Why at Least Once — New Yorkers Should Experience the Ball Drop

On New Year's Eve, millions around the world watch NYC's Times Sq. ball drop.Photo by(gigi_nyc/Flickr)

Around the world, NYC's ball drop has become synonymous with celebrating New Year’s Eve

New York City — "The true New Yorker," said Updike, "secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding."

Despite the smug tone, Updike was merely highlighting why Wikipedia describes the City That Never Sleeps as follows:

New York City is a global cultural, financial, and media center [...] and is sometimes described as the capital of the world.

Nicknamed the "capital of the world," NYC is the most photographed city in history! And because "you get what you pay for," usually, it's no wonder New York City is the world's most expensive city to live in.

With all things considered, Updike had it right...

...The true New Yorker suspects people entering the new year "anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding." And because the Times Square ball drop is to New Year's Eve what the Macy's Day Parade is to Thanksgiving, dare I say: at least once this lifetime, New Yorkers should experience the famed ball drop.

What to know about the upcoming New Year’s Eve celebration

The celebration starts around 6 p.m. As for the official ball drop, which takes roughly 60 seconds, it'll begin at 11:59 p.m.

Chelsea Cutler, JVKE and others will perform. Unlike some previous New Year's Eves, this year's temperatures are expected to hover around the 50s.

In short, though natives consider being in cramped Times Sq. on New Year's Eve about as exciting as walking barefoot in a room full of LEGOS, most New Yorkers should experience the ball drop at least once.