Posts Tagged ‘Times Square’

13 Places to Celebrate New Year’s Eve in New York City and Environs

New Year’s celebrations in New York City can be over-the-top or serene if you’d prefer. There are so many choices that it might be hard to choose. Here are 11 of the most interesting ones still available for booking plus two outside of the city.

Restaurants and Clubs

Courtesy La Mercerie

La Mercerie

Join La Mercerie in Soho for an exuberant and elegant New Year’s Eve celebration complete with live music and dancing, a cocktail party at Guild Bar and exquisite Champagne—all inspired by the raucous splendor of a 1950s French-Caribbean resort. Included on the New York Times “Best Restaurants of 2023” list, La Mercerie is offering a special prix fixe menu from Chef Marie-Aude Rose with dishes like papillote of red snapper, beef filet with green pepper sauce, and spicy chocolate truffles. Two seatings are available. Reservations via Resy.

Courtesy Loreley Beer Garden

Loreley Beer Garden

The New Year’s Eve Masquerade celebration at Loreley Beer Garden on the Lower East Side starts with a happy hour from 5pm – 10pm and continues with a Champagne toast at midnight for the ball drop. Masquerade masks will be provided but it’s fine to bring your own in exchange for a free drink. Instead of a prix fixe menu, the beer garden’s full menu will be offered à la carte. Guests can enjoy festive holiday drinks like Boozy Bourbon Black & White Hot Chocolate with toasted marshmallows, Spiked Eggnog with whipped cream and caramel, Hot Bourbon Apple Cider, Peppermint Nitro Martini with a candy cane, hot Gluhwein, winter sangria, seasonal craft beers, and hot toddies in their Winter Wonderland decked out with over-the-top holiday lights and décor both indoors and outdoors – don’t worry both are heated! Reservations are recommended but walk-ins are accepted.

Cocktail Trolley Experience - Courtesy 9 Jones

9 Jones

Sophistication reigns supreme for New Year’s Eve at  West Village’s 9 Jones, a British-inspired semi-private club that blends New York City edge with refined elegance. The restaurant transforms for the evening  into a Champagne and caviar lounge featuring an interactive bespoke cocktail cart in a sexy atmosphere enhanced by silent black and white movies projected onto the ceiling and the celebratory ball drop at midnight. The evening’s party and caviar-centric prix fixe menu paired with bubbly cocktails and Champagne can be reserved on Resy .

Courtesy Alligator Pear

Alligator Pear

Steps from Madison Square Garden, Alligator Pear celebrates its first New  Year’s bash with a premium open bar showcasing its creative, curated selection of cocktails (alcoholic/non-alcoholic), wines, fine beers and spirits. Guests are invited to attend in their finest attire for an evening of live DJ performances, libations and a glittering Champagne toast at the stroke of midnight. Chef Dominick Lee’s Louisiana-inspired menu will be available. Reservations/tickets through Eventbrite.

Courtesy Caviar Russe

Caviar Russe

Recently awarded its 10th Michelin star in a row, the Midtown eatery is offering a decadent New Year’s Eve celebration, with various tiers depending on how you’re seeking to indulge. For an early seating in its dining room, Executive Chef Edgar Panchernikov will prepare a special prix fixe caviar-centric menu of seared foie gras, its signature Golden Egg with caviar and parmesan foam, Dover Sole in a caviar beurre blanc sauce and a canelle with caviar. Also included are 25g of its signature Gold Osetra caviar and a glass of Dom Perignon. The second seating adds white truffle tagliatelle to ring in the New Year with special booth seating pricing available. For those seeking a more festive, lively atmosphere guests may reserve spots in its ground floor bar and lounge area where live modern jazz plays throughout the evening by Richie Nuzz and his band. A select menu with caviar and other options is available. Reservations through Resy .

Courtesy Agency of Record

Agency of Record

Located in the heart of Midtown, the swanky Midtown cocktail bar and restaurant invites you to celebrate New Year’s Eve old-style – think 1960s —  with a DJ booth spinning records on vinyl, Mad Men-inspired decor, inventive drinks (try the A+B test, made with blanco tequila, aged cachaca, sotol, Thai chili, lychee and lime) and celebratory bites from Ed Carew (standouts are the lobster cocktail and duck fat fries. Reservations through Resy.

