HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My opera singer houseguest just left for his plane back to Germany. It's 27 degrees outside, lightly snowing and the sun is just beginning to set. At 4:30 pm the streets are quiet - this is the calm before the storm. In 7 hours the streets will be crowded with honking horns and revellers. My apartment is 21 blocks south of the spot where the big ball drops in Times Square. If you stand outside on my street corner you can see straight up 7th avenue to the theater district and the multitudes of marquees and neon signs. It gives off a glow that defies the darkness. New York City's heartbeat. Our version of Emerald City.

Usually I hunker down in my little Chelsea studio with a good movie and a bottle of champagne, and I'm almost always asleep by the time the excitement begins. but tonight I've been lured into the nightlife by friends and a free ticket to a friend's nightclub.

So before I disapper into the throngs of giddy Manhattanites, I wanted to wish you all the best for a happy, safe and extremely prosperous New Year. When they raise the glasses tonight at midnight, I'll be toasting to all of you.