So for my first New year's eve in the quintessential New year's eve city (minus the time I 3 years ago when I was in town for less than 48 hours but happened to fit in Times Square and the "ball"...never again), I decided that I wanted to have a bit of fun. I'm not a big party girl and the quieter house party/dinner party usually appeals to me more, but the idea of getting dressed up, dancing til dawn and clinking champagne glasses with strangers is oh so New York. And this is a blog about New York.
I rounded up some friends all with the same intents, we did some research online, found a couple of clubs/lounges with open bar specials. Found a few more. Found a couple hundred more. Found VIP speacials. Found Ultra VIP specials. Found restaurants. Clubs. Bars. Speakeasys. Well, scratch the speakeasys.
If you've conducted this search, you are sure to have ended up in the same conundrum. How is one to pick a locale to bring in the new year when New York City offers so many venues? Here's what I learned.
1) Go to the source. New Year's Eve Central is the main coordinator behind hundreds of major parties throughout the city. They essentially rent the restaurants/clubs/bars/lounges and throw their own parties. If you look through their Website, the descriptions of the parties are pretty much the same with the exception of the ticket prices and appetizer selections. Often, you can find tickets to these same parties through various other sources, but they will try to lure you with a deal and ultimately rip you off (like they tried to do to me) or just charge more in the first place. Definitely shop around before purchasing.
2) Decide on the type of party environment you would like before beginning your search. With hundreds of venues to choose from, it is easy to get lost in the selection process. If the large club scene is your style, most of the major dance floors in the city will be ringing with tunes of international DJs. However, if a quieter lounge environment would better suit your needs, there are also several options. There are bar frat parties, "green" parties, ethnic parties, classy parties, boat parties (I'm saving up for next year), even rooftop parties (although with the chilly forecast for tomorrow night, I wouldn't want to be at one of those). You get the picture - if you decide before getting lost in the Websites, it will be much easier for you in the end.
3) Book early. Many of the more popular venues will sell out - quickly. Book at least 2-3 weeks before the big day to avoid sell-outs and increasing ticket prices.
4) Book together. If going out in a group, have one person purchase all of the tickets to cut down on fees. NYE Central charges $4.95 per order to pick up tickets, and at least $9.95 per order to ship the tickets. The more tickets per order, the less in fees everyone pays.
5) Eat beforehand. Most of the parties, with the exception of restaurants, will not be serving substantial food. They list appetizers, but chances are the passed trays will be empty before they reach you. With all that "premium open bar," you don't want to get sick on New year's.
6) Have fun! You paid for it and you worked hard this year, so enjoy! Just be safe in the process.
Happy New Year's everyone!
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