Bringing a New York New Year here

At the Starbucks in Midtown Manhattan a few days ago, I saw a man order a hot drink with whipped cream, then mix in a packet of artificial sweetener.

I saw someone I guessed to be a New Yorker, that is, someone who is no stranger to revolving doors, try to exit a store by pushing the door clockwise, the reverse direction, which is a very strenuous task.

I saw a man walking down the street in the snow in a residential district, followed by his two small children. Every so often, he would reach up and shake a tree branch so the snow would fall on his kids.

They squealed with delight and in return, made tiny snowballs to throw at him.

In Chicago, it's the pizza. In San Francisco, it's the sour dough bread. In New York, it's the bagels, although I did have the best pastrami ever at the Second Avenue Deli in Manhattan.

At Saks Fifth Avenue, the crowd of shoppers was so thick that I was carried along with them, unable to move sideways to get to an elevator. I wound up in the sleepwear department.

Outside Saks, Santas rang bells, Christmas lights flickered in trees and wreaths hung everywhere. There were carols, celebrations and snow.

This is my third trip to New York this year, the second when there was snow on the ground. But as many times as I have been to New York in my life -- and it has been many times -- I have never been here during the Christmas season.

All of the above observations, plus an upcoming special New Year's Eve even in Orange County, have led me to wonder why we, Costa Mesa in particular, should not try to duplicate the magic that is New York during the holidays.

On Dec. 31, a private, for-profit group is organizing a massive celebration at the Orange County Fairgrounds. There will be bands, dancing, food and fun; and at midnight, there will be a countdown.

This is a single event that will shine a large spotlight on the city. What I'd like to see for next year, assuming that the New Year's Eve celebration returns, is a couple of weeks of celebrating prior.

Costa Mesa has the potential to be a holiday tourist destination. With some planning, the city could attract people -- who want to go to a place that is fun, exciting, interesting, has excellent shopping and has the infrastructure to support them all -- from all over the western U.S.