New Years Eve NYC

M.D.

Hey folks,

I'm planning to head to NYC for new years. The main reason is my fiance has always wanted to go to New York. I've never been here for new years so not really sure what to expect.

Anyhow, would it be better to buy some ticket/table thing for a new years eve party in advance or just find a bar/club that evening? I wasn't planning on standing in the street trying to watch the ball drop cause of cold weather and we'll both be fairly dressed up that night because of some fancy dinner reservations earlier in the evening.

noir_blood

Ha, I was planning to make this exact type of thread, except that the GF DOES want to do the standing thing( and yes, I know that everyone will say it's not worth it, that it's horrid, etc).

mts

i would get reservations, i would imagine most places will require it and it will probably be less hassle

mrt144

I went to fiddlesticks for NYE. It was pretty fun.

Course the bartender was giving us free drinks because we got engaged on christmas eve on that trip.

Most bars will require a cover for NYE so keep that in mind. I'd hit them up a few days before like I did with my wife and get tix.

Darkewolfe

I don't know about NYC, but DC is selling (out) of New Year's Eve tickets RIGHT NOW. Reservations are also pretty solidly lodged. You'll definitely want to solidify plans and buy/reserve by this weekend.

Inx

I would go in with tickets and a getaway plan. The entire island of Manhattan is a fucking nightmare on New Year's Eve, especially when it starts to get closer to Midnight. Do it right and it's a blast. Wing it and you'll be miserable.

EggyToast

Definitely get reservations for anything you want to do. It's not just because it's crazy and busy, but also because most places will be staffed just enough to accommodate their reservations -- everyone else will want to get the night off. You could easily end up walking into places and seeing plenty of space but being asked for reservation/tix. You'll also know more what to expect, as trying to figure out what things may be happening on the day of is pretty dicey.

Darkewolfe

When I first moved to DC, we tried to get into a local bistro as walk-ins on New Year's. The guy at the door quite literally laughed us out of the building.

Deebaser

Get reservations.

saint2e

Did this a couple years ago. Get reservations, and get them yesterday.

Also, it's not the end of the world to get a hotel outside of Manhattan. We found that hotels in Newark have shuttle services coming to the hotel to pick you up there, and drop you off near times square beforehand, and will pick you up after the ball drop and run you back to the hotel afterwards. I imagine this is a common thing.

silence1186

My sister got her reservations weeks ago for NYE. It's definitely a thing you should look into ASAP. You are right in waiting for the ball is a terrible idea; finding a nice bar to watch the ball drop is a much better idea.

saint2e

silence1186 wrote: »

My sister got her reservations weeks ago for NYE. It's definitely a thing you should look into ASAP. You are right in waiting for the ball is a terrible idea; finding a nice bar to watch the ball drop is a much better idea.

We went NYE 2009-2010, and it was cold, rainy, and miserable, and there is not much to do unless you're right up at the front. You're penned in like cattle, and have limited, overpaid options for food and hot beverages.

That being said, I'm glad that we did it so that I can say "I did that once".

That being said x2, I will never do it again.

silence1186

saint2e wrote: »

silence1186 wrote: »

My sister got her reservations weeks ago for NYE. It's definitely a thing you should look into ASAP. You are right in waiting for the ball is a terrible idea; finding a nice bar to watch the ball drop is a much better idea.

We went NYE 2009-2010, and it was cold, rainy, and miserable, and there is not much to do unless you're right up at the front. You're penned in like cattle, and have limited, overpaid options for food and hot beverages.

That being said, I'm glad that we did it so that I can say "I did that once".

That being said x2, I will never do it again.

IF you were going to do the Times Square thing, I would conversely wait until you knew the weather for the day. Last year was an extremely mild winter in New York, ~60 for most of December, so it was probably the least miserable it could be. But doing it in wet below freezing conditions sounds like hell.

supabeast

Reservations. Be prepared to spend a lot to spend NYE in a nightclub. Honestly, if you’re only going to do this once, you might as well go stand in Times Square. That will be a lot memorable than listening to Ke$ha and Gangnam Style while watching five underage girls puke all over the booth next to you because they don’t know how little champagne a 90 pound woman can drink on an empty stomach.

FWIW, I live in Manhattan and stay home for a reason.

M.D.

Yea I think i'll go ahead and get the reservations,

we already have a place, staying in my uncles empty apartment in brooklyn so I didn't have to worry about absurd hotel fees luckily.

THanks everyone for the feed back

superhappypanda

As for reservations. Yeah, do that now. I'll wait.

Ok, you back. Good. Get to Manhattan earlyish depending on when you have reservations. Also, cabs will be pretty difficult to get the closer you get to Midnight so try to plan to be where you want a little earlier than start time.

For those wanting to do the ball drop. When we went back in 1997 it was to see the ball drop in Times Square. It was cold (like -15 that year) but there are so many people there, if you can get towards the centerish of the crowd it's not terrible. Kind of like a huge group of penguins, you can retain your body heat but still dress extra warm. Also, smuggle booze in with you if you do this because you're going to want to drink. Otherwise it will suck. Don't get out past the police barricades, they will not let you back in (unless you're really convincing and incredibly lucky). Also, no one will have available bathrooms. Also, don't throw glass bottles at the MTV hosts. I had to wrestle a friend to the ground to keep him from trying to hit Carson Daly with a bottle of Goldschlager. Don't be that guy. If you're in your teens or early twenties it can be a blast, once you get older it loses the appeal. I'm glad I did it when I was young. I wouldn't do it again now though.

With that said, have fun, be safe, and don't go wandering off with any Latin Counts you don't know.