Rotunda Courtesy The Pierre

The Pierre

The Pierre offers multiple options for a festive New Year’s Eve. Enjoy Big Band-style music by Antonio Ciacca and his trio in The Pierre’s iconic Rotunda with a midnight Champagne toast.  Early seating starting at 5pm features a three-course menu. The second seating at 8:30 pm offers 5-course menu with a live performance in Perrine restaurant  followed by dancing in the Rotunda and a midnight toast.  A third option, KT Sullivan and the Sutton Place Trio entertain with American Songbook standards in the TwoE lounge. After a festive lite menu and a Taittinger toast along with a “live” large-screen ball-drop broadcast from Times Square, dancing continues into the wee hourss. Masks, hats, party favors, cow bells and noise makers will be given out as the clock strikes midnight.

Boqueria © Liz Clayman

Boqueria

Boqueria’s multiple Spanish tapas emporiums will ring in 2024 with a generous prix fixe tapas feast and unlimited drinks at its Soho, Flatiron, Upper East Side and West 40th Street locations. The tapas menu includes albóndigas (meatballs), gambas al ajillo (shrimp in garlic), patatas bravas, pan con tamate y jamón serrano (tomato bread with jamón serrano), short rib stuffed piquillo peppers, bacon-wrapped stuffed dates, churros with chocolate and more. During each of the three evening seatings, Boqueria will observe  the traditional Spanish ritual of las doce uvas de la suerte (the twelve grapes of luck). The tradition dates back to 1895 and is meant to bring good luck and prosperity in the year to come. As the clock chimes 12 times, guests will eat one grape each time the bell tolls, making a wish for each grape. The 12 grapes and bell tolls represent the 12 months of the year. Reservations through Resy.

Manhattan Hotels to Overnight

Courtesy Tempo by Hilton Times Square

Tempo by Hilton Times Square

Tempo by Hilton Times Square brings you up close and personal with the Times Square Ball Drop without needing to join the crowds outdoors. The hotel’s ritzy cocktail lounge and restaurant Highball is hosting a festive New Year’s Eve. Celebration. Skip the trip home and book the hotel’s “NYE Ticket and Room” package — the Ball Drop Rooms offer coveted birds-eye views of the Times Square Ball and the crowds just beneath. Tickets for the party as well as the hotel stay are available here.

Courtesy The Knickerbocker Hotel

The Knickerbocker

In the heart of Times Square, only 150 feet from the Ball Drop,  The Knickerbocker, is a perfect stage for viewing the New Year’s event below. Select the rooftop party package or an overnight stay following the party (included). A variety of packages are available. You can also add a Champagne welcome and midnight Dom Perigon toast, a buffet dinner at Charlie Palmer at The Knick, and open bar at the rooftop St. Cloud for entertainment, live DJ music and amazing views.

Courtesy Arlo NoMad

Arlo NoMad

Opulence is the watchword for New Year’s at trendsetter Arlo NoMad hotel. Indulge in a night of luxury with a four-hour open bar and two dance floors covering a variety of genres of music from top 40 hits to, Afrobeats, hip hop, house music or classics. Book a table for the hotel’s exquisite dinner experience from Lamalo and then head up to ART NoMad on the rooftop for a Champagne toast while experiencing the light show on the Empire State Building at midnight. Tickets are available through Eventbrite. For table reservations, contact info@trulyyoursnyc.com.

Hotels Close to New York City

Looking for an escape from the city? Here are two getaways within several hours of NYC.

Canoe Place © Meryl Pearlstein

Canoe Place – Hampton Bays, New York

Celebrate at gorgeous Canoe Place for their first New Year’s Eve bash. At the Hampton’s newest resort, the Celebration Escape package includes luxurious accommodations, a five-course prix fixe dinner for two, endless Champagne, live music featuring the Ken Fowser Trio, and an exclusive invitation to welcome 2024 in The Study with dancing and a celebratory countdown. After, enjoy your luxe room or sit by the fireplace and soak in the history of this amazing building that dates from the 1920s. Reservations here.

