Happy New Year!

It's officially a new year in the U. S.  Millions of folks from New York to Los Angeles got together last night to ring in 2012.  An estimated one million people  gathered in Times Square in The Big Apple to watch the famous lighted ball drop at the stroke of midnight.  New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Lady Gaga hit the switch sending the ball into 2012.  They proceeded to briefly dance with each other. 

In downtown buffalo, as many as 100,000 people said goodbye to the old and in with the New Year.  It was sheer elegance at the Statler City Ice Ball as developer and restaurant icon Mark Croce dressed in a black tux personally greeted many of the 4,000 guests who payed as much as $175 a ticket to be part of a three floor extravaganza at the newly refurbished Statler.

A few blocks away at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, thousands of children and their parents partook in the excitement of an indoor carnival.  There were Merry go rounds, whirling , twirling rides and inflatable slides among the many attractions.

Finally,  thousands of revelers packed into Roosevelt Plaza in front of the Electric Tower for live entertainment followed by our own Buffalo Ball Drop and fireworks.  Old man winter seemed to snooze through all the action with the temperatures above the freezing mark.

Have a happy and safe 2012!