Howdy!
I was lucky enough to be down in Vegas for the New Years weekend. I don't know if anyone heard about this, or if any news even carried anything about New Years down there. But, WOW! Not only was it fun, but something GOOD AND UNEXPECTED happened!
To start off with, 7-course meal for dinner at the Paris. The theme was Moulin Rouge. Dancing girls, acts on stage... WOW. About 11:45, I left the party and went outside. The strip (all 16 lanes) was shut down COMPLETELY and was packed with people. The Counttown started at T-24 seconds. After that, fireworks and the crowd went wild. It sounded like shotguns going off over our heads- it was LOUD. The colors were mainly red, white, and blue with the obligatory gold and silver.
Afterward, what would start up but the Fountains of Bellagio... Playing "I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!" The crowd started to sing along and the fountains made an impressive display. After it ended, a small chant of USA - USA - USA arose from somewhere. It got louder and louder. The chant never arose beyond what was in New York; it didn't help that many people outside were foreign and weren't exactly sure of what was going on. But, you definitely knew who the Americans were!
All in all, a DAMN GOOD TIME!
Mike
PS. No, I didn't become a millionaire. [:)]