Courtesy Urban Cowboy Lodge

Urban Cowboy Lodge – Catskills, New York

Ring in 2024 at the mountain lodge in the Big Indian Wilderness. Set on 68 acres in the heart of the Catskills, the 26-room boutique hotel is a world away from NYC. Enjoy a forest bath in the soaking tubs, eat and drink at the award-winning Public House restaurant, warm up in the Estonian sauna, or just relax by the roaring fire and star watch. On New Year’s Eve, the fires will be glowing, drinks will be flowing, and music will be playing. And that’s only the beginning. The evening includes a spectacular fireworks display, a tasting menu offered at multiple seatings, a Champagne toast, and a DJ for late-night dancing. Timed for both early and late risers, there’s also brunch on New Year’s Day.

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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Just Opened! RiseNY: A Museum and Themed Ride Rolled into One

A new “thrilling” attraction has just opened near Times Square in New York City. Different from other entertainment-oriented exhibits, the new RiseNY journey has an educational and historical trajectory as well as a soaring ride to show off the “greatest city in the world.”

Fashion © Meryl Pearlstein

Designed and produced by Running Subway, the folks behind Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, the Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibit and Pompeii: The Exhibit, RiseNY is a love letter to New York. Starting with a short film by documentarian Ric Burns, your experience takes off from a re-creation of Manhattan’s original subway station. From there, you’ll meander through seven galleries labelled Finance, Skyline, TV/Radio, Fashion, Music, Broadway and Film before making your way to another train of sorts, an aerial 4D ride complete with the sights, smells and feels of the city.

Finance © Meryl Pearlstein

All ages will appreciate the vastness and importance of the city with the exhibits. Each room combines artifacts of importance with “Tipping Points,” milestone moments in the development of New York City.  The galleries were curated with the aid of many important institutions and VIPs including the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Museum of American Finance, the Museum of Broadcast Communications & Radio Hall of Fame, Museum at FIT, Skyscraper Museum, TriBeCa Film Festival and David Bushman of the Paley Center.

TV/Radio © Meryl Pearlstein

My particular favorites are Ringo Starr’s drum set in the Beatles exhibit with Ed Sullivan announcing the band’s appearance on his Sunday night TV show to the sounds of millions of screaming fans, the costumes worn by NYC icons The Village People, and a guitar from Bob Dylan.

Music © Meryl Pearlstein

Movie fans have a delight waiting for them in the cinema area. On a continuous loop, giant screens play NYC-set movies through the ages. Home Alone, Midnight Cowboy, Elf, and more will keep you entertained for a solid half hour.

Broadway © Meryl Pearlstein

Next door, scenes and costumes from four of Broadway’s longest-playing musicals, Phantom of the Opera, Aladdin, Hamilton and Chicago are also on continuous showing.

Music © Meryl Pearlstein

Photo stops are frequent. You can pose in front of Cardi B’s costume, Biggy’s oversized shirt, posters from CBGB, in front of the set of The Honeymooners and the by the bell of the NY Stock Exchange.

Flying over the Empire State Building © Meryl Pearlstein

Plan to spend a couple of hours perusing the exhibits before you reach your final destination: New Year’s Eve in New York City. To celebrate, you’re invited into a special room for a soaring flight-simulation ride through the Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn where you’ll take in the glorious sights and sounds from a birds eye view. Be sure to look all around you as the video was shot in real-time and it immerses you in the feeling and activity of the city. But, don’t be concerned if you’re afraid to fly. You’re buckled into seats inside a 180-degree, 40-foot dome that projects 8k aerial footage that creates a sensation of flight. As with any good theme-park ride, the seats lift up into the air and tilt and you’ll sit with your feet dangling as you “fly.”

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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Give Mom a New York City Staycation or at Least Take Her to Brunch for Mother’s Day

It hasn’t been an easy year for mom: home schooling, cooking, searching for paper towels and having everyone home at the same time. It’s time to give mom a well-deserved break.

Everyone’s Favorite: Mother’s Day Brunch

Take mom away from the kitchen with these lavish Mother’s Day brunches

Courtesy Vestry

Vestry

Michelin-starred Chef Shaun Hergatt (SHO, Juni) has created a three-course prix fixe menu at his new restaurant, Vestry in The Dominick Hotel in SoHo. The menu shows off Hergatt’s versatility with a focus on seasonal selections, accented with Japanese ingredients. Choose from homemade blinis with trout roe to start or perhaps a carpaccio of salmon. The second course will please vegetarians, seafood and meat lovers with choices including black bass, chicken, or mushroom tagliatelle. A dark chocolate tart for two will finish the special brunch.

