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New York City for New Year's

South Austin

By South Austin
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South Austin

South Austin 53157

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Going to NYC from December 30 through January 2.  I know there's probably another thread on Surly with general food and entertainment recommendations, but looking for recs specific to this time of year. We're inclined to stay the fuck away from Times Square for New Year's Eve, and are looking at hotels in the SoHo area.  Is it going to be a mass of humanity no matter where we are in the city? Whatcha got?

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1748

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You're going to NYC, specifically for NYE, to "stay the fuck away from Times Square"? 

Based on this, I'd go to Larry Flynt's Hustler's Club off the West Side Hwy. for dinner, but make sure you stay the fuck away from the strippers. Perhaps a nice jaunt to an ice skating rink in Jersey to stay the fuck away from Central Park and Rockefeller Center. Or maybe a lunch at Sbarro's to stay the fuck away from all the tourists at Carmine's. 

 

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South Austin

South Austin 53157

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1 minute ago, Spankytoes said:

You're going to NYC, specifically for NYE, to "stay the fuck away from Times Square"? 

Based on this, I'd go to Larry Flynt's Hustler's Club off the West Side Hwy. for dinner, but make sure you stay the fuck away from the strippers. Perhaps a nice jaunt to an ice skating rink in Jersey to stay the fuck away from Central Park and Rockefeller Center. Or maybe a lunch at Sbarro's to stay the fuck away from all the tourists at Carmine's. 

Wow, nothing to do in the entire city on New Year's Eve except be packed like sardines for hours in the freezing cold in Times Square listening to shitty pop music performances and waiting for a fucking ball to drop?  That's all the city has to offer?  Okay. Cool, Hook 'em.

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1748

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5 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Wow, nothing to do in the entire city on New Year's Eve except be packed like sardines for hours in the freezing cold in Times Square listening to shitty pop music performances and waiting for a fucking ball to drop?  That's all the city has to offer?  Okay. Cool, Hook 'em.

As a planned vacation, and as tourists, I don't get it. It's like going to Munich during Oktoberfest to hang out at a sports bar while paying hotel rates 3X higher than normal. 

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South Austin

South Austin 53157

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Just now, Spankytoes said:

As a planned vacation, and as tourists, I don't get it. It's like going to Munich during Oktoberfest to hang out at a sports bar while paying hotel rates 3X higher than normal. 

Yes, I very much get that response.  But the wife and I have a window of time at the end of the year where the two of us can take a short but badly-needed trip with no kids.  It just happens to be around New Year's Eve, we picked New York City because we love the town having been several times, but wife has already done the New Year's Times Square thing, and it's just not something that interests us on this trip.    

We figured we can find a nice restaurant/bar around our SoHo hotel (or anywhere that is not near Times Square) that will celebrate New Year's just fine, and were looking for recommendations on that and other things to do that time of year. 

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midtown

midtown 3350

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Spanky seems cranky...although I agree on the timing isn't optimal;  outside of Time Square is pretty normal other than some of the big frat bar areas..  Realize that 95% of the people in TS are either tourists or B&T..It can be entertaining to walk through the area around 5 or 6 just to see the humanity...Also be aware that many bars will have a all you can drink and eat for the night kind of deal so don't be surprised to find a lot of bars locked, esp after midnight because they dont want other peoples drunks.   LIke I mentioned find a nice restaurant and then maybe a nice bar for after drinks. Just make sure they will be open to walk up traffic.

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South Austin

South Austin 53157

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5 minutes ago, midtown said:

Spanky seems cranky...although I agree on the timing isn't optimal;  outside of Time Square is pretty normal other than some of the big frat bar areas..  Realize that 95% of the people in TS are either tourists or B&T..It can be entertaining to walk through the area around 5 or 6 just to see the humanity...Also be aware that many bars will have a all you can drink and eat for the night kind of deal so don't be surprised to find a lot of bars locked, esp after midnight because they dont want other peoples drunks. 

