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The fireworks were provided by Macy's. Security courtesy of the city of New York. Somebody won the Nathan's Famous Franks Hot Dog eating contest by downing almost 50 weenies. Tens of thousands of people lined the banks of the Hudson from 75th St. down to 25th. Many came as early as 4 pm to claim their spots, and the river was crowed with tour boats. Helicopters raked the air; the George Washington Bridge was gridlocked all day long as trucks crept past the security checkpoints coming into the city. Around 9:30 pm the crowds around us in the riverside park at 72nd St. stood, craning to catch a glimpse of the fireworks. Seeing nothing, they began to gripe. "What a rip-off. You'd think Macy's would have put up fireworks high enough for us to see. What a gyp. Yeah, we've been here since 5, and all we can see is the backs of peoples' necks." But five minutes later the bombs bloomed over the river and the crowds exhaled in unison in only the way crowds can do. Oooohhhh. Ahhhhhh. I am less comfortable in crowds than many of my fellow human beings. When they exhale in unison, I think about jumping into the water.