Courtesy Rainbow Room

Rainbow Room

Reopening after closing a year ago, the legendary Rainbow Room marks the occasion with its traditional Mother’s Day brunch, re-imagined this year from a lavish buffet to a family-style table feast. The prix fixe fete reconfigures the Rainbow Room classics, seafood towers, griddle platters and sides for table presentation. Dessert arrives with a s’mores cart, sweet treats cart and a dessert tower. Don’t forget to bring your cameras – being on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza offers spectacular views that you’ll definitely want to capture.

Courtesy Ai Fiori

Ai Fiori

Take Mom to the Riviera on Mother’s Day with a celebration at Michelin-starred Ai Fiori at The Langham, New York. The flower-filled restaurant is celebrating Mom with a special prix fixe brunch. Many of the restaurant’s signature dishes are offered on the three-course menu including spaghetti blue crab with lemon and chilies, raviolo al uovo with  spring peas,  pan-seared black bass, or the popular Fiori burger that can be enhanced with a fried egg. The brunch comes with complimentary chocolates and Ai Fiori can arrange a floral centerpiece to take home. Or surprise mom with an overnight stay and bring the flowers to your room.

Crab Cake Eggs Benedict - Couresty Junior’s Restaurant

Junior’s

At their Brooklyn and Manhattan locations, New York’s iconic Junior’s Restaurant offers a special  brunch and variety of Mother’s Day desserts designed to wow Mom on her holiday. If you can think beyond their iconic cheesecake, the brunch is equally tantalizing with lobster omelets, crab cake Benedict and French toast stuffed with strawberry preserves and cream cheese, a perfect complement to their adorable strawberry cheesecake mini hearts. If mom prefers chocolate, the mini hearts come in chocolate, too.

Courtesy Wave Hill

A Day at  Wave Hill

Turn Mother’s Day into an outdoor tradition by taking advantage of the one day a year the bloom-filled grounds of Wave Hill are available for picnicking.  At the Bronx garden and cultural center, the family can let loose on the lawn with a special Mother’s Day picnic supplied by Great Performances. Two versions, one designed for vegetarians, presented in reusable picnic  pouches and can be  ordered in advance for on-site pick-up on Mother’s Day.  All Mother’s Day picnickers need to do is bring  a blanket.

A Staycation Vacation Gift

A wonderful gift for an overworked mom, a staycation in the city is pampering and indulgent.

Courtesy The Baccarat Hotel

The Baccarat Hotel

Elegant appointments, spring florals, chocolate truffles and a luxurious Baccarat crystal keepsake are just part of this special stay experience created exclusively for Mom with the Mother’s Day Moment package at the ultra-luxe Baccarat Hotel. The hotel’s location steps from Fifth Avenue and Central Park complete the holiday escape. Make it a couple’s thing with breakfast in bed for two, or include the kids for a special Mother’s Day tea for all ages during Mother’s Day weekend.

Courtesy The Mark Hotel

The Mark Hotel

After a year of playing teacher, chef, psychiatrist and everything in between, mom deserves some serious “me time.” The Do Not Disturb: Mother’s Day at The Mark package indulges with five-star accommodations in a guest room or suite with amenities guaranteed to rejuvenate and restore. Caviar, blinis and Bellini’s from The Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges set the tone upon arrival. Then it’s a mix of in-room and in-spa treats: cucumber eye pads, a monogrammed The Mark plush bathrobe, yoga mat, 60-minute full-body massage, Frederic Fekkai blowout and a special flower arrangement. Mom will soon forget that last year ever happened.

Courtesy Crowne Plaza HY36

Crowne Plaza HY36

It’s time for mom to put those sweatpants and slippers away – she definitely needs some R&R and some new clothes. Book her a fabulous escape at the new Crowne Plaza Hudson Yards for a Mother’s Day VIP Shopping Experience. Mom’s guaranteed to return refreshed and happy after a relaxing overnight stay and a shopping experience with a private stylist. She can explore the Hudson Yards shops, the High Line, or simply sit by the bar and sip a well-warranted cocktail. The package also includes Champagne upon arrival and a $100 shopping certificate.

