AP News, January 1st, 2007
Hundreds of thousands of revelers from all over the world flooded Times Square on Sunday to ring in the New Year at the city's massive holiday party.
Partygoers poured into the area before dark to snag prime viewing spots. Greg First and his 14-year-old daughter traveled from a Detroit suburb to attend the event.
"I've watched this for 40 years on TV, no joke," said First, 43. "I wanted to be here just once."
Spectators, expected to number about a million by midnight, passed through police checkpoints on their way to the party. Large bags and backpacks were prohibited, and bomb-sniffing dogs roamed the crowds, which were expected to pack Broadway all the way to Central Park.
Public drinking was banned again, and visitors were corralled in a series of viewing pens to curtail their ability to bar hop until the show ends.
The lack of alcohol didn't bother Lena Zellers, 22, of Pittsburgh, who was attending the event with friends from New Jersey. She wore a "Happy New Year" tiara and "2007" sunglasses.
"I came here to be here, not to be in a bar down the street," she said. "You can drink anytime."
More than a dozen major acts were set to perform during the evening, including pop singer Christina Aguilera, the rap group Three 6 Mafia, country band Rascal Flatts, R&B singer Toni Braxton and the cast of the Broadway musical "Jersey Boys."
"This is the center of the universe," said Raffael Dalvise, who lives outside Venice, Italy. "There is no other place to be."
Dick Clark was to return for ABC's "New Year's Rockin' Eve" broadcast for the second time since a stroke caused him to skip the show in 2004. He co-hosted the event with Ryan Seacrest.
Clark's appearance last year was an abbreviated one in which he acknowledged that his illness had left him in "bad shape," but Clark's spokesman, Paul Shefrin, said the icon was doing better and planned to lead the countdown to midnight.
