?!
Once my roommate saw that I didn't follow her over and that everything seemed to be taken care of as much as it could be - she joined me again and we headed home.
What does it mean to start a new year that way?! I've been checking the police blotters but never could find an update on what happened to the guy. Hopefully he ended up being okay.
By the time we got home and to bed it was 5am. Hmmm....wonder what time I'll get around to starting my move....?
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