Courtesy Intercontinental New York Times Square

Intercontinental New York Times Square

If you’d rather not leave the family behind, the Intercontinental New York Times Square has two packages to appeal to everyone. Broadway may not be live at the moment, but with a suite stay, the stage show will come to you on Mother’s Day courtesy of the hotel with a private magic show with renowned mentalist Jason Suran either virtually or in your room. If the kids are younger, a second package arranged by the hotel with Build-a-Bear Workshop comes with a Build-a-Bear gift certificate, a special Build-a-Bear NYC backpack, and a surprise welcome amenity for children.  Moms and dads aren’t left out – they get a minibar credit.

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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Let’s Toast to the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day

These bakeries, pubs and restaurants will have you celebrating on St. Patty’s Day, March 17.

Make It a Sweet Holiday with These Delicious Treats

Courtesy Clarkson Avenue Crumb Cake Company

Clarkson Avenue Crumb Cake Company

Say “cheers” to St. Patrick’s Day with a stout-flavored crumb cake from Clarkson Avenue Crumb Cake Company. One of the most delicious cakes I’ve had in recent times, the “Brooklyn Danny Boy” crumb cake is a holiday version of their Brooklyn recipe, available only in March. The base is a chocolate stout cake, piled high with Irish cream crumb topping, and demands to be eaten along with an Irish coffee (or a Guinness, if you prefer). Cakes are shipped free from their New York location.

Courtesy Chip City

Chip City

NYC’s Chip City has baked up a festive Irish cookie to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Stop by their locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens for a pack of colorful Lucky Charm cookies to please every leprechaun in the house. The Insta-perfect cereal cookies are filled with marshmallow fluff and topped with Lucky Charms. Order in advance online or pick them up in-person from March 15 – 20.

Leonelli Bakery (c) Emily Chan

Leonelli Bakery

Spanning two important heritages in New York City, Michelin-starred chef Jonathan Benno’s Leonelli Bakery is offering gorgeous Irish-flag inspired Italian Rainbow Cookies in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. The cookies are made with house-made raspberry jam wedged between layers of white, green and orange almond cake. You can order in advance online in larger quantities, or purchase the colorful confections in-shop.

Raise a Toast to the Irish

McSorley’s Old Ale House (c) Meryl Pearlstein

McSorley’s Old Ale House

There’s little discussion when it comes to choosing the most classic (and intriguing) Irish bar in Manhattan. McSorley’s Old Ale House in the East Village has a storied history dating from 1854, surviving all kinds of controversy from not allowing entry to women (with no women’s restrooms for many, many years) to continuously operating during Prohibition and avoiding closure by offering a snack of saltines with mustard, onions and cheese. The original precursor to today’s “Cuomo chips,” the offbeat snack is still on the menu as are the pub’s two original libations. Order a lager or an ale, and there you have it — that’s McSorley’s in a nutshell. You had to wait to get in even before the pandemic – plan to wait a long time to celebrate now.

Courtesy The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog

The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog

Founded by two talented Irish bartenders looking for a place to show off their cocktail wizardry, The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog in the Seaport District is more than a bar. It’s a place to dive into everything Irish with merchandise, beers, cocktails and great Irish food. The 19th-century setting is set up with dividers between tables to allow for safe, St. Patrick’s Day enjoyment. The décor will set the mood immediately – it’s classic Irish with green walls and wood ceilings and floors. Expect the usuals when it comes to lrish dishes from bangers and mash to fish and chips and Irish lamb stew.

The Galway Hooker

Be careful when you say you’re meeting up at the Hooker. Known to many as just that, The Galway Hooker is named for an Irish sailboat of the type typically found off the coast of Ireland in Galway Bay. A great spot to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the West Village watering hole also offers the usual Irish pub grub like chicken sandwiches and burgers, but with a side of kicky Jameson fries.

