>The tradition was ‘tinkered with’ by changing the day from Friday to Saturday. Mistake #1. I used to look forward to ditching work early, scoot up to the train station. Sing with a few thousand of my neighbors and have dinner afterwards and stroll the streets. Saturday was hum-drum because you had to give up a weekend day to have all the pomp & such.

Mistake #2: groupthink about the global warming hoax following the Anne Zusy types down to the Square instead of the focal point of the town. And to make matters worse, let’s hang recycling on the tree. I may be alone on this, but my tree may have home-made ornaments by the kids, but there are no used pork n beans cans.

Mistake #3: VOR compounds last year’s error by doing it AGAIN, sans garbage ornaments. Big deal. You know what used to work and brought people in? The traditional tree, singers, bands and such on a Friday night at the station. I remember the throngs of people stretching a block north n south and several blocks down East Ridgewood Ave.

Notice that NYC doesn’t drop the New Years ball over the Smithsonian. And why? Because Times Square is the place. Same reason the celebration belongs back at the station.