Interlude 75 - New Year’s Eve 2007
Posted by Lloyd Y. Asato | Filed under Coffee Interludes
I got three phone calls from Mother warning me about the drunks, and the fights, and how dangerous the Strip is on New Year’s Eve.
We pour out of the Aladdin into a moderate sized crowd. It is two hours till midnight.
It starts to fill up as the casinos empty, and very quickly we are mobbed.
A fight breaks out. Three guys. I grab Presh and with little thought to my safety put myself between her and harm’s way. It is over quickly as the metro cops converge. I grab a quick shot while valiantly protecting Presh from any stray blows. She is pissed at me for blocking her view of the fight.
These two are cuffed, searched, and later released. The third guy was arrested and prolly missed the fireworks. I explain how valiant I was to Presh, who still would have rather watched the fight.
Round midnight finds us camped under La Tour Eiffel. I love this shot. The energy starts to build as we approach the countdown.
The fireworks were launched from several hotels. From where we stood we could see the show from TI, Flamingo, and Mandalay Bay(?). It was loud. The theme was supposed to be James Bond 007. If there was accompanying music, we could not hear it. Happy New Year everyone.
After the fireworks, the mob gets worse. I have been in a few mosh pits at the Whisky and others but this was insane. More fights break out. This time Presh gets to watch. The mob gets worse and the pushing and shoving intensifies. There are moments where we are so cramped it is hard to breathe. Presh starts swinging and shoving and we eventually make it out of the mess. We watch as mounted police ride into the mob, not really easing the situation. What a great way to begin the new year. The Year of Coffee continues…
January 13th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
I love that “A fight breaks out” pic.
Glad you had a good time.