Yeah, our expectation for New Years is that we may have to find one place to camp for the evening as opposed to bar hopping after dinner, which is fine.  We'll have Dec. 30 and Jan. 1 to also enjoy the town.

And Spanky typically seems cranky, but he's also known for having some great travel recs, even if he thinks I'm a dumbass for avoiding Times Square on New Years. 

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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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Wife and I are going over Thanksgiving but have zero desire to go to the parade or do touristy shit.  Going at that time because we have free time without kid and think the city around holidays sounds cool.  So this post hits close to home.

Got a nice (somewhat hard to get) reservation for our Thanksgiving Day meal and probably hitting Playwright to watch the Cowboys game.  Avoiding any shopping on Friday at all costs, but other than that, plan to just treat it like any other trip.

I think if I were there for New Years, I’d probably try to do some bar hopping around LES or something until we found somewhere that felt like a fun place to stay for midnight.  Seems less touristy than some other options.

Didnt love SoHo last time I was there (gentrification has taken it to extremes in my opinion) but maybe we just didn’t do it right.  So I can’t help you there.

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1748

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52 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Yeah, our expectation for New Years is that we may have to find one place to camp for the evening as opposed to bar hopping after dinner, which is fine.  We'll have Dec. 30 and Jan. 1 to also enjoy the town.

And Spanky typically seems cranky, but he's also known for having some great travel recs, even if he thinks I'm a dumbass for avoiding Times Square on New Years. 

1. I am cranky. Being miserable and treating others like shit is every NYers God-given right!

2. Going to Times Square is a PITA dumb "bucket list" item people feel compelled to do. I used to live at 56th between 8th and 9th and even then I didn't bother. I was just questioning the timing of the visit as a tourist when that's typically what a tourist would build their trip around. You can have a champagne toast in a restaurant anywhere. I actually respect you more for avoiding it like the plague.

3. I don't have any real recs for you on a NYE vein. I've spent the last 4 in Dallas, Long Island and Sydney. I turn 40 in January and a hangover takes 2 days to recover from now. I'm the wrong guy to ask. 

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FondrenRoad

FondrenRoad 4378

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1 hour ago, South Austin said:

Yeah, our expectation for New Years is that we may have to find one place to camp for the evening as opposed to bar hopping after dinner, which is fine.  We'll have Dec. 30 and Jan. 1 to also enjoy the town.

And Spanky typically seems cranky, but he's also known for having some great travel recs, even if he thinks I'm a dumbass for avoiding Times Square on New Years. 

Times Square on NYE sucks ass.  Not sure why anyone does it.  I'd actually rather be any other place in the entire world at that time.  Midtown has the right idea.  Restaurant won't be a problem at all once you make reservations.  Bar hopping can be difficult, but isn't impossible depending on what types of bar you're looking to hop.  The prix fixe bars can be fun too, but you'd have to choose one and stick with it.  Also, the best ones sell out reservations fast.

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Reynolds Woodcock

Reynolds Woodcock 5065

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1 hour ago, South Austin said:

Yeah, our expectation for New Years is that we may have to find one place to camp for the evening as opposed to bar hopping after dinner, which is fine.  We'll have Dec. 30 and Jan. 1 to also enjoy the town.

And Spanky typically seems cranky, but he's also known for having some great travel recs, even if he thinks I'm a dumbass for avoiding Times Square on New Years. 

you have the right plan. NYE is fun in the city, just stay downtown or brooklyn and avoid times square at all costs. personally, i think soho is terrible and has become super B&T, so I would rethink. but not the end of the world if that is where you end up.   

I would do a 10-11 pm "dinner" reservation in the west village or lower east side depending on what scene you want. You should probably just stay camped out there all night. Bars on the lower east side will be jam packed, and many will charge $20+ covers. 

There are also tons of NYE specific shows/parties (mostly in brooklyn), if that happens to be your jam.  

