THOUSANDS WELCOME 2010 IN TIMES SQUARE!

Hundreds of thousands of revelers from all over the globe braved freezing drizzle Thursday night to ring in the new decade in Times Square.
"Look at all the people," gushed Peter Kalkzewiak, 32, of Warsaw, Poland, who was visiting New York for the first time. "A million people. I've never seen anything like it."

Bundled up against the cold rain, the masses of people wearing funny hats started gathering early in the afternoon.

Despite a rotten forecast and fears of terrorism, nothing could dampen the party mood in the famed Crossroads of the World.

"We made it. It's amazing," said Enid Boyd, 51, of Miami, hugging five members of her family after the crystal-covered ball came down. "What a terrific way to spend the new year."

"It's great. I can't explain it," said Katie Holley, 23, of Virginia, sharing a midnight kiss with her boyfriend, Daniel. "It's so pretty, so fun, so much confetti."

"Last year, my resolution was to be in Times Square for New Year's, so I'm here," said Lucrecia Theobald, 40, of the Dominican Republic. "It's beautiful, exciting, the best place to be."

Navy reservists Jamie Pisano, 21, and Ryan Laurentus, 21, both of New Milford, Conn., wanted to party before they both get sent overseas.

"This is America," said Pisano. "It's a good time."

An army of cops, vigilant against trouble, greeted crowds with hand-held metal detectors.

Even with the Christmas Day terror attempt weighing on the nation, few admitted giving a second thought to fulfilling what for many is a lifetime dream.

"It's a little worrying, but not enough to not come," said Lisa Winter, 26, of Fresno, Calif.

"You have to do this at least once in life," said Javier Trevino, 31, of Monterrey, Mexico. "Times Square is the middle of the world."

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly expected fewer partygoers in Times Square because of the damp weather, but vowed to have his troops out in full force.

"Our security regimen remains the same," Kelly said. "We have the most comprehensive counterterrorism program anywhere."

Jordan Diddle, 13, of Greensboro, N.C., thought it was a bit much to need a police escort from an NYPD-barricaded area near 42nd St. to a portable toilet.

"I feel like I'm being held hostage," Jordan said.

Jordan's father, Tony Diddle, 48, said he and his family were eagerly anticipating the midnight hoopla they only knew from television.

"We decided it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and this is our once," Tony Diddle said as "New Year's Rockin' Eve" host Ryan Seacrest walked by.

Selle Suppan, 55, a hospital administrator from Ohio, said she and her friends brought a box of Depends adult diapers to eliminate the worry of rest room emergencies.

"That's the big super secret at these kinds of functions," Suppan said.

Bob Rucker, 35, of Selden, L.I., was among the few locals to join the sprawling crowd. His friend Mick Dekranes, 19, of Atlanta talked him into going.

"I've lived in New York my entire life and I've never been here," Rucker said.

"It's pretty crazy to be in the mix with all these people," Dekranes said. "It's insane."