By Rya Backer and Nicole Guanlao
We don't know if you heard, but we kind of got a new president today. And like all exciting things, we decided to take our joy out into the streets. So, at around 11:30, we (Nicole, executive assistant, and Rya, production assistant) took to our front yard in Times Square to check out the scene. While it wasn't nearly as crowded as on Election Night — it was about 3.4 degrees outside — the streets were still fairly filled, and only grew as the proceedings inched closer to Obama’s oath of office.
The audio didn't kick in until right before Chief Justice John Roberts took the podium, but the closed-captioning on all five (maybe six?) JumboTrons left everybody rapt. The men and women who work in the Times Square Sephora, the patrons inside the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and — naturally — those sipping lattes inside a Starbucks all had their attention turned to a screen, cheering whenever they felt like it (read: all the time).
Read more...
By Liz Nord
New Year's Eve had nothing on last night's celebration in Times Square. When Barack Obama was announced as president-elect, thousands of New Yorkers and tourists from all over the world roared with a collective cheer — and the party didn't stop all night long.
A group of us from the Newsroom stepped out from behind our computers and cameras to join the crowd as the final results were called — a momentary break from a long night of reporting. Illuminated by the enormous electronic billboards and LCD screens displaying the news, cheering people filled Broadway as far as the eye could see. Strangers were embracing, kids were break dancing, and New Yorkers were actually friendly.
Read more...
By Andrew Ross Rowe
I've been waiting since the first iPhone to own one. I even made the iPhone commercial-song ringtone to put on my normal phone! Having a drop in price made the deal sweeter. But would standing in line Friday morning secure me the next model?
Read more...
By Danielle Beavers
One of our favorite Times Square neighbors might soon be the millionaire next door.
A Manhattan judge has allowed the Naked Cowboy (yeah, he has a name: Robert Burck), to continue with his $6 million lawsuit against Mars Inc. filed in February. The scantily clad singing sensation claims an M&Ms ad unfairly gave the impression that the Naked Cowboy endorsed the product. The offending ad is actually an animated billboard in Times Square (sacred Cowboy turf for almost a decade), which depicts a blue M&M wearing a white cowboy hat, cowboy boots and underpants while strumming a familiar-looking white guitar.
Read more...
