'04 Aftermath

The '04 Eve thing turned out to be a bit bigger than anyone was expecting. The organizers were expecting 25,000 attendees; while I've heard estimates up to 250,000, I'd guess it was probably somewhere around 100,000. I managed to park before the lot filled up (which must have been quite quick, as there were plenty of empty spaces when I did), but I was in line for a ferris wheel ticket when they stopped handing them out.

Somehow, my mind was expecting something a lot closer to the First Night parties I've been to in the past. While First Night Saint Louis at the zoo was part of the overall '04 Eve celebration, it was the only (relatively) alcohol-free area of the park. I was lucky enough to only encounter sloppy, happy drunks; from the sirens I heard in the distance, I have to believe there were more than a few of the angry, belligerent kind.

Anyway, I had a pretty good time for wanting nothing more than to not spend New Year's Eve cooped up in my apartment. I saw some of the shows on the main stage, and wandered around the still Christmas-lighted zoo for a while, catching a few assorted performances there. The highlight for me was the fireworks show, one of the best I've seen in a few years.

Anyways, Happy New Year, all!