New Year's Eve in Times Square: Have you always wanted to go?

This is a revised version of a post that originally appeared on New Year’s Eve 2016.

When I was a kid I used to watch the New Year’s ball drop in Times Square on TV. Dick Clark was the host. Man, he was old, but I guess remembering him makes me old now, too. It’s a bit odd that the show is still called “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” even though Ryan Seacrest took over in 2006, when Clark stepped aside, and at least now Seacrest has his name added to the title. (Note: It’s very easy to make fun of Seacrest, but he was a riot in “Knocked Up” and clearly doesn’t take himself too seriously.)

When I watched Dick Clark’s show, I remember thinking how much fun all the people there were having, at least from the looks of it. I have a sense now that maybe, just maybe, the folks in the production truck might have been making sure not to show images of people huddling, shivering, not being able to go to the bathroom (you could tell because they were doing the pee-pee dance, or, well, let’s not discuss the alternative), and muttering that they’d rather be home on their couches, like I was on mine.