Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Mission Monitor Board Every 10 Years Forum New Year's Eve in New York City [ need info ]

hey there all New York City residents !!

PAUL and i [ and 4 of my other friends ] have just booked vacation to NYC over the New Year period !!

we arrive mid afternoon on the 30th of December, and are there till the evening of the 3rd of January 2007 !!

i cannot wait to go [ and even though this will be my 6th visit to NYC ] i've never been during the CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS and the NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS !!

were going to be staying at THE HUDSON [ this will be a 3rd time at this hotel ]

so ...... what i need to know is, any do's and don'ts !!

can you recommend a good place to go to on NEW YEARS EVE ?

what most people tend to do ?

go to a restaurant, that turns into a club later ?

or just go straight to a full on club night ?

how easy is it to get a taxi, in the early hours ?

are prices increased on this night [ taxi fare etc ? ]

are most places open on the 1st of Jan [ shop/stores etc ? ]

i have looked at a couple of 'NEW YEAR'S EVE' websites for some ideas, and we have been thinking about going to maybe one of these places:

MARQEE
DUVET
HOME & GUEST HOUSE

any other recommendations, or websites, info sites to check out ??

thanks inadvance !!

Matthew.

Matt, despite living so close, I’ve never been in NYC on New Year’s Eve. I’m not sure about the prices, but I wouldn’t be surprised if everything was a bit more expensive.

As for the clubs, DUVET, which you’ve mentioned is a *really* cool place. I highly recommend it!

I don't know much about this sort of thing (not going out) but I think some places that have new years eve parties get booked up so if you have a place you want to go, you might want to call now and see what they are doing.

Times Square is a blast. Everyone should do it at least once.

taxis are always plentiful all night... Regulated (yellow) cabs should be charging regular rates.

Some places tend to offer high-priced all-inclusive packages that include meals, booze and entertainment; these may or not be booked solid beforehand. But plenty of places should be okay for spontaneous walk-in; you should have no trouble finding places to go.

At lot of places will be open on Jan. 1.

I highly recommend New Year's Day brunch at the Life Cafe (at the east end of St. Mark's Place, along Tompkins Square).

Oh yeah, Kent is right. New Year's Day in NYC is known for tons of places being open. You'll probably find any type of food your looking for.

hey guys !! thanks for the info !!

you've been a great help !!

in regards to TIMES SQ, i read about people being grouped into 'pens' and you can't take food, or get out of them, until after the event !! are these a nightmare to get out of once the NEW YEAR has arrived !!??

Matthew.

hey Cobie !!

so what type of 'people' go to DUVET !!??

any particular type of music ??

is there a 'dress code' ??

what sort of age group ??

cheers

Matthew.

Hudson is a fun hotel. Have you been to the 'Library Bar' there? They have that cool lavender pool table and the strawberry mojitos are good. I really like Plunge bar (I think that still the name?) at Hotel Gansevoort in the Meat Packing District. It's roof top and expansive. APT is supposed to be good but I never ended up going. Tao is fun if you've never been. I really liked Spice Market's British Indian ambience (they've got great pineapple mojitos and music too). We had a lot of fun (and martinis) at '230 Fifth', another rooftop bar. The chef's tasting menu at Sushi Samba was fun and different. English Is Italian wasn't that great.

If you're right at thr square, you're knida penned in for a lonoong time.

The year I did this (I can't beleive I forgot to mention), I'd gone up to the Empire State Buillding around 10-ish (you practically look right down on the crowd. Even better, you have the place practically to yourself).

The ESB closes at 11:30 (I think); after that, I made my way to the edge of the TSq crowd (in the crowd, but not too penned in). People had their own bottles; you just kept them out of sight when cops wandered by.

As I was on the edge and thus among the front of the exodus, getting out was a snap, and I made my way to one of my favorite bars downtown easily.

PS When I went, the subway weas free getting out of TSq.

hey MEL and Kent !!

thanks for the further info, i'm gonna look into some of the names you provided !!

anyone else with further info, will be more than welcome !!

cheers again

Matthew.

I work in Times Square,as you know, and it's a NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!
Avoid at all costs!

Yellow cabs after Mid are quite scarce unfortunatly. Many will turn on their "off duty" signs but will still stop when flagged down,ask where you want to go, then tell you how much they'll charge(usually 2 or 3 times higher than normal). It's an illegal practice, but they (mostly) all do it on New Years.

