Normally, like most New Yorkers, I avoid Times Square at all cost. The crowds, the noise, the lights, it all too much for even the most jaded of New Yorkers to take. But for some reason (and that reason may be the 8-10 beers and shots I'd consumed) I wanted to be among the people. I've never given out so many high-fives and hugs to random strangers in my life. I chanted "Yes We Can" with the rest of my city, and watched with tears in my eyes as the words "President Elect Obama" scrolled across the ABC News ticker.

A passerby said it best, "I've never been happier to live in this country." And he, in my opinion, is right. While a great deal of it is what we chose to believe, and what we value in a president, it's also that this country was finally able to see past racial barriers and vote for who they felt could best lead the nation. For a long while, I thought the United States was not capable of such a feat. Electing a minority to office was something I never imagined in my lifetime. Sure, I'd hoped for it, and hoped we could overcome our prejudices and misguided assumptions, but I never truly assumed I'd live to see the day when an African American would be elected President.

And I'm truly proud of this country.

I'm proud that the color of one's skin does not dictate who they are. That a man (or woman) can reach the highest office in the land based on their character and beliefs rather than the box they check off under "race". No matter what you believe, or which side of the fence you stand on, there has to be a feeling of pride inside you that we, as a nation, have put racism out to pasture and will be far better because of its absence.

Thanks, again, to everyone who participated in our LiveBlog. I think it was a great success. And hopefully, we can all get together in another four years to comment, spar, joke, and laugh as we continue this process of democracy.