New Year's Eve in New York City
FAQS and tips for enjoying New Year's celebrations and watching the ball drop in Times Square.
Millions watch the ball drop in Times Square for New Year's Eve; being in NYC makes it even more exciting. Here are tips to enjoy your New York trip for the New Year.
Rockefeller Center is famous for many things: Grand art deco architecture, the seasonal ice skating rink, television shows taped or live, all bring Rockefeller Center to the forefront of many people’s minds when they think about (and travel to) New York City. Once a year, however, the name Rockefeller Center becomes almost synonymous with New Year’s Eve. Watching the ball drop is how millions of people choose to ring in the New Year.
You don’t have to live in the Eastern Time Zone to get excited about watching the ball drop in New York City, but it helps. Even better, take a trip to NYC, and watch the ball drop live.
FAQS and tips for watching the ball drop on New Year’s Eve:
- The ball drops at One Times Square, covered by national media and a crushing mass of people, both tourists and native to NYC. Rockefeller Center is an elegant spot from which to watch the celebrations.
- Ringing in New Year’s Day with the Times Square ball drop started in 1906, over a hundred years ago.
- Rockefeller Center is pretty much in the middle of NYC, covering over 10 acres of midtown real estate from 40th to 52nd St., along 5th to 7th Avenue.
- The Rainbow Room, on the 65th floor of Rockefeller Center, is the most popular luxury dining and drinking spot in the area. It fills up fast, especially for events like New Year’s Eve, so you’ll need to make reservations. Dress up, and prepare to dance.
- The Rainbow Grill, right next to the Rainbow Room, is a less upscale setting – but still worth changing into your fancy clothes for! Call ahead to reserve a spot for your party at the Rainbow Grill. The view is terrific.
- If you want to watch the ball drop with the hundreds of thousands of people on the streets of NYC, be prepared to see a lot of cops trying to keep a lid on things. They’ll be herding the crowds into partitioned areas and watching for illicit activity.
- As with any free, massively popular event, you don’t get to “save your spot” if you leave. Here's a tip: If you like where you are, don’t leave. That means, you may want to ration how much you drink. Peeing on the street is gross, and the cops won’t like it. Neither will your fellow revelers.
- And you already know that an open bottle of alcohol is a no-no, right?
- New York City is not a tropical vacation spot. Even on relatively balmy years (and I said relatively), it’s cold in NYC in December and January. Be smart and bundle up - no backpacks to stuff scarves in, so travel with whatever you think you may need to stay comfortable in NYC for New Year’s Eve.
- Unless you’re staying at a Times Square hotel, the fastest way to get to One Times Square is the subway. 42nd Street is the major NYC mass transit hub, so you can get there from nearly anywhere else in the city easily. The 1,2,3, and 9 subways makes stops here, the 4,5, and 6 make subway stops here too. Times Square is the terminus for the 7 subway line. The ACE, BDFV, the G, the JMZ and the L, and the NQRW all make regular stops at Times Square. There will be plenty of transit cops around to help with travel for tourists and other out-of-towners.
- Plan for New Year’s Eve in NYC early enough, and you can party on the Hudson River, in a luxury cruise ship. A New Year’s Eve cruise is a popular way to ring in New Year’s Day, and most ships dock at around 2:00AM. Tickets for most luxury New Year's cruises sell out fast; They also usually include the obligatory champagne toast, and an open bar.
If massive, crushing NYC style crowds aren't your idea of luxury, there are many other options in New York for watching the New Year's celebrations in style and more relaxed comfort. Enjoy your trip to NYC, and have a happy and healthy New Year!
Related, on Suite 101:
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade FAQs and Tips
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