NYPD to tourists: We got your back! How safe was New York Times Square when the ball dropped New Year’s?

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Tourists and New Yorkers alike waited sometimes for 11 hours to see the ball drop at Times Square. At midnight the ball did drop.

Tourists and New Yorkers alike waited sometimes for 11 hours to see the ball drop at Times Square. At midnight the ball did drop. And this New Year’s Eve in Times Square was the safest party in the world.

“You can close your eyes for your New Year’s Eve kiss in Times Square New York – we got your back. It’s what we do and Happy New Year.” This is what was tweeted tonight by the New York Police Department (NYPD),

Each year, millions of eyes from all over the world are focused on the sparkling Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball. At 11:59 p.m., the Ball began its descent as millions of voices united to count down the final seconds of the year, and celebrate the beginning of a new year full of hopes, challenges, changes and dreams.

The Ball is a geodesic sphere, 12 feet in diameter, and weighs 11,875 pounds.

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HPNY2 | eTurboNews | eTN

The Ball is covered with a total of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles that vary in size, and range in length from 4 ยพ inches to 5 ยพ inches per side.

For Times Square 2016, 288 of the Waterford triangles introduced the new Gift of Wonder design composed by a faceted starburst inspiring our sense of wonder that nourishes the seeds of knowledge and achievement. Last year’s Gift of Fortitude design utilized diamond cuts on either side of a crystal pillar to represent the inner attributes of resolve, courage and spirit necessary to triumph over adversity. The remaining 2,112 crystal triangles feature the Gift of Imagination design with a series of intricate wedge cuts that are mirrored reflections of each other inspiring our imagination.

The 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles are bolted to 672 LED modules which are attached to the aluminum frame of the Ball.

The Ball is illuminated by 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs (light emitting diodes). Each LED module contains 48 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs – 12 red, 12 blue, 12 green, and 12 white for a total of 8,064 of each color.

The Ball is capable of displaying a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns that create a spectacular kaleidoscope effect atop One Times Square.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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