Bars are more fun than clubs on New Years in NYC because the clubs are packed with out-of-towners and charge insane prices. While the bars are packed as well, it's with locals and the prices are more reasonable.
I suggest bar-hopping instead of just staying in one place all night.
Call me when your in town for more info sweetie!
My # is below:

Matt, Duvet is definately has a different feel to it than most places. Its kinda like a lounge with a semi-clubby feel. People are well-dressed (but not overly dressy) and most people there (that I've seen) are in their mid/late 20's - early/mid 30's. It's definately the kind of place you'd find in New York or London and not many other cities (walls are actually fishtanks with jelly-fish, tables are actually beds). Its pretty cool!

MEL!!! I just read this and can't believe it! Probably the two places that I like the most in NYC these days and go to the most are Sushi Samba and Plunge! Sushi Samba is probably my favorite and definately has its own cool Manhattan feel. I highly reccomend it to everyone.

The Plunge, as MEL said, is a rooftop bar on top of the Hotel Gansovort in the Meat Packing District. Its really nice (especially in the summer), but its also very cool in the Fall/Winter too (I was there a few weeks ago). Its pretty expensive, but the scenery is really worth it for spending some time there (not all night).

And Tao is my brother's favorite bar. This one is a little bit more laid back than the other two, which in some ways makes it more accessable and relaxing. Its got some cool scenery (giant Buddha statue in the dining room with water flowing off) and a great lounge. It also has great food.

All three have excellent atmosphere and get a great crowd. They're all very 'cutting edge' in regards to trends, and although a little more pricey, they aren't packed with overly rich customers or anything. LOTS of beautiful people at them all.

Of course, on New Year's Eve, I have no idea what they'd be like, so I'd follow Rhino's suggestion! And bar-hopping (to places w/o insane cover charges) is probably the best bet for that night, and you can check out some more 'clubby' places on nights you're in NYC...

thanks for the UPDATE guys !!

were still trying to decide what will be our best option !!?? as there are 6 of us to choose !!

THE HUDSON [ where were staying is actually having it's own NYE Party, that sounds like it will be really good, so we could just stay there !!?? ]

if we do leave it to that last minute, do some places 'sell out' before the day itself ??

again, thanks for all the info provided so far, and RHINO .... i probably will be giving you a call/email at some point !! btw are you still working at the 'CHARLOTTE' !!??

cheers

from

Matthew.

Last time I was at the Hudson they were only letting people who stayed at the Hudson into the main bar/lounge room. Since you're staying there you could theoretically make that the night that you actually go the that bar (thus avoiding the taxi situation). I think you should check with the concierge to see if you need tickets to the Hudson party. I still recommend you check out '230 5th' since you liked Plunge, very similar vibe and quite expansive (2 stories, great views). Go to the NY Museum of Modern Art if you can, which I think passed Musee D'Orsay to become my favorite museum last time I went. You're a big Penguin fan right? Did you know about the store right across from Bryant Park? I spent way too much there

hey MEL !!

thanks for the further info .... and yes ! i am a BIG 'Penguin' fan ! and i know about the store in NYC !!

i'll be checking it out and my arrival there !!

Matthew.

well i know what PAUL and i [ and my other 4 friends ] will be doing on New Years Eve in NYC ....

THE HUDSON hotel where we are actually staying, is having it's own NYE Party !! all of the public areas, bars and restaurants are being used for the party [ the tickets are some what expensive, but there is a free bar, so that good ]

but what's also cool is that, Christina Aguilera will be the celebrity host [ Perez Hilton will also be there ] Mariah Carey is also performing at TIMES SQUARE too !!

Matthew.

Ask Xtina which is her favorite Legionnaire! I suspect it'll be Tellus - all the dirrty girls go for Tellus

Oh yeah and have an awesome time!

Sounds like it'll be quite the extravaganza Matt! I'm being a little more low-key and hitting up my regular bars in the east village and try to see as many of my friends as I can during the night then spend midnight with my girlfriend at my friend's bar where we met.

So... how'd it go?

it was a great party at the HUDSON HOTEL !! in fact i don't remember going to sleep !!!???

Paul and i [ and our 4 other friends GEMMA, ANDREW, VICKY & SIMON ] really enjoyed it !! the drinks flowed ALL night, along with some really nice food !!

CHRISTINA AGUILERA had performed at TIMES SQUARE for the countdown to 2007 and them came along to the hotel, but she was surrounded by so much security, that we didn't really SEE her, apart from brief sighting between the 7 foot bouncers that she had !! and then she was into another PRIVATE room !!

we were ALL pretty drunk by now, so didn't really mind not really seeing her !!

[ although i was on a 'mission' all night to see what other CELEBRITIES were there ........ non that i saw though !!?? ]

we checked out www.wireimage.com [ and put in Christina Aguilera to see what pictures they had up, we didn't ACTUALLY miss anyone else !! ]

the rest of the days we spent shopping and going to nice bars and restaurants in the evening !!

Matthew.