Tourists Juice the Ball Drop

Citibank bikes have been parked in Times Square and hooked up to 12-volt "deep cycle batteries." Stationary riders (mostly tourists, one assumes) are pedaling like crazy to charge the batteries. The energy they produce will then be dumped into the city's power grid to "offset the demands" of the Waterford crystal ball's midnight drop.



“With the year’s biggest party being powered by Citi Bike pedals," said Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, "the world is in for an even more electrifying experience when the ball drops."

After filling the city's veins with Bloomberg Administration-approved tourist juice, riders can then go to the Times Square Applebee's for a $375 New Year's Eve "ton of food" dinner.

It seems a perfect send-off for Bloomberg's last moments in office. I'll be counting the seconds.



But I prefer this version of New Year's Eve in Times Square.