Thinking about planning a last minute trip to NYC for New Years Eve? Whooooa nelly...not easy. About one million people cram into the Square each year even though the long wait out in the streets is usually freezing, cramped and chaotic. And because we waited until the eleventh hour to book our trip, the other 999,998 people booked everything else before we got there.
Plan A was to make a late dinner reservation at one of the many restaurants lining the street. We knew it would be costly (most places we called quoted us around $250 per person), but we'd hoped it would allow us to be warm all evening with access to a restroom, and then still be able to run out into the street at the stroke of midnight to see the ball drop and party like rock stars. Ha. Ha. Ha. There was not even a prayer of that happenning. We spent days calling around weeks before we got there and had no luck, so we figured we'd pound the pavement once we got there.. We spent 3-4 hours conducting a door-to-door search over a 500-800 yard radius of the ball and learned that while there are a ton of places to eat at in and around the square,
precious few have an actual view of the ball, and most were either closed for the evening or charging
a lot more than $250 per person. We also learned that none of them are really able to allow people out into the street for the ball drop (all of the streets are cordoned off and patrolled by the police for safety reasons). So the thought of paying $500-700 for dinner with no actual view of the ball (unless we chose to assault an NYPD officer) was depressing.
We
were, however, lucky enough to get two less expensive dinner reservations (as back-up plans) that were not too far from the ball. Neither had a view, and neither were very desirable- the first was for an 8:30 dinner at a Flemish pub (those Flems really know how to party), and the second was at 10:30, but at a snotty French restaurant (I just
can't ring in the new year without my escargot). But the benefit of having them granted us the precious pass(es) that would have at least allowed us pass the police blockades into the square's general vicinity once it filled up.
Plan B was to spluge on a hotel room with a balcony overlooking the action. Unfortunately, as most New Yorkers will tell you, most rooms with a view (again, not many, as most buildings in the square are office buildings, stores or restaurants) are booked a year or more in advance and run well over $1,000. In fact, just finding a decent room ANYWHERE in Manhattan at that time of the year for less than $400 a night was quite a challenge...never mind finding something in the Square.
Plan C was to beg and pay off the concierge staff at higher end hotels who have been known to make miracles happen. We went to two of them and were politely told something along the lines of this, "You two look reasonably intelligent. So what made you wake up this morning and decide to smoke crack?! Look, unless you have about $15,000 it's not gonna happen. And who let you two in here anyway? You're from WHERE in California?! Is THAT a Glock in your jacket?! Someone call security." So that didn't work so well either.
As a result, we were left with Plan D, which was to tough it out the streets. Now you all might think that I look extremely street tough and all that, so it may surprise you to know that
I am actually not. Yes! I promise. It's true. I close my eyes at scary movies, weep watching Oprah, duck and flinch if anyone moves too quickly near me, and have yet to throw a real punch. Sooo yeah, kind of a chicken more than anything else.
What makes Plan D interesting is that even if you do get there early enough (around 2-3pm) to nab one of the highly coveted spots in the heart of the square with a view of the ball/all the entertainment- well, you're stuck there until the ball drops. That means you can't leave to eat, drink or use the bathroom. You're crammed standing up into a corral/pen with about 500-1000 of your closest friends for about 8 hours in the freezing cold. Gotta pee? Tough, toots. Pee your pants or lose your spot.
Our plan to get to town around noon, eat lunch, and then stop eating/drinking at that point so that we could expel every last drop of urine out of our bodies at 3pm before we hit the streets (anyone sitting in the stall at the Hotel Marriott next to me during that time was probably frightened by all the effort and grunting this involved on my part. I, however, feel no guilt about doing that to the Marriott, since they charged me $12 for a small box of Airborne). If for any reason our plan failed and I still ended up having to go later, I had no intention of peeing in the street and or wearing a Depend garment, as I brought a thick white towel from the hotel. (Nooooo worries though, I would have left the maid a HUGE tip.)
So like I said, we got to the square around noon since we were told that they would begin blocking off the streets anywhere from 2-5pm. People were already lining the streets with pillow, chairs, blankets and board games. Right around 3pm the police closed off the street and began setting up the pens. Once that started to happen, the crowds started forming around the pens. Since it's anyone's guess which one will open up first, and from what area they will begin filling them with people. So to some degree, it's like a lottery sytem as to where you will end up. While you can kind of control where you'll get to stand within the square itself, you'll have no idea if you will be allowed one of the 'prime' positons in the center of street near the stages and more importantly- closer to the free party goodies they pass out throughout the evening (hats, pom poms, balloons, etc.). Though most of the free stuff is kinda of hideous (since they're free and plastered with sponsor information), at that moment in time- they become the equivalent of beads at Mardi Gras (you'd flash yourself to get some).
We chose to try and position ourselves about 150 yards away from 1 Times Square so that we could actually see the ball and be closer to the stages (the better to see the artists perform). Nonetheless, it's always a little nervewracking trying to position yourself when there are thousands of others trying to fight their way into the same prime pens. Fortunately, we got into the one we wanted pen and were only 2-3 rows back from edge of the street (if you're 10-20 rows in, it's harder to get the goodies).
Once we got into the pen, it was a little awkward standing so close to so many strangers knowing that HAD to get along, since we were trapped together for the next EIGHT hours. Because no large bags or backpacks were allowed in, you couldn't easily pack anything to occupy yourselves (books, games), and it would have been too tight/crushing to do anything either. So for the next 6-7 hours we all eagerly chatted each other up. I say 6-7 hours and not 8 because by about hour 7, we were all completely over talking to each other and were more or less helping to hold each other up.
One unexpected surprise that made the experience fun was that from about 7 or 8 pm, we did a 'practice' countdown every hour- which meant we all shouted/counted down together, fireworks would go off, and confetti would drop (this last part NEVER got old for me). Another surprise is that from pretty early on into the evening, we got to hear each performer (Three 6 Mafia, My Chemical Romance, Chris Daughtry, Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, etc.) rehearse their songs a few times each (some more than others...I was ready to rip the microphone out of My Chemical Romance's hands and sing the damn song myself after hearing them sing the same song three times in a row).
For the most part- between the rehearsals, fake countdowns, celebrity interviews (Roy is desperately in love with Hayden Panatieri from Heroes who was about 10 yards away from us talking with Carson Daly), free goodies being handed out, chatting up our neighors, etc.- the night really went by fairly quickly. And more importantly, granny's bladder held up! Once the final countdown started, we screamed, hollered, kissed and danced like everyone else. But the best moment of all was not when that ball dropped, it was when all that confetti rained down on us and 'New York New York' played. THAT made it all worthwhile.
The stampede to the subways was slightly less fun (we snarfed down hotdogs while slwoly shuffling with the herd out of there), but we managed to make it home in half the time we thought it would (in our room by 2:00am). Later that evening we both swore we'd never do it again, but heh heh...enough time has passed and I'm already making plans to do it again! ;-)
Happy New Year!!!
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