Hopes for new love, striking it rich, recovery from cancer — and getting a pet snake — are among the wishes for 2022 posted to the Times Square “Wishing Wall” this season.
With the pandemic still a concern, health was high on the list for many among the 3,000 daily visitors who added their dreams and desires for the coming year to the kiosk erected by the Times Square Alliance.
All of the colorful notes will be added to the confetti that flutters down on the revelers who pack the Crossroads of the World on New Year’s Eve.
The tradition started in 2007.
One person yearned for singer Harry Styles to “notice” them and another dreamed of becoming a millionaire “before I’m 41 years old.”
Others posted more serious thoughts.
“We’re wishing for good health for my parents,” said Lili Jimenez, 34, of Atlanta. Her mom, three-time breast cancer survivor Letty Paniagua, 53, will mark five years cancer-free in 2022. “We want to celebrate her being a survivor,” Jimenez said.
Marshall Moreira holds his wish for a better world at the New Year’s Eve “Wishing Wall” in Times Square. Helayne SeidmanHer second wish is for a baby with her husband, Severiano Jimenez. “We’ve had a couple of losses and have been trying for a while now,” she said. “We’ve been together for seven years, so we really would love one next year.”
Brittney Kovary, 31, of Jersey City, tacked up a wish for the return of her Dominican Republic-born boyfriend, Nelson Gomez. The 28-year-old is waiting for an artist visa so he can work in New York.
Brittney Kovary is hoping for the return of her boyfriend from the Dominican Republic. Helayne Seidman“I saw this Wishing Wall yesterday and it’s the third wish I wrote for it,” Kovary said. “It’s just a waiting game now, I want him to come home.”
Carol Ann Burgner, 54, from Ballston Spa, New York, wished for a “home sweet home” for her newlywed daughter and son-in-law. The lovebirds, Natalie and Andy Ritchie, have lived with her since May while they’ve fruitlessly searched for a house of their own.
Cassidy Burgner and mom Carol Ann Burgner hold their wishes at the New Year’s Eve “Wishing Wall.” Helayne Seidman“It’s not been easy for them,” said Burgner, who added that the pandemic forced them to delay their wedding for a year and Andy was stuck in his native country of England in 2020.
“So I can’t wait to see that confetti fall on New Year’s,” Burgner said. “I feel like there’s a better chance of them finding a home and that wish coming true now.”
