Ring in the new year at Times Square

By Clara Bosonetto Maerz

For ajc.com

Will you be one of the hundreds of thousands of people headed to Times Square for the New Year's Eve celebration? There's no more exciting place to be at midnight as the 11,875 pound, 12-foot sphere descends to mark the New Year.

If you go, here's what you can expect.

Starting at about 4 p.m., the New York Police Department will begin to form revelers into a bow tie formation with Times Square as the central point. As one section becomes filled, police will direct new arrivals to the next section along the neighborhoods between 42nd and 47th Streets and between Broadway and Seventh Avenue.

At 6 p.m. the celebration begins with the lighting and raising of the New Year’s Eve Ball atop One Times Square.

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and a special guest (to be announced) will push the button that signals the descent of the New Year's Eve Ball, and lead the 60-second countdown to the New Year atop the Countdown Stage at Duffy Square (the center island from Broadway to Seventh Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets).

Cheers!

Trivia about the ball: It's covered in 2,668 Waterford crystals and powered by 32,256 Philips LUXEON Rebel LED lights. It can create a palette of more than 16 million colors and billions of patterns, producing a kaleidoscopic effect.

If you seek a celebration away from Times Square, consider the New Year's Eve party cruise with Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises. The event includes a full open bar, hors d'oeuvres, a nonstop DJ, party favors and a champagne toast at midnight. The three-hour cruise is priced at $120 (must be 18 for the cruise, and 21 to drink alcohol). For more information and to book, visit http://www.circleline42.com.

Going a bit sooner to Manhattan? The Millennium Broadway Hotel in Times Square offers a merry weekend getaway package on stays through Dec. 30.

The "Holiday Leisure" package, priced from $399, includes accommodations for two, breakfast, a $50 Visa gift card, $10 off any food or beverage purchase of $20 or more at Planet Hollywood, coupons and discounts to four hot spots along Times Square (ESPN Zone, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, Hershey's and the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum) and a map of Times Square marked with included attractions.

The Millennium Broadway Hotel, located in the Broadway Theatre district, is near to the Tree at Rockefeller center and legendary shopping on Broadway, Fifth Avenue and Times Square.

http://www.millenniumhotelnyc.com