What is Times Square offering this New Year which might be a year-round attraction?”
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 begins its descent as millions of voices unite to count down the final seconds of the year, and celebrate the beginning of a new year full of hopes, challenges, changes and dreams. New Video: Making the New Year’s Eve Ball For 2010 Waterford Crystal has designed a new sparkling “Let There Be Courage” triangle. The crystals feature a unique interlocking ribbon pattern woven into the Celtic knot. The triangles, each about 3/8″ thick and 6.8 ounces in weight are custom made and built to exacting standards to withstand the stresses of high winds, precipitation and temperature fluctuation that exist over 400 feet above Times Square.
Times Square is a major intersection in Manhattan, a borough of New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets. The Times Square area consists of the blocks between Sixth and Eighth Avenues from east to west, and West 40th and West 53rd Streets from south to north, making up the western part of the commercial area of Midtown Manhattan. Formerly named Longacre Square, Times Square was renamed after the Times Building (now One Times Square) in April 1904. Times Square, sometimes known as the “Crossroads of the World,” has achieved the status of an iconic world landmark and has become a symbol of New York City. Times Square is principally defined by its spectaculars, animated, digital advertisements. The intersection of Broadway and 42nd Street, at the south-east corner of Times Square, is the Eastern Terminus of the Lincoln Highway, the first road across the United States of America.
This year’s New Year’s Eve ball, twice the size of any prior one, weighs 11,875 pounds and is covered in 2,668 Waterford Crystals, according to the organizers’ website. It can produce more than 16 million colors and billions of patterns that create a kaleidoscope effect. The eco-friendly geodesic sphere will become a year-round attraction above Times Square, says Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins. The 32,256 Philips Luxeon LEDs (light emitting diodes) are three times the number used last year. Still, the new ball is 10-20% more energy efficient than the 2008 one and 78% more efficient than the 2007 one. It consumes the same amount of energy per hour as two traditional home ovens.