Courtesy The Late Late

The Late Late

If you’ve ever watched Irish TV, the name of The Late Late will be immediately familiar. Recognizing Ireland’s “Late Late Show,” the world’s oldest late-night talk show, The Late Late is a Lower East Side staple for drinks and food. Modeled after an Irish residence rather than a typical Irish pub and offering a menu of more than 100 Irish whiskeys, The Late Late brings Irish-ness into dishes like bangers and mash. Order a burger topped with a choice of Jameson habanero, malt mayo or Guinness barbecue sauce to help you soak up all that liquid goodness.

Courtesy The Perfect Pub

The Perfect Pub

Times Square has had its share of Irish pubs over the years, but The Perfect Pub stands out for its conviviality, outdoor balcony and its exceptionally wide range of beer and whiskeys. The food menu goes beyond standard Irish pub grub like bangers and mash, beef stew, Shepherd’s Pie and burgers adding a range of global choices. If it’s available, try the Irish Cream cheesecake. While it would be remiss of you not to order a perfectly poured Guinness here, the pub (and its sister namesake in Midtown) has a range of 30 international brews on tap. Show your love to Times Square and this special Irish day as you share a pint with someone who might have roots in the Emerald Isle and possibly someone you’ve met late-night at a pub in Dingle.

Courtesy Donovan’s Pub

Donovan’s Pub

Welcoming Irish (and non-Irish) revelers to Woodside, Queens since 1966, Donovan’s Pub established a reputation early on for its notable burgers that were the perfect accompaniment to a pint of Guinness. Not a burger eater? No worries – there are plenty of sandwiches, steaks, and a very Irish Shepherd’s Pie to chow down on with your favorite brew.

The Greens (c) Meryl Pearlstein

The Greens on the Rooftop at Pier 17

Combine a view of the Manhattan skyline and Lady Liberty herself, the original green New York City monument, with a visit to the Seaport. At the aptly named Greens on the Rooftop at Pier 17, “go green” in a personal cabin where drinks and food will be served along with modern Irish music playing through the speakers inside. The cabin’s private TV screens will show scenic footage of the rolling hills of Ireland to transport you across the Pond. The menu serves up Ireland, too, with Shepherd’s Pie and Irish whiskey as well as Irish-spirited cocktails from Dante’s.

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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How New York City Is Celebrating NYE during a Pandemic

We’ve all had enough of 2020, right? If you’ve managed to get rid of those bad memories at Good Riddance Day in Times Square and you’re prepared to put your New Year’s resolutions into play, it’s time to party like it’s 2021. It’s time to say goodbye to the past and move forward with wonderful and definitely unusual memories.

Good Riddance Day

Here are some of the ways we went about it.

We All Need Some Laughs This Year

We started early with a 6:30pm virtual viewing of comedian Mike Birbiglia’s “Working It Out Worldwide” New Year’s Eve show.  Entitled “All Jokes Considered,” this is a mix of standup comedy and an interactive talk. If you’ve ever been to one of Mike’s shows, you’ll want to grab a ticket right away. The NYE one-time event is different from any show Mike has done before or will likely do again. You’ll also be part of the evening so brace yourself for some serious fun. Champagne is optional at this early hour.

Wax Poetic about the End of 2020

The Poetry Project’s annual New Year’s Day Marathon turns virtual this year, starting at 11pm on December 31 and continuing for 24 hours with non-stop readings and performances from poets, writers, artists, musicians, actors and dancers around the world. The event is more than poetry, though. It’s filled with music sets, cooking segments, films and other theatrical bits to keep you entertained into the next day.

Watch the Ball Drop at Home

Since you won’t be allowed into Times Square for the official New Year’s Eve Ball Drop this year, you should plan to watch the festivities virtually and via livestream from the warmth of your home. The importance of this evening can’t be downplayed — we’ve had enough of 2020 and it’s time to have some crazy fun!

An online event for this unusual year, Virtual New Year’s Eve is a non-stop party that will appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike. Download the app to watch live feeds showing Times Square from multiple cameras along with livestreams of celebrations around the world.  You start by creating a personal avatar to put yourself in the center of this gamified augmented reality version of New Year’s Eve in Times Square. After that, the experience is yours to uncover. There’s so much going on here that you won’t miss not being outside in the chilly weather.

