How many times have seen in television, on January 1°, the images in New York, that bright sphere that lowers on the roof of a skyscraper in the most famous plaza to the world. Times Square?! For years have also seen her me dreaming once to be able at least in the life to be there foresees, in the middle of million of people, in the most famous city to the world!

In the summer of 1998 I have had to the fortune to visit for two weeks this stupendous city and already one year and a half before the end of the millennium, the gigantic notice-board of Times Square announced the megafesta of end millennium. Would have been unforgettable to be us indeed!

I succeed in convincing one friend of mine that we cannot wait for other 1000 years before passing an end of the proper millennium in the "ombelico of the world" and so we book the trip to beginning August and we are forced from the agency to entirely pay him/it within the end of the month. Prices from "end millennium", £ 3.500.000 for 5 nights!

The delivery of the documents of trip puts to hard test my patience, they reach only the agency two days before the departure. He finally departs! Flight Air France, Nice-Paris-New York and arrive in the great apple! The time is acceptable, the temperature is some degree above him zero, there is alone and there is not too much wind. To three year-old distance I can say that the following winters we have been really fortunate as snow and temperatures they have been very cold under him zero for more than 15 days following.

New York during the parties is indeed an unforgettable show, all the great stores do to competition to have the brightest and attractive showcases, particularly beautiful they are the showcases of Macy's the greatest commercial center of the world. In the Rockefeller Center under the immense one and illuminatissimo tree of more famous native to the world where in the summer the tourists they refresh him in front of the fountain of Prometeo, about ten skaters they have a good time on the frozen surface of the plaza. The principal whole avenues are illuminated indeed in amazing way, only the Central Park is bare indeed and seems less immense than in the summer: they succeeds even in seeing among the branches dry the skyscrapers on the other side!

We are to end millennium, before accursed 11 September 2001, but there is already a lot of tension: in the preceding days some terrorists are arrested suspected to prepare an attack proper to Times Square. Safety is maximum, all the gutters of the zone are sealed, I removed the containers of the refusals, prohibition of standstill in the ray of hundreds of meters from the plaza. The police, in uniform and in bourgeois, it is present in every angle. The hotel where we lodge, the Ramada Plaza, is to an isolated from the plaza, to the inside from the zone of maximum safety. We are forced to wear some safety bracelets inamovibili ventiquattr'ore on twenty-four that, together with the key of the room, they identify us as you entertain and that they allow us to enter.

It finally arrives on December 31 the last day of the millennium. To Time Square has prepared indeed the things in great. a party of 24 hours! Fifteen minutes before every time unthread about ten ballet dancer and, to strike some time, the giant screens show the images of the countries where New Year's eve is celebrated. Every time you/they are delivered us colored toy balloons, pon pon of paper, bonnets, motley wigs that the plaza in different way.

Unfortunately really the day of 31 reveals him the ugliest and colder and some bow of snow falls also. Luckily they are well equipped. Very heavy attire, energetic barrette for the meals and a bottle of Gatorade that I have to make to last me the whole day.

To the 18 the most exciting moment for us. in Italy our friends celebrate while here to strike some midnight they still miss six hours. But the emotion and the events make to quickly flow the time.

All of a sudden among the crowd the mayor Giuliani appears, escorted by the police. I have the fortune to find nearby enough me, so much to be succeeded in going off him a beautiful photo that will be published in the book "Dawn of the 21st Century." (Millennium Photo Project), a harvest of the most beautiful images gone off all over the world during the celebrations of end millennium.

The last time is the most exciting of everybody, the sonorous plant of some thousand of watt it proposes all the successes of the last years, him by now usual parade him ago more and more appassionante and "American." The last minutes the music becomes deafening for then to accompany with a suggestive effect "rotating" the countdown of midnight. Contemporarily the famous sphere of crystal goes down from the auction it posts on a skyscraper to light up in thousand colors while in sky about ten fires of artifice explode and they fall from the skyscrapers around the plaza tons of "sugared almonds", as here they call the corianders motley and multiform. The show in the following mezz'ora is really impressive and unforgettable, lights and sounds are mixed in sky and in earth reflecting himself/herself/itself in thousand colors on the glasses of the skyscrapers of Times Square.

The music to tall volume and the strokes of the fires of artifice they cover the voices and every communication they make almost impossible, but few cares, we are all happy to ones to participate in this great party.

Toward the one, the plaza and the surrounding zone they start to empty him, after the long one "pull" we are indeed all very tired. Fortunately the hotel is to few footsteps and, after a beautiful warm shower, we still insert there under the covers incredulous for the departed day.

The day later, alarm clock to the dawn (we are to NY, and it is our last day of vacation!). We make a turn around Times Square, there are at work about ten street sweepers to remove the tons of garbage of the preceding night, to midday it is already everything clean.

Unfortunately the vacation is ended and to evening it waits us for the airplane that will bring us in Italy.

A New Year's eve in New York is some dear (add all the expenses, to us is cost around 5 million) but stays in every case an unforgettable experience to do at least once in the life!