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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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1 minute ago, Reynolds Woodcock said:

you have the right plan. NYE is fun in the city, just stay downtown or brooklyn and avoid times square at all costs. personally, i think soho is terrible and has become super B&T, so I would rethink. but not the end of the world if that is where you end up.   

I would do a 10-11 pm "dinner" reservation in the west village or lower east side depending on what scene you want. You should probably just stay camped out there all night. Bars on the lower east side will be jam packed, and many will charge $20+ covers. 

There are also tons of NYE specific shows/parties (mostly in brooklyn), if that happens to be your jam.  

B&T?

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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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1 minute ago, FondrenRoad said:

Bridge and Tunnel.  People from NJ, SI, and other suburbs.  Also refers to Brooklyn and Queens, but not as much anymore as a lot of nightlife has shifted to Brooklyn.  Also, I wouldn't call Soho B&T.  Its more Wall Street in my opinion.

Gotcha.  I found SoHo to be super commercial last time I was there...nothing quaint or charming about it at all.  But again, maybe we just did it wrong.

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FondrenRoad

FondrenRoad 4378

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9 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

Gotcha.  I found SoHo to be super commercial last time I was there...nothing quaint or charming about it at all.  But again, maybe we just did it wrong.

Nah, you got it right.  Its pretty much an outdoor luxury brand mall.  Most of its clout comes from it being one of the first artist gentrified neighborhoods in the 60s and 70s.  Artists have long been priced out of it though.  The equivalent scene that Soho had historically is mostly out in Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Bushwick now.  Although, those neighborhoods are pricing out artists now too.  Nightlife is a lot better there than in Soho.

From a quaintness and architectural perspective, I think the West Village is the nicest neighborhood to stroll around and stop in different places.  Its super overpriced as well though.

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midtown

midtown 3350

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I used to organize NYE even in the city for me and about 20 friends.  I'd find a good restaurant that had a private room and get a full meal with unlimited drinks for something like $120 or $150 a person for dinner from 7-11  Then I'd find a bar close by.  Go talk to the manager and get him to agree to let in my 20 friends in at 11pm....Bonus was that every time I went back into one of those restaurants I was seated right away and lots of free food and drinks. 

One year we took the back room at El Quijote. 

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Reynolds Woodcock

Reynolds Woodcock 5065

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29 minutes ago, South Austin said:

The SoHo comments aren’t unreasonable, but there are a couple hotels there we like (SoHo Grand, Dominick) and it’s in a good location away from the Times Square/Midtown crowds. 

I sat at a table next to Emily Ratajkowski at the SoHo Grand last year, so it has that going for it!

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Firemans4Horn

Firemans4Horn 18501

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In 2008 when I was living in the city I had a friend that worked in the Reuters building. They opened up their office to employees and their friends and families. You had to have a pass to give to the police to escort you across time square into the building. We brought in a shitload of liquor and food and watched the ball drop up close. I think it was the 2nd or 3rd coldest New Years in history. 

 

That’s how you do NYE in NYC. 

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52-80

52-80 19373

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My friends a copper so we showed up 1 hour before midnight, and he ushered us into the private area for cops and their guests, in the middle of everything, next to the stage where they were filming the dick clarky thing.  Very cool story.

Ethnic food sucks where I live so I hit up the Ramen shops; visit some nerd meccas like BH Audio Video for geekgear; shop at some stores that are flagship or just hard to find elsewhere like Kamakura.

 

I'm no expert tho

 

 

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52-80

52-80 19373

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31 minutes ago, next2naus said:

You could, stop wasting your time whining on this shit thread you started and do some looking on your own. Since you seem lazy, try somethin like Eter to see some restaurants having parties or close to where you believe you will be staying. 

were you abused as a child, or as an adult?

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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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33 minutes ago, next2naus said:

You could, stop wasting your time whining on this shit thread you started and do some looking on your own. Since you seem lazy, try somethin like Eter to see some restaurants having parties or close to where you believe you will be staying. 

Yeah I mean god forbid people come to this site looking for advice and discussions on certain topics.  This site would suck if that’s what it turned into.

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