For the more conventional among you, the Times Square Ball Drop will also be streamed commercial-free on TimesSquareNYC.org, TimesSquareBall.net and livestream.com/2021 with live performances by Gloria Gaynor, Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, Billy Porter and Cyndi Lauper among others. This year’s theme is “Heroes of 2020,” celebrating the frontline and essential workers who have shown true heroism over the past nine months.

Celebrate Early with an Over-the-Top Outdoor Mini-Party

Dining restrictions mean that you’ll need to start your outdoor celebration early – you have to be finished by 10pm. This gives you an unusual opportunity to celebrate twice, in effect, once outside with your friends and family, and a second time, indoors, with your television, computer and at-home dance party.

Some of the city’s elaborate outdoor celebrations include:

Parklife

Parklife’s NYE Around the World will be celebrating four cities every two hours from their two heated solariums and outdoor tables. Patrons at the Gowanus bar and restaurant select which time and city they want to “attend” so they can actually celebrate “midnight” somewhere in the world while being outdoors in NYC, despite the 10pm closing time.  You can choose to celebrate with Dubai from 2-4pm, Cape Town from 4-6pm, Lisbon from 6-8pm or Grytviken, Antarctica from 8-10pm.  And you’ll have enough time to make it home to see the NYC Ball Drop in Times Square!  Book your preferred time here.

Savanna Rooftop - Photo Courtesy Of: Savanna Rooftop

For a view of the lights of Manhattan, book a private heated sky suite at Savanna Rooftop in Long Island City. Two seatings are available for an over-the-top New Year’s Eve celebration complete with open bar, Champagne, a Chef’s hors d’oeuvres tasting menu and a celebratory cocktail. Hats and noisemakers are included. Tickets can be purchased here.

The Greens Photo By: Meryl Pearlstein

On the other side of the river, The Greens at The Rooftop at Pier 17 takes to the sky with an over-the-water celebration in their socially distant cabins. The party includes a soundtrack provided by a live DJ and a variety of food and beverage packages, all within sight of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and the lights of the city. For information on all booking options, click here.

Watermark Winter Wonderland

A short walk away, Watermark Winter Wonderland at Pier 15 celebrates the evening inside individual “Glasshouses” that afford obstructed views of Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan. Reserve either of two seatings here.

Ride Our Bikes on the Annual New Year’s Eve Ride

The environmental group Time’s Up goes wheels up with its annual bike ride from two locations in Brooklyn and two in Manhattan. You and your socially distanced biking and skating colleagues will head uptown to come together at Belvedere Castle in the middle of Central Park. Make sure your cycling shoes can dance. Starting at 11:45, The Dance Party at the Castle is heralded by a midnight fireworks display. Jonathan Frey, CMO of Urban Bikes Direct, says this is a don’t-miss event, especially during a pandemic when everyone can wear masks and stay apart.

Happy New York City New Year!

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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9 New Year’s Eves That Make New York City’s Look Kind of Quaint

In New York City we watch the Ball Drop in Times Square, sing Auld Lang Syne and party until the wee hours on New Year’s Eve to signal that the year is over. In normal years, we also have a chance to watch the fireworks, cheer on the Midnight Run and enjoy live music in Central Park.

New York City - Photo Credit: Colin Miller

Other countries think differently with a variety of traditions to say goodbye to the past and ensure a good year ahead.

Japan

Yahiko Shrine, Niigata, Japan, credit: Meryl Pearlstein

Japan is very serious about celebrating with religion and food.Rather than heading to Shibuya Crossing for a Times Square-like experience on New Year’s Eve, many Japanese observe a tradition of Hatsumōde, the first Shinto shrine visit of the New Year. At the shrine, a talisman with the previous year’s zodiac sign is burned in a ritual called Otakiage and replaced with the zodiac animal of good fortune for the year ahead.

108 rings of the great bell at a Buddhist temple

Listening to Joya-no-Kane, 108 rings of the great bell at a Buddhist temple, is another New Year’s tradition with each peal “ringing away” an evil passion or desire for a clean start to the year. The celebration continues with slurping bowls of toshikoshi soba or “the end-of-the-year-and-into-the-next” soba noodles, symbolizing the bridge between the “old year” and “new year.” In New York City, you can experience the ringing of the bells at the New York Buddhist Church on the Upper West Side.

