Revelers ring in 2013 in Times Square

Hundreds of thousands of bundled-up revelers with New Year's hats and "2013" sunglasses braved the cold in Times Square Monday night as the crystal-covered ball made its annual descent, ringing in the start of 2013.

The countdown in Manhattan was the first in decades without television host Dick Clark, who died in April. He was honored with his name printed on pieces of confetti and engraved on one of the 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles on the ball.

Security was tight, with a mass of uniformed and plainclothes NYPD officers assigned to blend into the crowd. With police Commissioner Raymond Kelly proclaiming that Times Square would be the "safest place in the world on New Year's Eve," officers used barriers to prevent overcrowding and checkpoints to inspect vehicles, enforce a ban on alcohol and check handbags.

About 1 million people had been expected to cram into the neon-lit district, organizers said.

Ryan Seacrest again hosted the annual countdown show, with Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen, Neon Trees, Flo Rida, Pitbull, Psy and MC Hammer among the musical guests. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Rockettes helped usher in the new year.

Earlier, Kevin and Laura Concannon of Hingham, Mass., were among the celebrants. They were attending a wedding in New Jersey and went to Times Square to try to see the crystal ball, take photos and perhaps make a few wishes for a better 2013, for themselves and the nation. "It's been an OK year for us but, obviously, with all the sadness in the country, we're looking for some good changes in 2013," Laura Concannon said.

Some concerns from 2012 linger. Even in Times Square, some revelers checked their cellphones to keep up with news of lawmakers' efforts to skirt the "fiscal cliff" combination of expiring tax cuts and across-the-board spending cuts that threatened to reverberate globally.

Still, Yvonne Gomez, 53, of Grand Forks, N.D., beamed as the ball descended.

She said pointing to her husband of two weeks, Greg Halverson, 63: "I couldn't begin the new year in a more beautiful way."