On December 30th some of the side streets off Times Square were eerily devoid of traffic. The New York City Police Department had rerouted cars and trucks from 42nd to 52nd Streets. However, that didn't stop a half million pedestrians thronging the neighbourhood to hear Kenny G. play saxophone (on top of a crane) and to catch a glimpse of the Waterford Crystal ball perched on top of a 77-foot pole above Times Square.
The night before the New Year's Eve party was also the night TimesSquare2000.com made its debut. In a restaurant at 1501 Broadway, 500 feet from the crystal ball, Ms Ellen Brockley, chief operating officer, pointed out that TimesSquare2000.com was "a new experience in Internet technology".
The organisers created an interactive site that will continue even after the euphoria of New Year's Day has died down. The website has strived to recreate the character, ambience and shops of Times Square in a three-dimensional format. "It allows people to come into this geographic area and really feel like they're here," said Ms Brockley. "We're lifting the real estate of Times Square into virtual space."
About 1.5 million people pass through Times Square daily. Now many more can feel like they're doing so, via the Internet. In 1998, 10 million people logged on to the Internet to watch the Times Square countdown. The figure was expected to be substantially higher in 1999.
The official website for the Times Square 2000 celebration, TimesSquare2000.com "wanted to communicate to the world what the Internet is all about, its impact on communities and its ability to share information", said Ms Brockley.
For the New Year's Eve celebration from Times Square, Earthcam placed several cameras at vantage points around the square to deliver live video content of the millennium celebration to the Web. TimesSquare2000 produced and presented content for the AstroVision screens placed around 43rd street and Broadway. In two segments which it called "Internet minutes", it asked questions and gave answers to Internet trivia.
On the website, coverage of the new millennium began at 6:30 a.m. on December 31st and lasted until 6:30 a.m. on January 1st. It broadcast celebrations in all 24 time zones across the world. The site also featured a live Webcast of the entire Times Square programme, including the traditional lowering of the ball which began in 1907. This year, weighing in at 1,070 pounds and with 504 Waterford Crystal triangles, it was larger and heavier than any previous Times Square New Year's Eve ball. Now that New Year's Eve is gone the site will transform into TimesSquareAlive.com, a community entertainment and cultural information site for the new millennium. It aims to feature the best of New York in terms of independent film, art, new music and fashion. It will also offer direct ticket sales to holiday events, tourist attractions, visitor guides to hotels, restaurants, local entertainment and shopping.
Other major cities around the world will soon replicate the site and the first two to come online will be Tokyo, as a footstep to Asia, and London, as a stepping stone to Europe, said Ms Brockley.
"We'll show what it's like to live in these cities," said Ms Brockley. "We'll create a 3D version of several geographic locations." There will be chat rooms where people can discuss what it's like to live there, online auctions of memorabilia and commemorative cards and accessories. "Visitors to the sites can take walking tours, walk into stores and talk to other tourists online," said Ms Brockley.
TimesSquareAlive.com, the trading name of TimesSquareMedia.com was founded in 1998 by Ms Renata McGriff, chief executive officer. Before founding it with her daughter, Ms McGriff spent more than 20 years in the media where she worked at Walt Disney Co, Sony and CBS.