Osechi

The New Year in Japan is also celebrated with foods associated with good luck, good harvest and other positive outcomes. A traditional Osechi Ryori meal is served in a special jubako box. Consisting of multiple colorful dishes, the meal is eaten with special chopsticks rounded on both ends, one end for human use and the other for the gods. Each dish represents a symbol or wish for the coming year. Dishes include kazunoko, pacific herring roe marinated in salt (abundant harvest and fertility); kuromame, sweet black soybeans (hard work and good health); tazukuri, dried young anchovies (a strong and abundant crop) and kuri-kinton, candied chestnut with sweet potatoes (economic fortune and wealth). Manhattan’s MIFUNE turns Japanese for New Year’s with a 21-course Osechi Box Set. The beautifully composed takeout meal includes like the likes of Miyzazki Wagyu A5 Rank , lobster and uni.

Osaki Hachiman Shrine in Sendai City

In the Miyagi prefecture in the Tohoku region, the largest Dontosai Festival is held at the Osaki Hachiman Shrine in Sendai City where people come to burn their previous year’s New Year’s decorations in a massive bonfire. Seen as a purification ritual to get rid of bad luck as well as a way to pray for health and good fortune, the bonfire is accompanied by hadaka-mairi, a pilgrimage of men dressed only in white boxers, loincloths, a straw belt and straw shoes who ring a hand bell to herald the coming year while cleansing themselves of the previous year.

South American and European countries seem to have the most fun (or insanity) on New Year’s Eve.

Peru

Peru

To ensure good luck and positive energy, Peruvians don yellow clothing, wearing the color of Peruvian positivity. For double assurance, many put on yellow underwear and even start their New Year’s Eve celebration wearing their underwear inside out. After the clock strikes midnight, they turn it back to the right side, symbolizing changes to be made in the coming year.

Colombia

Colombia

Then there are the Colombians who take an empty suitcase on New Year’s Eve and run around the block as quickly as possible to ensure a year full of travel, an admirable aspiration especially this year.

Mexico

Mexico

The way to say goodbye to the old year in Mexico differs by area. In some regions, a doll made of old rags is set on fire to symbolize the burning of the previous year’s bad memories or deeds. In Veracruz, popular music floods the streets and children celebrate El Viejo, disguising themselves as elders as a representation of the end of the previous year. In Oaxaca, breaking crockery as a symbol of getting rid of the old is a New Year’s Eve tradition. In the heart of Jalisco, the town of Tequila fêtes the end of the year by eating 12 “lucky” grapes, one for each chime of the clock, as they do in Spain. With an appropriate Mexican twist, the town welcomes the New Year with a secret wish and a toast of tequila rather than Spanish cava. For extra good luck, locals drop a gold jewel inside their tequila glass as a harbinger of luck and abundance. Toast as they do in Spain and Mexico with festive dinner parties to go from New York City restaurants Boqueria, Socarrat and Mole.

Iceland

Iceland

Community bonfires are a New Year’s Eve event throughout Iceland. These massive fires attract friends and family to reflect on the year past and spread well wishes for the one ahead. Locals sing traditional songs about elves, the secret creatures of Icelandic lore, before scurrying indoors at 10:30pm to watch Skaupið, a satirical TV show shown only on NYE. No one in Iceland would dream of missing it!

Denmark

Denmark

In Denmark people smash plates against their friends’ and relatives’ front doors on New Year’s Eve.  They believe that the person with the largest pile of broken plates will have the most luck.

Greece

Greece

Ironically, the Greeks don’t smash plates on New Year’s as they often do in the Plaka in Athens. Rather, homemakers hang pomegranates outside their front door and smash them. The number of seeds that fall determines your fate for the New Year. The bigger the pile, the better your luck will be.

Russia

Russia - Herring under the Fur Coat” salad

The Japanese definitely don’t have a lock on celebrating NYE with a major food feast. On December 31, Russians party at home with an elaborate food spread with mandarins, Russian salad (Olivier salad) and the wonderfully named “Herring under the Fur Coat” salad (shuba). And, because there are nine time zones in Russia, New Year is celebrated nine times starting from Vladivostok from East to West. For a local taste of the Olivier and Shuba salads, Russian Samovar in Manhattan’s Theater District offers a “Bourgeois Holiday Banquet” to go.

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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